GSA SmartPay Travel Card/Account Troubleshooting Guide

Help! I need to pay my travel card/account bill

The GSA Center for Charge Card Management (CCCM) frequently receives questions from card/account holders about how to pay a travel card/account bill. Here are five ways to make sure the bank receives your payments on time:

1. Use split disbursement (if available at your agency)

   Split disbursement is defined in the GSA SmartPay 3 Master Contract as the process of dividing a travel voucher reimbursement between the contractor (i.e. the bank) and the traveler. The balance designated to go to each is sent directly to the appropriate party. Don’t forget to double-check your card/account balance to ensure that split disbursement payments were properly paid.

2. Use the bank’s online account access.

   Payments can be made via the bank’s online bill payment system at any time – 24 hours a day, seven days a week – so you can pay the amount you owe on or before the due date directly from your own checking or savings account. Don’t forget that you still need to voucher through your agency/organization for official travel expenses incurred and receive reimbursement from your agency/organization. Note: Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) section 301-52.24 states that a card/account holder must remit payment to the bank on or before the statement due date, regardless of the status of the card/account holder’s voucher. Online Account Access Links:

   Citibank® – CitiManager®

   U.S. Bank® – Access® Online

3. Use the bank’s mobile app.

   Payments can be made at any time via the bank’s mobile app. Download the bank’s mobile app to your device and pay through your checking or savings account on or before the statement due date. Note: You will still need to voucher through your agency/organization for official travel expenses incurred and receive reimbursement from your agency/organization to your savings or checking account. Below are the names of each bank’s mobile app. They are compatible with both Apple® and Android™ devices.

   Citibank® – CitiManager® Mobile

   U.S. Bank – Access® Online Mobile

4. Pay via telephone.

   A telephone payment can be made at any time during the billing cycle. You do not need to wait to receive a statement from the bank in order to make a payment. Information for making telephone payments is provided below:

   Citibank
   (800) 790-7206

   U.S. Bank – TelePay
   (888) 994-6722

5. Pay via mail.

   Upon receipt of your card/account statement, or at any time prior to receipt of the card/account statement, you can mail your payment using the following addresses:

   Citibank
   Citibank Government Card Services
   P.O. Box 78025
   Phoenix, AZ 85062-8025

   U.S. Bank
   Cardmember Service
   P.O. Box 790428
   St. Louis, MO 63179-0428

There can be many reasons why your travel card/account has stopped working and/or is declined. The most common reason for being declined is because of a temporary suspension placed on the card/account. Typically, a temporary suspension occurs whenever activity on the card/account indicates that fraud may have occurred. This is a precaution taken by the bank to protect your card/account and generally has nothing to do with your transactions. Instead, fraudsters compromise vendor databases or discern potential card/account numbers, causing activity on your card/account that automatically alerts the contractor bank’s fraud-monitoring systems.

Prior to suspension, the bank will attempt to contact you or your Agency/Organization Program Coordinator (A/OPC) for more information. If the bank cannot reach you or your A/OPC, your travel card/account may be suspended until you can authenticate the activity on the card/ account and verify that the card/account is not lost or stolen. In the case of no fraudulent activity, the bank will remove the suspension on your card/account. However, if the card/ account has been compromised and/or fraudulent activity has occurred, a new card/account number will be issued. Replacement cards for lost, stolen, broken, or otherwise unusable cards will be processed within 48 hours of the agency/organization request. It may be possible to have the new card shipped to your travel location, if necessary.

Regardless of the reason your card/account is declined or has stopped working, it is recommended to first contact your issuing bank. The bank’s contact information can be found on your GSA SmartPay card, on the GSA SmartPay website, or listed below:

Citibank
(800) 790-7206 (within United States)
(904) 954-7850 (collect calls from outside United States)

U.S. Bank
(888) 994-6722 (within United States)
(701) 461-2232 (collect calls from outside United States)

After speaking with the bank, if your card/account still cannot be reinstated, you will be referred back to your A/OPC, who will check if your card/account’s spending limit needs to be increased or if certain Merchant Category Codes need to be opened. Note: Most A/OPCs do not work on weekends and are not available 24 hours a day. If you need immediate assistance, always reach out to the issuing bank’s customer support to resolve your problem. It may be necessary to use an alternate method of payment to cover official travel expenses until the A/OPC can determine the cause of the problem. Be sure to keep records of your expenses to accurately voucher when you return.