Home > News > Article Display

A mission-driven travel card

By Airman 1st Class Jose L. Hernandez , Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs / Published February 08, 2011

PRINT | E-MAIL
MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- The Air Force is currently implementing a new travel card program designed to provide travelers with increased flexibility in order to meet their traveling needs.

Air Force Global Strike Command and Team Minot Airmen who currently posseses a Government Travel Card can expect to be enrolled in the new Citi Controlled Spend Account program by April. Currently, there are approximately 500 Airmen here who have obtained a CSA card since the program's initial implementation in early January.

Vicki Campbell, 5th Comptroller Squadron financial management analyst, explained the new program will put each member in control of their own official traveling expenses.

"The new CSA card will have a spending limit based on the projected cost of travel," said Mrs. Campbell. "And it will only be valid during a member's active orders."

She explained all Air Force members could now be authorized a CSA card with no credit check required, which allows for instant approvals. This was not the case with the travel card. It also differs in that there will not be an available balance unless there is an approved travel order or a residual balance left over from a previous trip.

"Before, almost three-fourths of the Air Force had access to a GTC," Mrs. Campbell explained. "Now everyone will have access to a travel card."

She said one of the benefits of this new program is its ability to allow travelers to fulfill mission requirements, while also minimizing the risk of delinquency.

"A lot of manpower hours are dedicated in order to deal with delinquencies," she continued. "Clearing up delinquencies takes time, but this new program is sure to help us out."

"This program will help curtail disciplinary actions due to delinquencies as well," said Mrs. Campbell. "Members will know their spending limits up front before they travel."

Mrs. Campbell said delivering a more efficient travel program by simplifying and streamlining the whole travel process was also a main goal.

She explained that when a member files for a travel voucher, 100 percent of the final payment will go to the card.

"Members will then be able to use any money that is left on the card to their liking," added Mrs. Campbell. "They also have the option to transfer it to their own personal account."

She added because of the CSA program's collaboration with CitiBank, there is increased access to merchants. This allows members to make purchases from any location.

Mr. Todd Johnson, 5th CPTS financial services officer, mentioned Air Force leadership has always worked hard at trying to find ways to make traveling procedures more effective and that this program was a step in the right direction.

"This CSA program has been in testing at Keesler AFB, Miss., as well as a few others, and we've received good data on how it's been doing," said Mr. Johnson.

He stressed that while this program places a personal responsibility on individuals to spend wisely, they also have implemented a "leave no one stranded" policy. With CitiBank's 24-hour customer service availability, travelers will be able to request a temporary increase in their card limit to prevent members from being stranded out at their TDY locations without funds.

"We understand that situations arise when a traveler might require more money," said Mr. Johnson. "Sometimes the mission changes or unexpected expenses arise."

He said this new program's mission-driven initiatives would definitely allow travelers to perform their mission with confidence while making travel related purchases with ease.

Additional information can be found by searching "controlled spend account" on the USAF Portal.





USAF Comments Policy
If you wish to comment, use the text box below. AF reserves the right to modify this policy at any time.

This is a moderated forum. That means all comments will be reviewed before posting. In addition, we expect that participants will treat each other, as well as our agency and our employees, with respect. We will not post comments that contain abusive or vulgar language, spam, hate speech, personal attacks, violate EEO policy, are offensive to other or similar content. We will not post comments that are spam, are clearly "off topic", promote services or products, infringe copyright protected material, or contain any links that don't contribute to the discussion. Comments that make unsupported accusations will also not be posted. The AF and the AF alone will make a determination as to which comments will be posted. Any references to commercial entities, products, services, or other non-governmental organizations or individuals that remain on the site are provided solely for the information of individuals using this page. These references are not intended to reflect the opinion of the AF, DoD, the United States, or its officers or employees concerning the significance, priority, or importance to be given the referenced entity, product, service, or organization. Such references are not an official or personal endorsement of any product, person, or service, and may not be quoted or reproduced for the purpose of stating or implying AF endorsement or approval of any product, person, or service.

Any comments that report criminal activity including: suicidal behaviour or sexual assault will be reported to appropriate authorities including OSI. This forum is not:

  • This forum is not to be used to report criminal activity. If you have information for law enforcement, please contact OSI or your local police agency.
  • Do not submit unsolicited proposals, or other business ideas or inquiries to this forum. This site is not to be used for contracting or commercial business.
  • This forum may not be used for the submission of any claim, demand, informal or formal complaint, or any other form of legal and/or administrative notice or process, or for the exhaustion of any legal and/or administrative remedy.

AF does not guarantee or warrant that any information posted by individuals on this forum is correct, and disclaims any liability for any loss or damage resulting from reliance on any such information. AF may not be able to verify, does not warrant or guarantee, and assumes no liability for anything posted on this website by any other person. AF does not endorse, support or otherwise promote any private or commercial entity or the information, products or services contained on those websites that may be reached through links on our website.

Members of the media are asked to send questions to the public affairs through their normal channels and to refrain from submitting questions here as comments. Reporter questions will not be posted. We recognize that the Web is a 24/7 medium, and your comments are welcome at any time. However, given the need to manage federal resources, moderating and posting of comments will occur during regular business hours Monday through Friday. Comments submitted after hours or on weekends will be read and posted as early as possible; in most cases, this means the next business day.

For the benefit of robust discussion, we ask that comments remain "on-topic." This means that comments will be posted only as it relates to the topic that is being discussed within the blog post. The views expressed on the site by non-federal commentators do not necessarily reflect the official views of the AF or the Federal Government.

To protect your own privacy and the privacy of others, please do not include personally identifiable information, such as name, Social Security number, DoD ID number, OSI Case number, phone numbers or email addresses in the body of your comment. If you do voluntarily include personally identifiable information in your comment, such as your name, that comment may or may not be posted on the page. If your comment is posted, your name will not be redacted or removed. In no circumstances will comments be posted that contain Social Security numbers, DoD ID numbers, OSI case numbers, addresses, email address or phone numbers. The default for the posting of comments is "anonymous", but if you opt not to, any information, including your login name, may be displayed on our site.

Thank you for taking the time to read this comment policy. We encourage your participation in our discussion and look forward to an active exchange of ideas.