Rescinded [2017-04-01] - Directive on Travel Cards and Travellers Cheques

6.1.1 Identifying a departmental travel card coordinator;

6.1.2 Ensuring that responsibilities of the departmental travel card coordinator, managers and holders of travel cards or travellers cheques are communicated;

6.1.3 Ensuring travel cards are used solely for expenses related to government travel and pre-approved hospitality-related expenses while on travel status;

6.1.4 Ensuring that individual travel cards are the preferred method to charge authorized government travel expenses and that travellers cheques and accountable advances are used on an exceptional basis where it is not feasible or economical to use the travel card or an employee chooses not to obtain and use an individual designated travel card;

6.1.5 Providing documentation to and training for travel card and travellers cheque holders;

6.1.6 Ensuring that executives and excluded group employees that are governed by the Treasury Board Secretariat Special Travel Authorities and the National Joint Council Travel Directive are made aware that they are required by Treasury Board to use the travel card for authorized official government travel;

6.1.7 Recovering in a timely manner, all authorized charges that the department pays on behalf of a cardholder, from any sum of money that is owed to the cardholder, including by means of a set-off against wages as required by subsection 155(1) of the Financial Administration Act and pursuant to the Policy on Terms and Conditions of Employment and related directives;

6.1.8 Ensuring appropriate controls and accounting for processing transactions, for obtaining, securing, controlling and handling travel cards and travellers cheques, and for monitoring the authorized use and settlement of travel cards in a timely manner;

6.1.9 Ensuring arrangements for safeguarding and transporting travel cards and travellers cheques held during and after working hours, in compliance with security standards and as advised by the departmental security officer;

6.1.10 Making prompt payments of departmental travel card statements billed directly by the travel card issuer to the department in order to maximize financial rebates paid to the government and avoid interest and late payment charges;

6.1.11 Notifying Public Works and Government Services Canada of any change to the departmental reporting hierarchy or change in names and addresses associated with the departmental travel expense cards;

6.1.12 Establishing the following restrictions regarding travel cards, notwithstanding travel card issuer limitations on purchases:

• The dollar limits of the individual designated travel cards and departmental travel expense cards recognizing that a default limit of $5,000 exists for all cardholders of individual designated travel cards;
• Any limitations on certain types of purchases;

6.1.13 Ensuring liability for payment of travel cards is communicated as follows:

• All authorized charges against individual designated travel cards are payable by the cardholder;
• Departments are liable for authorized charges resulting from the use of departmental travel expense cards or accounts.

6.2.1 Authorizing the issuance, re-issuance or cancellation of all travel cards to employees and designated personnel, taking into account the following considerations:

• Receipt of written acknowledgement of responsibilities and obligations from the cardholder;
• Consultation with the departmental travel card coordinator in the previous department of transferred individuals to determine if the cardholder's previous travel card was cancelled due to payment delinquency;
• Determination of whether an individual has lost the privilege of using an individual designated travel card by failing to pay his or her account in the past;
• Acknowledgement of the circumstances that lead to the cancellation of a previously issued travel card and assessment of whether those circumstances have changed;

6.2.2 Authorizing all changes to the names on or delivery addresses of the departmental travel expense card;

6.2.3 Authorizing the following travel card limit-related items:

• all changes to the credit limits and cash withdrawal limits for travel cards while considering card restrictions, operational requirements and risks;
• in advance, expenditures (on an exception basis) that would cause the travel card's credit limit to be exceeded;

6.2.4 Ensuring that Receiver General accountable advance cheques or travellers cheques are only used in place of a travel card in the following circumstances:

• an employee chooses not to obtain and use an individual designated travel card;
• it is neither feasible nor economical to use a travel card;
• the ability to withdraw cash using the travel card is restricted or unavailable;

6.2.5 Ensuring the use and settlement of travel cards are monitored;

6.2.6 Managing the travel card and travellers cheques program within the department;

6.2.7 Providing advice to the cardholder on issues such as the occurrence of unauthorized charges, monitoring problems and taking timely corrective action as appropriate.

6.3.1 Recommending which government employees or designated personnel may apply for an individual designated travel card based on operational requirements and risks. The manager is required to also reassess the limits on a periodic basis or when operational responsibilities change;

6.3.2 Determining if a responsibility centre needs to apply for a departmental travel expense card and reassessing the need for issued cards on a periodic basis or when operational responsibilities change;

6.3.3 Recommending to the departmental travel card coordinator reasonable travel card credit limits and cash withdrawal limits based on planned use and reassessing the limits on a periodic basis or when operational responsibilities change;

6.3.4 Certifying the travel card statements billed directly to the department according to section 34 of the Financial Administration Act and ensuring that settlement is made in a timely manner that maximizes financial rebates paid to the government and avoids interest and late payment charges;

6.3.5 Ensuring cancellation of a travel card when a cardholder does not respect the signed acknowledgement of responsibilities and obligations and when the cardholder transfers to another department or terminates employment;

6.3.6 Certifying reimbursement of fees associated with reasonable cash withdrawals in compliance with section 34 of the Financial Administration Act;

6.3.7 Ensuring that travel cards or travellers cheques are not issued to contractors nor used for their travel expenses;

6.3.8 Ensuring cardholders are reimbursed for interest and late payment charges only in cases where the department is responsible (e.g., the reimbursement to the cardholder was not done in a timely manner); and

6.3.9 Investigating any delays in payment and taking corrective action, including recovery of amounts from individuals.

6.4.1 Providing a written acknowledgement of responsibilities and obligations before receiving a travel card from the departmental travel card coordinator;

6.4.2 Ensuring only the person whose name appears on the travel card or travellers cheques is the only one who may use it;

6.4.3 Ensuring travel cards only be used to pay for authorized government travel expenses within the limitations established in Section 6.1 of this directive;

6.4.4 Ensuring travel card information be safeguarded at all times according to the Policy on Government Security and related standards, and as advised by the departmental security officer;

6.4.5 Ensuring website security and assurance by confirming that the transaction is with the desired supplier before providing travel card information over the phone or the Internet;

6.4.6 Advising the departmental travel card coordinator and travel card issuer of incorrect or unauthorized charges as soon as they are noted to ensure that the cardholder or department is not held responsible for paying the charges;

6.4.7 Advising the departmental travel card coordinator and the travel card or travellers cheques issuer immediately when a travel card or travellers cheques are lost or stolen;

6.4.8 Advising the travel card issuer promptly of all changes to the cardholder's name or delivery address;

6.4.9 Ensuring travel cards be returned to the departmental travel card coordinator or the cardholder's manager when requested to do so and when the cardholder transfers to another department or terminates employment; and

6.4.10 Ensuring all authorized charges against an individual designated travel card are payable by the cardholder and that card statements be settled promptly to ensure the outstanding balance does not become a delinquent account.

6.5.1 Chief financial officers are responsible for supporting their deputy head by overseeing the implementation and monitoring of this directive in their departments: bringing to the deputy head's attention any significant difficulties, gaps in performance or compliance issues and developing proposals to address them and reporting significant performance or compliance issues to the Office of the Comptroller General.

6.5.2 The Comptroller General is responsible for monitoring departments' compliance with the requirements of this directive and conducting a review within five to eight years.