Corporate Travel Credit Cards for Employees
By Carol Whitney,
State Controller |
Corporate Travel Credit Cards are being tested by a number of in-state and out-of-state
travelers through A.C.E.(the Administrative Service Center for Agriculture, Conservation
and Environmental Protection). The cards are issued by American Express, a company that
has all but captured the market in this arena. Statewide availability will be within 45
days for those employees who travel at least three times annually as part of their job. |
American Express has a "rural state program" which we have utilized to bring in
hotels/motels and restaurants in remote areas of Maine. All hotel/motel and restaurant
chains in Maine already accept the AMEX card. We may have missed several areas and
will depend on travelers to advise us accordingly. The matrix of areas, hotels/motels and
restaurants in Maine accepting the AMEX card will be uploaded to Accounts and
Control’s homepage, and made available to employees in hard copy when they receive
their card. Policy and procedures in using the card will also be available on the web and
in hard copy. |
Employees apply for a card by filling out an application provided by the agency
coordinator (selection in process). AMEX does run a credit check on each applicant. If
denied, you may talk with Toby Morgan, 626-8445, about special arrangements to accommodate
your travel. Cards are issued within 48 hours, have "State of Maine" and the
employee’s name imprinted on the card. Each employee with a card is responsible for
filing a timely expense report and paying the AMEX bill directly. No personal use of this
corporate card is allowed. Consequently, travelers looking to purchase personal items
while traveling should be prepared to use a personal credit card, check or cash. |
Issuance of a corporate credit card to an employee should eliminate cash advances. We are
advised by American Express that virtually all traveler services now accept the card,
including taxis, airport parking (Portland Jetport does accept the card), hotels and
restaurants. We do advise travelers, however, to take a nominal amount of cash with them
for airport transportation other than taxis or for taxis that do not take AMEX. Tip: if
you are at a conference, try to double or triple up for the return taxi trip to the
airport. |
For those of you who travel, watch for the announcement about the corporate cards from
your agency coordinator. We at Accounts and Control are delighted to offer you this
convenience and look forward to a successful program. |
A footnote of interest is another card that creates significant cost savings, the
"procurement card" for small purchases. This card has been available for several
years, but is underutilized. Using the card for small essential purchases, from supplies
to reference books, should save any agency unit time, effort, and a wait for important
items. Agencies utilizing the procurement card should also be thinking about eliminating
petty cash accounts and all the work associated with maintaining them. For more
information, please contact purchasing staff or Lee Giroux at 287-4500. |
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