More Than Two Million Cards in Use

OMB told agencies to review the number of cards they issue, suggesting that they deactivate all current cards and reactivate them selectively for a smaller number of employees. Agencies have issued some 1.9 million travel cards and some 350,000 purchase cards, counting cards issued to military personnel. Purchase cards are typically used for relatively low cost off-the-shelf items in order to save the time and expense involved in going through a formal procurement; the costs are billed directly to the agency. Costs for travel cards are billed to the individual, who then is reimbursed; there have been numerous complaints about delays by agencies in making reimbursement. The recent investigations uncovered instances of employees using purchase cards for personal items and purchases being processed after card accounts were no longer approved.