Used Company Card for Groceries

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Someone I worked with as a Fed filled gas and was fired, immediately.

I don’t believe this. First, very few feds are fired immediately. There is a process. Also, mistakes do happen. If I DID get fired for a transgression as minor as this, I wouldn’t want to work at that agency.

At my agency, work travel cards are in the employee’s name and aren’t true corporate cards. We are responsible for the card. Of course, you aren’t allowed to use it for anything but official travel. If I mistakenly used my work card for gas, for my personal vehicle, I would own the mistake, pay the balance and that would be the end of it. If I used the work card by mistake multiple times, or for a trip to Hawaii, then that’s an issue.

Same. My agency-issued travel card is in my name and I alone am responsible for paying the bill. If I were to use it for a non-government-travel expense I wouldn’t be reimbursed for it, so there’s no perceptible harm to the government if I did so. We aren’t even allowed to use it to get cash advances for work trips even though it’s still our money (apparently we have to use our personal money for cash advances). So even though I don’t use it for anything else, nor do I feel entitled to, I’d be incensed if I were criticized for accidentally using it.

All I can tell you is that if you're investigated for a security clearance, it will come up. And it's a ding against you if you use the federal government CC for personal expenses. All the security clearance forms explicitly ask if you if you've violated the terms of company issues credit card. And the agreement you sign with your agency and the credit card issuer states that you promise to not use it for personal expenses.

Here's the question on basically every security clearance form: "In the last seven (7) years have you been counseled, warned, or disciplined for violating the terms of agreement for a travel or credit card provided by your employer?"

You don't want to have a "YES" to that question. And technically your agency should "warn" you even after one personal transaction. If your agency hasn't said anything, you're lucky and should never do it again.

One of many reasons why government has trouble maintaining competent staffing.

Scare away all the practical, honest people, and attract the over rigid and liars.

Oh, FFS, the reason this stuff is in place is because of sooooo many people breaking, stretching the rules of what they can do with work funds/privileges.

The OP has poor decision making and frankly, that is the kind of mindset that will be weeded out at my workplace.

Suuuuure, yet the higher ups are buying booze and tobacco. Grow up kid. You are ignorant if you think a GS 12 buying groceries and issuing immediate reimbursement is a problem. Or maybe youre one of the cheaters blaming it on others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would have fired you.

You left your wallet at home and thought it was ok to use a corporate credit card?

The mistake is yours and honestly, the fact that you think this is even remotely ok makes me worry about your ethics.

What if you didn't have the company card, would it be ok to steal the food? To take someone else's credit card? See where this goes?

You committed theft. Period. You're lucky you weren't fired or worse and you want to complain? Ridiculous.

No, they did not commit theft. That you think he did makes me scared for anyone reporting to you.

NP Yes this is 100% theft the second she used the work card to pay for personal grocery and just because she tried to pay it back later doesn't negate the legal theft that happened at the grocery store when she knowingly used a work card for personal use. That's theft.

Nope.

Yup.

[Anonymous]

OP, best to avoid carrying the card at all if you can. Also, I'd like to think that the reprimand was pro forma--they were obligated to issue it.

Some people travel a lot for work and are required to use the card for all travel expenses. In this situation, can easily imagine slipups.

If you don't travel often and aren't required to use the card for reimbursable expenses, my advice is to leave thing at home or in a separate wallet and to the extent possible pay your work travel expenses on your own card.

[Anonymous]

I travel a lot and have lots of work expenses. Corporate keeps trying to get me to use a corporate card. I’d rather just use my own card for the points. This thread gives me more reasons for not wanting a corporate card. I wouldn’t have thought what OP did was nearly as bad as the reactions on this thread.

[Anonymous]

This is why you link your personal card to Apple Pay—them you don’t need to carry your wallet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I travel a lot and have lots of work expenses. Corporate keeps trying to get me to use a corporate card. I’d rather just use my own card for the points. This thread gives me more reasons for not wanting a corporate card. I wouldn’t have thought what OP did was nearly as bad as the reactions on this thread.

Because it wasn't.

The collective 'you' is missing the forest for the trees if they come down on a guy like this. I understand they need optics to let the rest know it isn't without consequence but the fools claiming it will kill a clearance or move up in rank/role are playing boss man. The fed doean't have the man power to sarch defense contrcats fr obvious bloat, much less resources for punishing Sally because she grabbed the wrong piece of plastic in her purse.

[Anonymous]

The fed doesn't need resources. They just need a supervisor who approves your charges before reimbursement. Everyone knows that for the rank and file feds, the quickest way to get fired is to mess around with money. My travel card training test even has a question specifically on this topic of using a card for something as silly as groceries. And if you are a lower performer or dead weight, something as trivial as that will be how they get rid of you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The fed doesn't need resources. They just need a supervisor who approves your charges before reimbursement. Everyone knows that for the rank and file feds, the quickest way to get fired is to mess around with money. My travel card training test even has a question specifically on this topic of using a card for something as silly as groceries. And if you are a lower performer or dead weight, something as trivial as that will be how they get rid of you.

^^^^This - I have many years as accounting supervisor in the federal government, it is stupid to use the government CC for non official reasons (travel or purchase). There are records of every swipe. If it is truly an accident (one time I accidently swiped my government card for gas the day after I returned home official travel), there will be a record, but you will be forgiven because you are a good employee. If you are a problem person, they will use this to document noncompliance and you can face suspension or termination.

[Anonymous]

I've worked in white collar jobs for 15+ years and have avoided ever possessing a corporate card. There's no advantage that I see, it's always possible to get reimbursed for expenses put on personal cards, no matter what the admins say. This thread is a good example of why I don't want one.