New travel card program begins in March

Contact: Kevin Roark, knroark@lanl.gov, (505) 665-0582 (03-020)

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LOS ALAMOS, N.M., Feb. 13, 2003 -- Effective March 1, 2003, Los Alamos National Laboratory will implement a new travel card program replacing the current contract with Diner’s Club. This new program is the result of a competitive bid process and is not related to the Laboratory’s purchase card system.

The new travel cards will be issued by U.S. Bank and are part of a contract already in place with the University of California and in use at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

The balances on travel cards are the responsibility of the individual cardholder and should be paid in full at the end of each billing cycle. All allowable travel expenses are reimbursed by the Laboratory upon completion of the travel, approval by line management and submission of the appropriate expense forms. The travel card program is a means for employees to meet the travel requirements of their jobs without impacting personal credit or needing large cash advances. This is an industry-standard program that cuts overall travel costs to the Laboratory and makes it easier for employees to go on official travel, particularly to destinations overseas. The card gives travelers access to cash via Automated Teller Machines worldwide.

All current Diner’s Club cardholders, whose accounts are paid in full and in good standing, will be automatically enrolled in the new U.S. Bank program. Cards will be mailed directly to employees and can be activated by the cardholder upon receipt. If an employee receives a U.S. Bank card and either does not need or want the card they should simply not activate the new card and destroy it. Diner’s Club cards will not longer be active after Feb. 28. Currently, there are approximately 5,400 Diner’s Club cardholders at Los Alamos. The total number of travel cardholders is expected to decrease slightly under the new plan.

Employees who are not Diner’s Club cardholders can enroll in the U.S. Bank program on the Business Operations Division (BUS) travel website. The new program is open to University of California employees only and offers cardholders global acceptance, 24-hour emergency customer service, travel accident and rental car insurance. New cards will typically be delivered approximately one week from enrollment.

All new U.S Bank cardholders will be informed that the card should be used for official Laboratory travel only and not for personal charges of any kind. Unpaid balances on the new cards will be monitored by the travel card program in the BUS accounting group and notifications will be issued to employees who fail to submit payment within the program guidelines. Cards with delinquent charges will be suspended after 60 days, cards with delinquencies past three months will be cancelled.

Los Alamos National Laboratory is operated by the University of California for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) of the U.S. Department of Energy and works in partnership with NNSA's Sandia and Lawrence Livermore national laboratories to support NNSA in its mission.

Los Alamos enhances global security by ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, developing technologies to reduce threats from weapons of mass destruction, and solving problems related to energy, environment, infrastructure, health and national security concerns.