Ok, I've got an interesting situation. My employer has a corporate travel account through Citibank for frequent travelers. I just received a promotion that is going to require a lot of travel. In my former position I only traveled once a year so was permitted to use my personal card and put in for a reimbursment after the fact. But now that I will be traveling on a regular basis they forced me to go on the corporate account. They submitted my information to Citibank and Citibank peformed a hard pull on my credit (which annoyed me), not because I was afraid of credit issues, my cc is 763, I just didn't want a hard pull on my credit report for an account I'm really little more than just an authorized user on.
Well I get the corporate travel card. Now bare in mind this isn't like a personal card, you can't just run out and use it at Wal-Mart. It is only active when you are on travel and the only cost codes that the account accepts are traveled related, (plane tickets, hotels, rental cars etc.). In fact everything else like meals and incidentals still need to be paid by other means and submitted to the company for reimbursement.
So less than a week after I get the corporate card. I get a letter from Citibank saying that the CL on my personal Citibank card has been reduced from $5,000 to $1,500. Like I said, I have good credit, no balance or missed payments with Citibank so I knew it couldn't be a coincidence that the reduced CL hit within days of being put on the corporate account. So I call Citibank. The first CS Rep just gave me a generic answer about "after reviewing your account Citibank has adjusted your Credit Limit". So after multiple calls and talking to supervisors I finally get more explanation, and I was correct, it seems that Citibank has some sort of internal "maximum credit limit across all accounts" based on your credit score and history. When the corporate account hit, it put me over that threshold so the limit on my personal card was reduced to put me back under.
Now the thing is. The corporate account does NOT show up on my credit report, so it is not helping my credit whatsoever. So I took a double hit from the hard credit pull and the reduced CL with absolutely no upside to my personal credit.
I would most definitely have a talk with work. I would be pissed if I was you. Two incidents make me refuse to carry a corporate card, and corporate won't make me anymore. They allow me to use my personal cards when they don't take care of it for me, which blows my coworker's minds because they're forced to use their Corp cards.
The first was a hotel stay where the card wasn't accepted. Tried to check in at 2 am after flight delays and had to use a personal card because the Corp card can't be used for incidentals, at least, at that time it couldn't. Ridiculous for a fortune 100 company.
Second issue was billing. U.S. Bank began harassing me for a $0 balance. Collection calls and letters threatening to take me to court for $0 balance owed. Like the letters said $0 and when I talked to the collection agents and asked them how much I owed, they would be speechless when they saw it was $0. They always said they would fix it so I wouldnt get called anymore, but it didn't. I was threatened with my personal report being tarnished. I told them I would sue them, and I told my employer I would sue them as well if it happened. Normally the card didn't show up on my report, but then it happened. Overnight it popped up with multiple lates, 30, 60, 90, 120. I called corporate and advised them of my intent to sue, and had turned over all proof of the harassment to my manager as well as the proof that corporate had done nothing despite reaching out to them multiple times. Issue was resolved within days. Card was closed and removed from my report and I was given special permission to use my personal cards for business travel. Each one of my new bosses have tried to get me to get a new Corp card and corporate has told them to leave me alone. 😁
@Brian_Earl_Spilner wrote:I would most definitely have a talk with work. I would be pissed if I was you. Two incidents make me refuse to carry a corporate card, and corporate won't make me anymore. They allow me to use my personal cards when they don't take care of it for me, which blows my coworker's minds because they're forced to use their Corp cards.
The first was a hotel stay where the card wasn't accepted. Tried to check in at 2 am after flight delays and had to use a personal card because the Corp card can't be used for incidentals, at least, at that time it couldn't. Ridiculous for a fortune 100 company.
Second issue was billing. U.S. Bank began harassing me for a $0 balance. Collection calls and letters threatening to take me to court for $0 balance owed. Like the letters said $0 and when I talked to the collection agents and asked them how much I owed, they would be speechless when they saw it was $0. They always said they would fix it so I wouldnt get called anymore, but it didn't. I was threatened with my personal report being tarnished. I told them I would sue them, and I told my employer I would sue them as well if it happened. Normally the card didn't show up on my report, but then it happened. Overnight it popped up with multiple lates, 30, 60, 90, 120. I called corporate and advised them of my intent to sue, and had turned over all proof of the harassment to my manager as well as the proof that corporate had done nothing despite reaching out to them multiple times. Issue was resolved within days. Card was closed and removed from my report and I was given special permission to use my personal cards for business travel. Each one of my new bosses have tried to get me to get a new Corp card and corporate has told them to leave me alone. 😁
LOL, good for you! Corporate cards are beyond frustrating to use.
I work for the federal government, and we have to use them for flights that we book through our tavel agency, but other than that it stays in the top drawer of my desk. When I first started working for the governemnt, I tried to use one at a convenience store. I was getting a cheap meal, but apparently, they thought I was trying to use it in an unathorized fashion. So annoying and embarassing to be declined at the cash register. It doesn't see the light of day now.
Wow, lots of trouble with these cards. My company issues AMEX Green Corp cards. It doesn’t reflect on my personal report, and ties in with Concur expense reporting.
I use it only for the large value costs, airfare and hotel. Rental cars I put on a personal card because Hertz let’s you set up only one default payment method and we rent cars on personal vacations. Dining and other costs go on my cards for later receipt reimbursement.
I am glad I don’t have to deal with Citi and USB Corp cards.
@LakeLife wrote:
@Brian_Earl_Spilner wrote:I would most definitely have a talk with work. I would be pissed if I was you. Two incidents make me refuse to carry a corporate card, and corporate won't make me anymore. They allow me to use my personal cards when they don't take care of it for me, which blows my coworker's minds because they're forced to use their Corp cards.
The first was a hotel stay where the card wasn't accepted. Tried to check in at 2 am after flight delays and had to use a personal card because the Corp card can't be used for incidentals, at least, at that time it couldn't. Ridiculous for a fortune 100 company.
Second issue was billing. U.S. Bank began harassing me for a $0 balance. Collection calls and letters threatening to take me to court for $0 balance owed. Like the letters said $0 and when I talked to the collection agents and asked them how much I owed, they would be speechless when they saw it was $0. They always said they would fix it so I wouldnt get called anymore, but it didn't. I was threatened with my personal report being tarnished. I told them I would sue them, and I told my employer I would sue them as well if it happened. Normally the card didn't show up on my report, but then it happened. Overnight it popped up with multiple lates, 30, 60, 90, 120. I called corporate and advised them of my intent to sue, and had turned over all proof of the harassment to my manager as well as the proof that corporate had done nothing despite reaching out to them multiple times. Issue was resolved within days. Card was closed and removed from my report and I was given special permission to use my personal cards for business travel. Each one of my new bosses have tried to get me to get a new Corp card and corporate has told them to leave me alone. 😁
LOL, good for you! Corporate cards are beyond frustrating to use.
I work for the federal government, and we have to use them for flights that we book through our tavel agency, but other than that it stays in the top drawer of my desk. When I first started working for the governemnt, I tried to use one at a convenience store. I was getting a cheap meal, but apparently, they thought I was trying to use it in an unathorized fashion. So annoying and embarassing to be declined at the cash register. It doesn't see the light of day now.
When I was in the military, some places wouldn't take a government card because of chargebacks. A charge would go through and then a few weeks later someone would decide it wasn't authorized use and charge it back. The businesses just said FICO it, we're not gonna take them. It was odd to me because my understanding was they had no choice. Apparently their right to refuse service included the government. 😆
@Brian_Earl_Spilner wrote:
@LakeLife wrote:
@Brian_Earl_Spilner wrote:I would most definitely have a talk with work. I would be pissed if I was you. Two incidents make me refuse to carry a corporate card, and corporate won't make me anymore. They allow me to use my personal cards when they don't take care of it for me, which blows my coworker's minds because they're forced to use their Corp cards.
The first was a hotel stay where the card wasn't accepted. Tried to check in at 2 am after flight delays and had to use a personal card because the Corp card can't be used for incidentals, at least, at that time it couldn't. Ridiculous for a fortune 100 company.
Second issue was billing. U.S. Bank began harassing me for a $0 balance. Collection calls and letters threatening to take me to court for $0 balance owed. Like the letters said $0 and when I talked to the collection agents and asked them how much I owed, they would be speechless when they saw it was $0. They always said they would fix it so I wouldnt get called anymore, but it didn't. I was threatened with my personal report being tarnished. I told them I would sue them, and I told my employer I would sue them as well if it happened. Normally the card didn't show up on my report, but then it happened. Overnight it popped up with multiple lates, 30, 60, 90, 120. I called corporate and advised them of my intent to sue, and had turned over all proof of the harassment to my manager as well as the proof that corporate had done nothing despite reaching out to them multiple times. Issue was resolved within days. Card was closed and removed from my report and I was given special permission to use my personal cards for business travel. Each one of my new bosses have tried to get me to get a new Corp card and corporate has told them to leave me alone. 😁
LOL, good for you! Corporate cards are beyond frustrating to use.
I work for the federal government, and we have to use them for flights that we book through our tavel agency, but other than that it stays in the top drawer of my desk. When I first started working for the governemnt, I tried to use one at a convenience store. I was getting a cheap meal, but apparently, they thought I was trying to use it in an unathorized fashion. So annoying and embarassing to be declined at the cash register. It doesn't see the light of day now.
When I was in the military, some places wouldn't take a government card because of chargebacks. A charge would go through and then a few weeks later someone would decide it wasn't authorized use and charge it back. The businesses just said FICO it, we're not gonna take them. It was odd to me because my understanding was they had no choice. Apparently their right to refuse service included the government. 😆
Who can blame the businesses? So crazy that the government could even get away with that. Some agencies require that people do use the "GSA SmartPay" cards (Citi Visa), but I work for one that doesn't. I think it's kind of a grey area, but I'll take the rewards anyday.
@LakeLife wrote:
@Brian_Earl_Spilner wrote:
@LakeLife wrote:
@Brian_Earl_Spilner wrote:I would most definitely have a talk with work. I would be pissed if I was you. Two incidents make me refuse to carry a corporate card, and corporate won't make me anymore. They allow me to use my personal cards when they don't take care of it for me, which blows my coworker's minds because they're forced to use their Corp cards.
The first was a hotel stay where the card wasn't accepted. Tried to check in at 2 am after flight delays and had to use a personal card because the Corp card can't be used for incidentals, at least, at that time it couldn't. Ridiculous for a fortune 100 company.
Second issue was billing. U.S. Bank began harassing me for a $0 balance. Collection calls and letters threatening to take me to court for $0 balance owed. Like the letters said $0 and when I talked to the collection agents and asked them how much I owed, they would be speechless when they saw it was $0. They always said they would fix it so I wouldnt get called anymore, but it didn't. I was threatened with my personal report being tarnished. I told them I would sue them, and I told my employer I would sue them as well if it happened. Normally the card didn't show up on my report, but then it happened. Overnight it popped up with multiple lates, 30, 60, 90, 120. I called corporate and advised them of my intent to sue, and had turned over all proof of the harassment to my manager as well as the proof that corporate had done nothing despite reaching out to them multiple times. Issue was resolved within days. Card was closed and removed from my report and I was given special permission to use my personal cards for business travel. Each one of my new bosses have tried to get me to get a new Corp card and corporate has told them to leave me alone. 😁
LOL, good for you! Corporate cards are beyond frustrating to use.
I work for the federal government, and we have to use them for flights that we book through our tavel agency, but other than that it stays in the top drawer of my desk. When I first started working for the governemnt, I tried to use one at a convenience store. I was getting a cheap meal, but apparently, they thought I was trying to use it in an unathorized fashion. So annoying and embarassing to be declined at the cash register. It doesn't see the light of day now.
When I was in the military, some places wouldn't take a government card because of chargebacks. A charge would go through and then a few weeks later someone would decide it wasn't authorized use and charge it back. The businesses just said FICO it, we're not gonna take them. It was odd to me because my understanding was they had no choice. Apparently their right to refuse service included the government. 😆
Who can blame the businesses? So crazy that the government could even get away with that. Some agencies require that people do use the "GSA SmartPay" cards (Citi Visa), but I work for one that doesn't. I think it's kind of a grey area, but I'll take the rewards anyday.
It would be for the stupidest things like buying a hammer at Home Depot instead of going through the proper channels.
@Brian_Earl_Spilneryour matter is absolutely unreal! Can not imagine a corporation or lender allowing any of this 'nonsense' to go on!!! Would loose my cool for sure. You handled it an definitely a no 'nonsense' approach! How do companies think this is an acceptable way to treat employees? Beyond me? 
I work for the federal government, and we have to use them for flights that we book through our tavel agency, but other than that it stays in the top drawer of my desk. When I first started working for the governemnt, I tried to use one at a convenience store. I was getting a cheap meal, but apparently, they thought I was trying to use it in an unathorized fashion. So annoying and embarassing to be declined at the cash register. It doesn't see the light of day now.
When I was in the military, some places wouldn't take a government card because of chargebacks. A charge would go through and then a few weeks later someone would decide it wasn't authorized use and charge it back. The businesses just said FICO it, we're not gonna take them. It was odd to me because my understanding was they had no choice. Apparently their right to refuse service included the government. 😆
Who can blame the businesses? So crazy that the government could even get away with that. Some agencies require that people do use the "GSA SmartPay" cards (Citi Visa), but I work for one that doesn't. I think it's kind of a grey area, but I'll take the rewards anyday.
Oh God! Don't even get me started on the the Government Travel Cards! Pretty much the only time I've ever been in serious trouble in any job I worked at was over a Government travel card. This was way back in the early 2000's (2002 I think). I was fresh out of college with an accounting degree, doing audit work for DoD at various defense contractors so I was on the road A LOT, sometimes as much as six weeks at a time. Well I had been on a 4 week stint to Fort Worth and Albequerque and had just gotten back to the DC area where I lived. I was worn out from the plane flight and it was late in the evening. Once I picked up my personal car and headed home I made a pit stop at a local gas station filled up my tank and bought some snacks ($28 total). Without even thinking I used my travel card, because it was the card I had been using for the last four weeks straight. Didn't even realize I had done so I was so exhausted....
A month and a half later I get called into my bosses office. He was an old ex-military guy and fit the profile to the "T" and loved to use the "colorful" language (I'll keep it PG rated for the forum). He says, "The agency security cordinator keeps riding my -backside- about some $28 charge you made outside of travel, will you take a look at this -stuff- so I can tell her something. I look at it, recognize the gas station near my home, recognize the date and time as 1:00am the day after I got back from travel. So I tell him pretty much what I said in the first paragraph, "Yeah, I was worn out, it was late at night, I probably shouldn't have done it. Tell her my bad." My boss shrugs, says "Sounds fine to me, I might have done the same thing." So I figure that is that.
A couple days latter I get called up to the Security Coordinator's office myself. Now this lady is the spitting image and has all the charm of Rosa Klebb from "From Russia with Love" (or Frau Farbissina from Austin Powers for you younger folks). She literally begins shaking her finger and yelling at me about violating travel card regulations and that I could be punished up to termination (not sure at that point if she meant firing or execution). Today, now that I'm 45, I realize she was putting on the tough act for a young kid and the "proper response" would have been to act scared and humble and say I made a mistake and would be much more careful from now on, and the entire matter would have likely been dropped right there. However, at that point in my life I was a smart alecky brat in my early 20's, who thought I was hot stuff because I had a college degree and a good paying job. So I freely admit I responded to her like an arrogant -posterior-. I was smirking and rolling my eyes, I think I told her to "chill out" a couple times and eventually just told her if she thought she could fire me for $28 go right ahead, but until then I had work to do, and got up and walked out on her mid sentence.
So the next day I come into work, as soon as I walk through the door my boss pulls me into his office. He shoves me into a chair and yells, "What the -heck- did you do?!?" So I told him, "Well Rosa Klebb called me to her office started yelling at me, so I told her to go pound sand and walked out!" At that point his eyes got wide, he said, "-Frack- that women even scares me! You really, really shouldn't have done that, she IS the agency Security Coordinator and her recommendations have a lot of pull, she has sent a formal letter to personnel accusing you of blatantly disregarding regulations, and insubordination and asking them to consider revoking your Security Clearance." (which would have been tantamount to firing).
To make a long, long story, short. This dragged on for over three months, with various meetings and higher ups getting involved (because that's the Federal Government for you). Thankfully my boss was the type that would fight tooth and nail for his people. He eventually got the insubordination claim dropped totally and negotiated to have the travel card issue dropped if he would give me a written reprimand stressing the importance of proper use of the travel card. Personnel accepted that and dropped the Security Clearance review. Then my boss never actually gave me the written reprimand so my file remained clean to the day I left....
But all this over $28 on a government travel card....