Travel Update 09-03

The Governor's Travel Control Board is pleased to announce the State of Illinois' implementation of a new travel card program with Bank of America. This program will replace the existing Citicorp Diner's Club program.

The Bank of America program will feature two types of accounts which are outlined below.

Individual liability account payments are the responsibility of the individual cardholder. Cardholders have 25 days in which to make payments, even in the event that travel reimbursement has not been received. Finance charges will begin accruing at a fixed rate of 1% of the total due 40 days after the end of the 25 day grace period (a total of 65 days from the cycle close date). Please note, the information in the card insert and subsequent card statements may incorrectly state that there is a 0% finance charge because the interest will be manually calculated by Bank of America.

Employees who have individually billed Citicorp Diner's Club accounts and whose agency coordinator applied for a Bank of America account on their behalf should receive 2 e-mails from @Works.com (Bank of America's on-line account management application). The Works Application replaces Citicorp Diner’s Club Global Vision program. The first e-mail will be a welcome to the Works Application. The second e-mail will instruct the cardholder how to log into the Works Application, following the link and instructions provided. The cardholder must log into the Works Application and accept the terms and conditions of the account in order to receive a card. Cardholders will receive their cards by mail at the address provided within 7 to 10 days.

Employees expecting a card who do not receive a welcome e-mail from @Works.com must contact their Agency Travel Card Coordinator. This means that the information submitted for this employee was not received or was received in a format incompatible to issue a card. The Agency Travel Card Coordinator will be responsible for ordering cards for these employees.

Corporate liability account (commonly referred to as "centrally billed" or "ghost" accounts), payments are the responsibility of the State of Illinois. Interest on corporate liability cards will accrue pursuant to the State's Prompt Payment Act.

Corporate liability cardholders will only receive a welcome to the Works Application e-mail. Corporate cards will be sent to the Agency Travel Card Coordinators via Federal Express at the address provided and distributed to cardholders.

Employees and agencies should cease using their Citicorp Diner’s Club accounts when they receive their Bank of America card or before September 28, 2008. Note that both types of accounts will have billing cycles that close on the last day of the month.

Please be aware that section 2800.230 (c) of the Governor's Travel Control Board Rules state: "The Government Charge Card may only be used for business related travel expenses, specifically, transportation, lodging, meals, and other expenses considered reimbursable under this Part or under the rules of the Travel Regulation Council (80 Ill. Adm. Code 3000, Subparts C, D, E, and F)." Restrictions are in place to ensure that the Bank of America card is being used properly and employees attempting to use the card for purchases that are improper will, at most times, be declined at the point of sale. However, if an employee has a travel requirement and must make a purchase from a merchant that is not on the approved list, an exception can be made by contacting the Agency Travel Card Coordinator. Section 2800.230 (d) states: "Agencies are responsible for monitoring the travel expense payment system to ensure compliance with this Part and the rules of the Council and the terms of the agreement. Misuse or abuse of the Government Charge Card may result in disciplinary action."

Please disseminate this travel update to the appropriate personnel within your agency.

If you have questions, please contact Kelley Shaw, State Travel Coordinator, at (217) 782-4705 or Kelley.shaw@illinois.gov.