Charge Card Travel Frequently Asked Questions

Citibank ATM terminals do not charge an ATM terminal or access fee when using their card. Non-Citibank ATMs will usually charge a terminal fee. In the event you need to use an ATM that charges a terminal fee, Citibank will assess a 2.75% per cash advance fee, which can be claimed on your travel voucher.

Employees in the Washington, DC metro area may also use their Citibank cards for cash advances at the DOI Federal Credit Union ATMs located in the Main Interior Building and the USGS Headquarters in Reston, VA. The DOI Federal Credit Union does not charge terminal access fees, but the 2.75% per cash advance fee from Citibank will still apply.

Citibank ATMs locator.

The short answer is yes, if the use of these services is more advantageous to the Government compared to other traditional counterparts (e.g., car rental). However, travelers are responsible for ensuring these services are used during non-peak periods to avoid premium surcharges. Be sure, if you use an Uber, Lyft, or another similar service for personal use that your government card is not associated with the transaction/charge.

No, travel cards may only be used for expenses related to official travel. If your card has a decline, you should contact your A/OPC or Citibank to resolve the issue.

• Late Fee – If your account has been cancelled, a 2.5% late fee of the balance due will be charged for any payment not received within 96 calendar days past the closing date on the statement of account in which the charge first appeared.
• Travel Card Cash Advance Fee/ATM – The travel card cash advance fee is 2.75% of the amount of each cash advance transaction. In some cases, an additional surcharge may be imposed by ATM operators.
• Returned/Rejected Payment Fee – If your check or electronic payment is not honored, or if Citibank must return it to you because it cannot be processed, then you will be charged a returned/rejected fee of $10.00. In most cases the merchant’s bank will impose additional fees and Citibank will pass those on to the cardholder.
• Collection Fees – If Citibank refers your account to an attorney for collection, you will be responsible for any attorney’s fees, not to exceed one third of recovered amount plus actual court costs, except where prohibited by law.
• Expedited Card Fee – The expedited card fee is fixed at $25.00 per request for expediting a card via courier to the cardholder or a company location.
• Foreign Transaction Fees – For transactions made with a foreign merchant in foreign currently or the account billing currency, fees established by the Card Association and levied to Citi will be passed on, plus a fee of 1.5%.

Other than the cash advance, expedited card fees, and foreign transaction fees, these fees cannot be paid or reimbursed by the government.

There are three ways to make payment at no charge:

• Mail in your payment with the coupon from your monthly statement;
• On-line in CitiManager at www.citimanager.com/login; or,
• By telephone at 800-790-7206 (within the United States); or 904-954-7850 (collect calls from outside the United States).

Payment cannot be made at Citibank branch offices.

Look for the balance due amount. Those are individually billed items. Centrally billed items will be on the memo statement section of the statement and will be listed under Diverted Transactions. Individually billed transactions will appear in a separate section at the top of the statement.

To determine whether the travel account is a CBA, IBA, or Tax Advantage Travel Account, refer to the 6th digit of the account number.

Federal government travelers using GSA SmartPay Travel Accounts may be exempt from state taxes in select states. In addition, state tax exemption forms, official business travel documentation, or a Federal Government ID may be required to receive state tax exemption. Visit the State Tax Information page on the GSA website to find out the details for each state.

Best Practices

• Visit the US State Tax Map to determine if the state you are traveling to exempts taxes.
• If the state exempts taxes, determine what additional information is required (tax exemption form, official travel documentation or a Federal Government ID) and bring it with you on travel.
• When traveling to a tax-exempt state, contact the hotel before you travel to verify that taxes will not be charged to your GSA SmartPay Travel Account.
• If the hotel does not recognize tax exemption status, please refer hotel representatives to the GSA SmartPay website or the state’s taxation authority to verify tax exemption.
• Maintain copies of all receipts in order to verify taxes assessed; receipts should be maintained for6 years and 3 months in the bank’s EAS or ConcurGov.
• In accordance with the Travel and Transportation Reform Act of 1998 (PL 105-264), please use the GSA SmartPay Travel Account when you are on official federal government travel. States will not exempt taxes on personal accounts and your agency will not have the ability to earn important refunds.

See GSA’s SmartPay3 website for more information.