The Travel and Transportation Reform Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-264) mandates Federal Government cardholders to use the contractor-issued travel charge card for official government travel expenses and to receive cash advances unless:
- A vendor does not accept the travel charge card;
- The Administrator of GSA has granted an exemption (see FTR Section 301-70.704); or
- Your agency head or his/her designee has granted an exemption.
Government travel charge cards are VISA or MasterCard branded and can be used at any location that accepts VISA or MasterCard credit cards, including internationally. The GSA SmartPay travel charge card may be used only for authorized official travel and authorized travel related expenses. Official travel expenses are transportation, lodging, meals, and incidentals. The travel charge card may not be used for personal expenses at any time or must not be used by any other person.