First-time travel guide: Step 1b

Get a travel card

Next to Complete Concur profile >

A GSA travel card will help you pay for lodging, taxis, and other miscellaneous expenses while on your trip.

While new employees may travel without one, it is required that everyone at TTS have one as soon as possible.

1. Complete card training

Est. time: 60 minutes

1. Head over to GSA's OLU.
2. Click on the Home button, and then choose "Learning" from the dropdown.
3. Below, look for a "Find Learning" search box.
4. Search for "travel training".
5. Select "Temporary Duty (TDY) Travel Training", and then Start course.
6. Once completed there is a second training to take. Return to the "Find Learning" search box and search for "travel card".
7. Select "GSA Travel Card Training", and then Start course.
8. Once completed, download your certificates of completion for both trainings by returning to the "Learning" page and clicking on the "View All" button under "Learning History". You should see your completed travel card and TDY trainings on the list, and there will be an icon to generate a print preview, which you can save, at the right.

NOTE: Save your certificates as FIRSTNAME_LASTNAME-TravelCardTrainingCert.pdf and FIRSTNAME_LASTNAME-TDYTrainingCert.pdf for ease of processing later on.

2. Fill out the Supervisory Travel Card Approval

Estimated time: 10 minutes plus wait time for your supervisor’s signature

1. Download the Supervisory Travel Card Approval Form and fill out the following fields.

• Employee Name: Your name
• Region/Central Office: Central Office, regardless of your actual location
• Service/Staff Office: Q - Federal Acquisition Service
• Supervisor Name: The name of your functional supervisor
• Supervisor Title: Your functional supervisor’s title

2. Save this file with the entered information, and forward it to your functional supervisor (as entered in the form) requesting that they enter their Digital Signature in the bottom field. Once they have returned the form to you with their Digital Signature, proceed to Step 3 below.

3. Send in the completed form and certificates

The following files should be sent, as attachments, in an email to ronnail.rawls@gsa.gov:

• TravelCard training certificate: FIRSTNAME_LASTNAME-TravelCardTrainingCert.pdf
• TDY training certificate: FIRSTNAME_LASTNAME-TDYTrainingCert.pdf
• Supervisory Travel Card Approval form: FIRSTNAME_LASTNAME-TravelCardApproval.pdf

This may take 1-2 business days to process.

Once you’ve gotten the go-ahead, you’ll receive two emails: one with a link to fill out a US Bank signup form, and the second with an access code which will be required to see the form. Follow the instructions attached with the email. Use your home address, not your office address. Ronnail and her team can assist with any questions; the TTS Travel Team isn't involved in this process.

Please note that you will be asked to authorize US Bank to obtain your credit information. This is only a soft credit pull and will not affect your credit score, but it is required in order to receive a travel card.

4. Receive and activate your card in 7-10 business days.

Once you receive your new GSA SmartPay 3 travel card, call U.S. Bank at 888-994-6722 to confirm your account. Be sure to remember your PIN. It will be required to complete chip enabled transactions.

Then, follow these steps to register your account and create your U.S. Bank Access Online user ID:

1. Go to https://access.usbank.com.
2. Select the Register Online hyperlink at the bottom of the screen.
3. Enter GSASP3 in the Organization Short Name field.
4. Enter the 16-digit number located on your new purchase card (without spaces or dashes) in the Account Number field.
5. Enter the month and year your account expires in the Account Expiration Date section. This will be listed on your new travel card as well.
6. Select the Register This Account button to complete the registration process for your card and follow the prompts to create your user ID and password.

After you have registered and signed into the U.S. Bank Access Online website with your new account, you can sign up for account alerts and notifications under My Personal Information.

5. Set a PIN.

You need a PIN to complete chip enabled transactions.

1. Go to https://access.usbank.com. Do not log in.
2. Select the Change Your PIN hyperlink at the bottom of the screen.
3. Enter your card number, expiration date and the last four digits of the phone associated with your card.
4. You'll receive two emails, one with a unique reset link and one with a temporary PIN. Select the unique link and follow the prompts to reset your PIN, including entering the temporary PIN from the second email.

Visit the GSA SmartPay 3 travel card page for more information.

Next Step: Complete Your Concur Profile