Box tops earn Goodfellow GTC rebates

  • Published
  • By Maj. Michael Goodman
  • 17th Comptroller Squadron commander
GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Remember when you were a kid and collected the Universal Product Codes from your Star Wars figures? You wanted to be the first one on the block with the Emperor Palpatine figure; the figure that you could only get by sending in 20 UPCs. After collecting the UPCs and stuffing them in an envelope, you carefully filled out the order form with your best handwriting and then waited four to six weeks for it to arrive. It seemed like forever, but when the package finally arrived, it was like your birthday and Christmas all rolled into one. Now that you're all grown up, you don't cut out the UPCs from Star Wars box tops anymore, but you probably collect frequent flier miles or have a card that gives you points when you use it. Well this same concept applies to the Citi Government Travel Card.

Every time a member goes on official travel and uses the GTC, the Air Force receives a percentage of that money as a rebate from Citi; but there's a catch. The Air Force doesn't see a dime of the rebate unless everyone pays their GTC bill on time. When the Air Force earns the rebate, it gives the earnings to Major Commands who in turn give it back to the wings. To make sure that each wing is doing their part to earn the rebate, only wings with a three month history of on-time payments can receive the rebate from MAJCOM. If more than two percent of the Airmen in the wing are late paying their GTC during the three month period, the wing loses out on the money. That's money typically used to improve the quality of life of our Airmen.

To date, Goodfellow has lost out on more than $120,000 in GTC rebates. In terms of quality of life, this could have bought 100 55" high definition LCD TVs for the dorms; a huge improvement over the 19" standard definition TVs currently in most permanent party dorms. It also could have been used to purchase more computers for the library or the Event Center which would cut down on the wait time during lunch. Imagine, people could actually finish their instant message conversation on Yahoo or Skype without feeling rushed.

So what can Goodfellow do to help get the GTC rebate money? Make sure your GTC bill is paid on time by following the steps below.
  1. Travel within your budget. Every set of travel orders, regardless of where it comes from, has an estimate of how much the trip will cost. Don't spend more than this amount.
  2. Be careful with cash advances. If you're authorized a cash advance on your orders and you take the cash, don't use the GTC card until the cash runs out.
  3. File your travel voucher within five days. The quicker you file, the faster you get paid. The Defense Travel System takes three to five days to pay; all other methods, such as a manual voucher or e-Finance, take seven to 10 days.
  4. Split-disburse what you spent on the GTC. Call 1-800-200-7056; it's on the back of your GTC. Enter your 16-digit card number when prompted and then enter the last four of your Social Security Number. Split-disburse the amount the computer voice reads to you. If this number exceeds what the government owes you for the travel, then you've spent too much and you're responsible for what's left over.
  5. Follow up. It's your money, wouldn't you like to know where it's at? If you haven't been paid in 10 days of filing, go to the Finance office to ask what's wrong. When you do get paid for your travel, call Citi and make sure your card was paid off. If it wasn't, there may be a balance that you are responsible for. If you're not sure, go to the Finance office for help.

There's still time to get Goodfellow's GTC program back on track and claim some of that free money given away to other wings. While the unit GTC program ultimately belongs to the commander, the commander can't do it alone. It takes a team and we are all a part of that team. When a First Sergeant or a supervisor reminds you to pay off your GTC, take it to heart because they're watching out for your best interests. There are serious repercussions for not being financially responsible and we don't want to see anyone fail.
So use the Force. Use your GTC wisely, listen to your leadership and get help from Finance.

If you have any questions, stop by the Finance office in Building 430, Room 101. They are open weekdays from 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. If you feel that you didn't get the right answer or you're still confused after talking to Finance personnel, see Senior Master Sgt. Robert Burke, Finance superintendent.