The GTCC may be used to cover hotel and meal expenses in conjunction with the TLA entitlement, but reimbursement claims must be submitted every 15 days to allow for timely payment of the monthly GTCC bill. This was a great way to further explained it. This is the maximum reimbursable limit. Note to § 301-70.705: Just make sure you have the cash on hand in case the reimbursement takes a long time. Thank you for supporting my independent, veteran owned site. Once again, thank you Sir for your thoughtful article, I learned a lot from your blog and always share with my battle buddies when I have chance! NO EXCESS BAGGAGE AUTHORIZED. Government rental time goes on your Gov't card but YOU MUST pay for personal time with personal funds. Currently Stationed in Patrick AFB, PCSing to Ramstein. ANY AND ALL TVL EXCESS OF ONE DAY IS CHARGEABLE TO AIRMAN AS ORDINARY LEAVE. All Travel Card holders and Agency/Organization Program Coordinators (A/OPCs) are required to take the USDA Travel Card Training on the proper use of a Government Travel Card prior to receiving one. Here is an example of PCSing from the United Arab Emirates to JB Lewis-McChord, Washington. Travel must be purchased using personal funds and traveler may use any commercial source. Start with 301-10.132. Note that rest stops are authorized for any TDY travel over 14 hours, but NOT for PCS travel: Normally, a traveler is not required to travel between the hours of 2400 and 0600 if it is not necessary for the mission. The TMC and AO, therefore, require that travel by air and ship be on a U.S. flag carrier for every leg of a trip, unless the TMC and AO provide supporting documentation that a U.S. flag carrier is not available. So every state but Alaska and Hawaii. The Seattle to Washington, DC portion is official travel and must be purchased through the TMC using the IBA/CBA, as appropriate. For questions and issues that involve your CITI Bank account, call the travel card bank directly at 800-790-7206 (INCONUS) or 904-954-7850 (OCONUS) for questions or to report a lost/stolen card. ref b is the joint travel regulations. NORMAL ROUTE OF TVL IS FROM _________ TO ______ TO ______ TO ________ TO ______ TO JB LEWIS-MCCHORD, WA. Fly from Abu Dhabi to Zurich (in Etihad business class, upgraded with AMEX MR Points), drive and hike through Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, and Italy for 5 days. Also, these Y class fares require the least amount of points or cash to upgrade to a business or first class fare. Frequent Flyer Program Benefits . TDY to Cairo, Egypt: I did the official part of the TDY (a training exercise planning conference) for the first 5 days, then took 2 days of leave to see the Pyramids and Nile with my wife. District, Area or HQ unit) can assist you. The Washington, DC to Dallas to Seattle portion is leisure travel and cannot use the contracted City-Pair fares or the IBA/CBA. Free airfare to Egypt for me and I brought my wife in on points. Drop off dependents there with family. Or you can find a codeshare on Lufthansa (United) or other non-US flag carriers that sell codeshares to US flag carriers. Congratulations, you save the government $1000. What do I do if I am traveling and my card is declined? What do I do if I am traveling and my card is declined? Self Procured Government Travel for PCS When you PCS to or from an OCONUS base, you need to make sure you have the following verbiage on your orders (bold emphasis mine): AIRMAN HAS APPROVED CIRCUITOUS/INDIRECT TRAVEL … Permanent Change of Station (PCS) travel expenses. However in the event that travelers are not able to reach their local Travel Manager after hours, CITI Bank is available to assist travelers. APPROVED ROUTE IS __________ TO _____________________. If you can line up some leave on either side of an official duty, the DOD doesn't mind if you arrive there using their money, as long as it doesn't cost them any extra. GTCC use is mandatory for PCS travel UNLESS travel exceeds 15 days. Agencies must adhere to the rules and regulations governing travel cards as set forth in the Government Travel Card Regulation, 2300-001, issued on October 20, 2003. a. G. Frequent-Flyer Miles or Other Promotional Benefits. This is currently the only process option for all new applications for the new travel card bank with CITI. Check the Table 2-3 in the JTR. See Rest Stop Examples on the DTMO website. 40118, commonly referred to as the “Fly America Act,” to use U.S. air carrier service for all air travel and cargo transportation services funded by the U.S. government. Make sure you double check the code-shares. Fortunately. I am an active duty US Air Force officer investing for financial independence by age 40. Since I was only authorized one travel day, the additional 12 days are charged as leave. A government travel charge card (GTCC) is a commercial credit card offered to Department of Defense personnel (both military and civilian) to pay for costs related to government-specific travel. I will show you how to get your 1st $550 annual fee waived in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards course The Amex Gold card is annual fee waived for military. Am I exempt from paying state taxes  when I use my GTCC? narr/ref a is maradmin 001/16 which directed use of the government travel charge card during permanent change of station travel. Your local TMO might have a different format they want you to use, just call them up and ask for a “Circuitous Travel Request Memo.”. If an Army member is a card holder, an advance travel payment may only be authorized for DLA. §40118(d)). There are two general rules that govern the use of the card. The new CITI travel cards have the CG's tax identification number embossed under the cardholder name which will assist the cardholder in those states that provide a tax exemption. AIRMAN IS AUTHORIZED TO SELF-PROCURE TRANSOCEANIC TRANSPORTATION AT PERSONAL EXPENSE AND WILL BE REIMBURSED FOR THE TRANSOCEANIC TRAVEL. The whole Paris/Marseilles thing is on your own. Although the purchase cards under the GSA Smartpay Contract have the correct numbering for tax exemption, the travel cards do not. Department of Defense Government Charge Card Guidebook for Establishing and Managing Purchase, Travel, and Fuel Card Programs. I have used LICWO and circuitous travel multiple times in my 8 years of active duty service. Assistant Commandant for Human Resources (CG-1), Civilian Human Resources, Diversity and Leadership Directorate (CG-12), Assistant Commandant for Engineering & Logistics (CG-4), Shore Infrastructure Logistic Center (SILC), Environmental Planning and Historic Preservation, The Office of Information Management (CG-61), Assistant Commandant for Acquisitions (CG-9), Research, Development, Test and Evaluation. Reimbursement is limited to $599 per the FY19 GSA YCA fare assuming traveling from Washington National (DCA) airport or the actual cost of the flight from DCA to Dallas to Seattle, whichever is less. Above is only a small section of it, it goes on for 3 pages and 23 criteria to check. Here's one of our views from our last circuitous travel PCS: Circuitous or indirect travel is any route (CONUS/OCONUS) other than the one normally prescribed by the Installation Transportation Office (ITO) between the official places listed in members TDY or PCS orders. Again, you can get your airfare reimbursed up to the cost the government would have paid, but you can travel anywhere you want when you're on leave status. When you book LICWO travel, you are usually only authorized up to Y class fares, which are fully flexible, full rate economy fares. Also, provided is the list of local GTCC Travel Managers who may assist you in your travel card issues. Am I exempt from paying state taxes  when I use my GTCC? ... the policy restricting GTCC use for PCS travel exceeding 15 days is waived for members directed to an isolation or quarantine period before arriving at their new PDS. You could use an American Express Platinum to book the tickets for 5x points. OCONUS is “Outside the CONtiguous United States,” so everywhere else in the world except the lower 48. How do I get my travel card back after the account gets closed for delinquency or misuse? Yes, you will get charged for leave. When you grant an exemption from use of the Government contractor-issued travel charge card, you may authorize one or a combination of the following methods of payment: (a) Personal funds, including cash or personal charge card; (b) Travel advances; or (c) Government Transportation Request (GTR). I got the memo format from vMPF, while I was completing the 8 page initial assignment briefing. Traveler wants to take leave in Dallas on the return trip following completion of the TDY. Find out more about how you can use special, military only, no annual credit cards for free travel in my 5 day free course. When traveling in a foreign country should I pay for purchases in U.S. or local currency? Rental cars-you can not combine personal and government travel. This might sound dumb question, but does this also apply to Army? ADTRAV) programs. The Fly America Act requires that U.S. flag carriers be used for all commercial transportation when the Government funds the travel (49 U.S.C. This will not be an easy or cheap way to take LICWO. As of 1 Oct 2014, the JTR considers these fees to be part of the per diem rate and does not allow reimbursement of these fees for military personnel. With LICWO, you can take the leave at, enroute to, or returning from the TDY location, anywhere else in the world, before or after the official duty. It's even better than the Amex Platinum for everyday spending on dining and groceries. Each agency must establish internal controls to notify employees of outstanding balances and ensure their prompt repayment by the employees. If you are going OCONUS to OCONUS destinations while on LICWO or circuitous travel, there is a good chance there is not a U.S. flag air carrier, but there is a good chance that there is a code-share flight. Travelers should always first try to contact one of their local GTCC Travel Managers to resolve problems with their travel card. With that said, per TMO each person is reimbursable for upto $950 (FL to Ramstein fare). AMEX waives all annual fees for military servicemembers, so you miss out on free travel perks, like airport lounge access, if you don't have an AMEX Platinum. Unfortunately they are going to be plenty of US flag carriers from Patrick AFB to Ramstein. I’ve never seen that sort of language included in orders (Army, perhaps it’s a USAF thing?). Also, provided is the list of local GTCC Travel Managers who may assist you in your travel card issues. Reimbursement of personally procured transportation is limited to what the Government would have paid had the Service member or dependent purchased the ticket through the TMC for authorized transportation over a usually traveled and direct route (see “policy-constructed airfare” in Appendix A). This is the cost the government was expecting to pay per family member to move us to my new duty station. Also, a traveler cannot select specific flights or hotels to earn points if it will cost the Government additional money. Here is PCS route TMO wanted us to take: 28 hours of travel, two stops, lots of pain. When you PCS to or from an OCONUS base, you need to make sure you have the following verbiage on your orders (bold emphasis mine): AIRMAN HAS APPROVED CIRCUITOUS/INDIRECT TRAVEL IAW JTR 3005.E, AFI 36-3003 AND AFI 24-101 PARA.3.3. Rest stops may not exceed 24 hours. Federal travelers are required by 49 U.S.C. Arrive in Edinburgh, Scotland for 5 days in Scotland. Rules and allowances for rest stops during travel are in Table 2-1. Some examples are: Always check the latest version of the Joint Travel Regulation (JTR), updated monthly on the 1st. One night at the Hilton Edinburgh Carlton, 50,000 points thanks to our no annual fee AMEX Hilton Honors Aspire card before flying out to Banff National Park near Calgary, Canada for some hiking for 3 nights. So plan is to fly on non US carrier from Orlando to Paris, take train from Paris to Marseilles France. However, this restriction does not apply to Temporary Lodging Authorization (TLA). The Fly America Act does not mandate travel across the continental United States (CONUS) when traveling between two locations OCONUS. See IRS guidance available on the Internet at http://www.irs.gov. The AO may authorize or approve a TDY rest point or an en route rest stop when the flight exceeds 14 hours, the travel is to or from a location OCONUS, and travel is by coach class service. The new policy also generates a number of other benefits, including eliminating the need to apply for advance travel pay and reducing the chance of becoming delinquent on a personal credit card. Any Travel Manager assigned to your ATU (i.e. Now the base I’m at now is trying to screw me out of paying for my plane ticket. Fly out of Geneva, after staying at the Ritz Carlton Hotel de la Paix for 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, saving $700, thanks to our no annual fee American Express Marriott cards. Basically if you can find a fare between two cities on an American owned airline, you are a required to book it. So rather than sprint to our final destination, we decided to take a more leisurely path and see a bit of the world along the way. It almost “sounds too good to be true,” but the regulations back it up. The Department of Defense (DoD) Government Travel Charge Card (GTCC) Regulations are authorized by the DoDI 5154.31, Volume 4. By: Katie Savant, Government Relations Issue Strategist PCS moves are about to get a little more interesting thanks to the newest form of plastic your service member will be bringing home—a Government Travel Credit Card (GTCC). I recommend buying fully flexible tickets when you can so if your orders change or stuff happens, you don't have to sweat cancelling or changing your tickets. The question is, will they reimburse me for my airline tickets, gas receipts, train tickets? However, you do NOT need to take these flights. Learn how your comment data is processed. Here’s the official guidance from the Government Travel Charge Card Regulations : “The Department of Defense (DoD) policy is that the Government Travel Charge Card (GTCC) will be used by all DoD personnel (military or civilian) to pay for all costs related to official government travel.” Will they charge me for ordinary leave for the days spent in France and travel days to Ramstein from France? Now I just have to find the AFI to back my up. The Government Travel Charge Card is considered the “primary” way for all DoD personnel (including civilian contractors and those in uniform alike) to pay for official travel. When travelers did not use a Government Travel Charge Card, their travel expenses were reconciled through Central Billed Accounts, a more expensive process. I hope this helps you maximize your travel opportunities while you serve our country. A great resource to understand the Fly America Act is located here. You don't always have to use the Commercial Travel Office, or CTO, to book official travel. That official travel may include PCS moves, temporary duty assignments or TDY, deployments , travel to … How have you gotten around using the government travel card? Here is my LICWO letter from a recent TDY I took from the UAE to Germany. Since 1812, Citi has been serving customers with innovative banking and financial solutions. Any travel segment that is directly between the PDS/TDY, TDY/TDY, TDY/PDS, or PDS/PDS (for PCS travel) locations is considered official travel. One important rule to keep track of if you self-procure your transoceanic travel is the “Fly America Act.”. I am an active duty Air Force officer investing for financial independence by age 40. As a Guard member, I don’t often have the opportunity to travel like this (the only leave I can accrue would be during my activation time, so it would be limited). If the duration of the PCS travel will exceed 15 days, including leave, compensatory absence, proceed time, and TDY in conjunction with the PCS, the card SHALL NOT be used. A similar but different program is Leave in Conjunction with Official Travel (LICWO) when you go TDY. A traveler can keep any frequent-flyer points or miles, hotel rewards, or rental car upgrades accumulated during official travel, as long as those promotional items are available to the general public or to a class consisting of all civilian employees or Service members. Other example itineraries of circuitous travel would be US to Japan, Japan to Germany, Korea to England, Saudi Arabia to Spain, or anywhere else US military servicemembers are based. You can also visit citimanager.com/login for account information. Circuitous travel is a great way to meet the minimum spend on credit cards, earn some points, and pick a much better air route that fits your lifestyle, travel style, and family needs. Thanks, https://static.e-publishing.af.mil/production/1/af_a4/publication/afi24-602v1/afi24-602v1.pdf. Expedited cards result in a fee of $20 placed on the account; that fee must be claimed as a reimbursable expense on the PCS travel voucher in accordance with reference (b). On-Line Process: This is currently the only process option for all new applications for the new travel card bank with CITI. United, American, Delta all fly to Frankfurt from lots of places in the US. Reimbursement of personally procured transportation is limited to what the Government would have paid had the Service member or dependent purchased the ticket through the Travel Management Center (TMC) for authorized transportation over a usually traveled and direct route (see “policy-constructed airfare” in Appendix A). Reimbursement is authorized for the actual cost of the transportation used and en route per diem, limited to what the Government’s cost would have been between the official duty locations using a Policy Constructed Airfare (YCA vice CA) had there been no personal travel taken. GTCC use is mandatory for PCS travel UNLESS travel exceeds 15 days. When notified of my new assignment, I submitted my memorandum requesting circuitous travel to the Traffic Management Office (TMO) at the base I was at. You can also visit citimanager.com/login for account information. Allowances in the DoD policy challenged officials with enforcing the Air Force policy that was established in 2008, according to Floyd Haralson, Headquarters Air Force Travel Policy office. :  Travelers should always first try to contact one of their local GTCC Travel Managers to resolve problems with their travel card. See the image below or click here for the PDF version of my LICWO authorization letter/memo example. Unless the IBA GTCC use is specifically exempted by this Manual, GTCC holders shall use their card for transportation tickets, lodging, rental cars, and meals (unless use of the card is impractical, e.g., group meals or the travel card is not accepted), Temporary Lodging Where will you go on your next LICWO or circuitous travel? No, you will not get reimbursed for gas receipts and train tickets. charge card. Be respectful and act like you belong there. Dobe aware that your operating division and your immediate supervisor may monitor card use and may recommend disciplinary action when misuse or abuse has occurred. The driving will be on your own dime. How do I get a Government Travel Card? Self-procurement is an easy way to meet minimum spends on credit cards to earn a welcome bonus. Finally arrive at our PCS destination of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. CG Reservists Who are Civilian Employees for other Components, Please click here to view the Travel Manager Roster, How do I get my travel card back after the account gets closed for delinquency or misuse, GSA Mobile Site via your smartphone - State Tax Information. Commercial. Travel Card Holder and Travel Card A/OPC Training . these fares usually include free cancellation, date, and flight changes, which is useful if your travel plans change. All of this information is current as of 2 April 2019. ref c is volume 4 to When making non-U.S. dollar denominated purchases, it is recommended that cardholders not request a transaction be processed in any specific currency unless the cardholder is able to confirm with the merchant that the transaction costs will be lower than that available through the typical GSA SmartPay® currency conversion process. You can access the instructions for this online GTCC application by CLICKING HERE to begin this process. Separate invoices for the official travel and leisure travel portions must be submitted with the travel claim. You do NOT get to keep the difference. Government travelers on official business at government expense that are members of a frequent flyer program may retain for personal use any points or miles, upgrades, or access to carrier clubs or facilities accrued through official travel. A Service member or dependent who performs PCS travel to, from or between OCONUS points over an indirect or circuitous route at personal expense and convenience is authorized travel allowances unless he or she was directed to use Government transportation and did not use it when it was available. The government travel credit card program has existed since the mid-90s, and has gradually grown to be the required form of payment for almost all official travel. From Navy Personnel Command Public Affairs MILLINGTON, Tenn. (NNS) — Sailors are now authorized to use the Government Travel Charge Card (GTCC) for permanent change of station (PC… So if your flights only end up costing $1000 and you are authorized to spend $2000, you will only be reimbursed for $1000. A. Authority: JFTR Chapter Five and Seven Forward: Permanent Change of Station (PCS) travel occurs when a military member (and family) is directed by government travel orders to make a move from their current duty station to another.. A. Validate Order Content In the case of Temporary Lodging Expense (TLE) moves, the card may be used subject to the 15-day rule addressed above. But I can see times when this might be applicable in my situation. Effective January 1, 2016, the US Marine Corps requires uniformed personnel executing a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move, to use a Government Travel Charge Card (GTCC) in lieu of a travel advance and for all PCS related travel expenses to include temporary lodging expense, dislocation allowance, and transportation of the Marine and dependents. As a soldier, I have never heard anyone mentioning about LICWO, and trust me, PCS is such a pain every time. You are allowed to upgrade to a higher class of travel, but don't do it if you're traveling in uniform. Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) The Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) summarizes the travel and relocation policy for all federal civilian employees and others authorized to travel at the government’s expense. The Travel and Transportation Reform Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-264) mandates use of the Government Travel Charge card for employees on official government travel. However, this restriction does not apply to Temporary Lodging Authorization (TLA). REF B IS THE MARINE CORPS TRAVEL … For personally procured Permanent Duty Travel (aka, PCS), the JTR Section 050202 states: A. ... government assignments such as temporary duty (TDY) and permanent change of station (PCS). in this tool for easy online account access using CITIManager. Taking circuitous travel when you PCS to or from an OCONUS base to a CONUS or OCONUS base is a legal and awesome way to take some leave, vacation, or holiday while moving from point A to point B. 1-5. The Approving Official (whoever issues your orders, usually your commander or supervisor) may permit a Service member or civilian employee to combine leave or personal travel with official travel at no additional cost to the Government. Any Travel Manager assigned to your ATU (i.e. Only the airfare and ONLY if it’s on a US flag carrier, unless one of the Table 2-3 exemptions applies (99% chance it will not apply). All the government is responsible for is getting you and your family (dependents) from Florida to Ramstein in the most cost effective way possible. What an amazing resource! If you want to see how I get hotels for free and upgrade to business class on m LICWO and PCS trips, check out my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course. Eligibility. I also recommend spending all the way up to your maximum allowable limit. SPACE-A TVL MAY BE USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH SPACE-REQUIRED TVL AS LONG AS SPACE-AVAILABLE DOESN’T SUBSTITUTE FOR ANY SINGLE LEG FOR WHICH THE TRAVELER HAS A SPACE-REQUIRED ENTITLEMENT. Next day drive to Ramstein alone… As soon as i find a house, drive back to France to pick up family and in 2-3 days drive back to Ramstein. When making non-U.S. dollar denominated purchases, it is recommended that cardholders not request a transaction be processed in any specific currency unless the cardholder is able to confirm with the merchant that the transaction costs will be lower than that available through the typical GSA SmartPay® currency conversion process. Permanent Change of Station (PCS) Travel. So we are clear, CONUS means “CONtiguous United States,” also known as the lower 48. It looks like only Norweigan Airlines does a direct flight from MCO (Orlando) to Paris (CDG). The total authorized travel days will be on your PCS orders, but I doubt it will be more than 1 authorized travel day for Florida to Germany. Here is the plan. Military Money Manual connects US military servicemembers with the best military credit cards available. I can spend more than the limit on tickets, but I will only be reimbursed up to the amount on the cost estimate memo from TMO. Be sure to follow these instructions in order as they are written to ensure a smooth application process. subj/government travel charge card use during permanent change of station travel// ref/a/msg/cno washington dc/171240zjul19// ref/b/doc/jtr/1jul19// ref/c/doc/dodi/jun19// ref/d/doc/dod/mar18// narr/ref a is navadmin 161/19 permanent change of station move improvements. Paper-Process:  This process is not available at this time. JUNE 25, 2020 – Sailors are now authorized to use the Government Travel Charge Card (GTCC) for permanent change of station (PCS) moves. Commercial. For questions and issues that involve your CITI Bank account, call the travel card bank directly at 800-790-7206 (INCONUS) or 904-954-7850 (OCONUS) for questions or to report a lost/stolen card. Which states provide for a tax exemption when using the GTCC and what their specific requirements are can be found at:   GSA State Tax Information (you are leaving this USCG website)  or at GSA Mobile Site via your smartphone - State Tax Information (you are leaving this USCG website)  Economy or coach accommodations must be used unless other accommodations are approved as specified in Chapter 2. Great resource. For approved/authorized PCS travel by POV, the mileage reimbursement rate is the same as the moving expense mileage rate established by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for moving expense deductions. In the case of the travel cards, the exemption status and form requirements vary from state to state. But then driving with dependents to Ramstein. The new CITI travel cards have the CG's tax identification number embossed under the cardholder name which will assist the cardholder in those states that provide a tax exemption. “By using the government travel card, movers no longer are forced to pay out of pocket for moving expenses, Johnson said. When circumstances warrant, the AO must consider each case individually taking into account both funding and mission needs. Federal employees and agencies may use the FTR as a reference to ensure official travel and relocation is conducted in a responsible and cost effective manner. 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