By Staff Sgt. C. Todd Lopez
WASHINGTON (April 13, 2004) -- Airmen with government travel cards can now make payments to their accounts online.
The “MyEasyPayment” system allows Airmen with government travel cards to pay off residual or unexpected charges not covered by split disbursement payments, said Josephine Davis, the Air Force banking liaison officer.
"Split disbursement of travel card payments is mandatory for military members and by default for civilians, but there are unavoidable situations when the split-disbursed amount does not cover your total charges," Ms. Davis said.
Airmen are required to use their government cards for airline tickets, hotels and rental cars for military travel. They may also use their cards to purchase meals and to get cash for incidental expenses.
When Airmen return from travel, they file a voucher so they can be reimbursed for their expenses. That payment, or disbursement, is split between the Airmen's personal-checking account and their travel-card account. Airmen are responsible for indicating how much money should be sent to the travel-card account. If there is a miscalculation of the amount owed on the travel card, there can be residual or unexpected charges still owed.
An example of an unexpected or residual charge is when an Airman makes a purchase overseas and the exchange rate changes before the merchant processes the charge, Ms. Davis said.
"There could be additional money owed there," she said. "Instead of the transaction costing $50, it may now cost $52.
Another example is when Airmen lose receipts and forget about charges on their cards.
Despite those types of errors, Ms. Davis said Airmen are still responsible for paying off their accounts in full.
"Just like with any other credit card, it is our responsibility to know what we owe," Ms. Davis said. "Sometimes you need to call the bank and find out what you need to pay. This system gives you the opportunity to make those payments."
Airmen with questions about being reimbursed for unexpected or residual charges on their accounts should contact their military travel pay office, Ms. Davis said. Travelers may need to file an amended travel voucher if they feel they are owed money.
The payment system is available at www.myeasypayment.com. To use the system, cardholders need to know the amount they want to pay on the card, the card’s account number and security code, and their checking account and bank routing numbers.
Ms. Davis said cardholders can check their account balance by calling the toll-free number on the back of the card.
