Posted on Aug 25, 2021
Do I really have to use the GTCC for PCS expenses or can I use my credit card and get reimbursed when I get to my next duty station?
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Hello everyone. I have a question regarding PCS and use of the GTCC. I just watched the Fort Hood finance brief online and it is very confusing. It says it’s mandatory to use the GTCC for PCS expenses. I never used it in the past for PCS. I always just saved hotel receipts and submitted them during in-processing at my new unit. My question is do I really have to use it or can I just use my credit card and still get reimbursed when I get to my next duty station? I hate using my GTCC unless I absolutely have to.
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Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 4
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The regulation says you have to use it, there are benefits to using it such as no interest being charged to you while you wait three months for finance to pay you. You will have to use it to pay for plane tickets anytime you PCS OCONUS as well. Other than that, nobody is going to harass you if you don't use the GTC
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Ypu can do either one. Your gtc is authorized, but you can use your personal financial options. Either way, you will be reimbursed. If you use gtc, you just have to pay it off with that reimbursement.
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Why would you NOT use it? It's not YOUR money for one. It allows you a serious fallback as you use it for your plane tickets, hotel, travel, meals, and everything else PCS related. There is no interest on what you charge. Meanwhile on the flipside you are using your personal money. You are losing any kind of interest you would have earned with it and if using a credit card you are losing the interest that they charge you month to month until it is paid off. Plus in using your own funds it limits your flexibility to do other things.
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CPT (Join to see)
Some personal credit cards have cashback or reward options. I wouldn't mind pocketing 2% of a 5-10k move that is going to be reimbursed anyways.
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SGM (Join to see)
I paid out of pocket for about $20K of OCONUS PCS expenses on my personal credit card. I paid the bill in full before the next billing cycle and got reimbursed a couple months later. But I got to keep the points earned from those purchases, which paid for a couple airline tickets that we used for vacation.
The trick on reimbursement is to just allow your payment to be applied directly to the GTCC account, then request a refund via the online portal. Nobody will give you a problem about it if you take your reimbursement that way.
The only downside is having to lay out your own funds while you are waiting to be reimbursed. But to us it wasn’t that big of a deal. It’s worth it to fly free and with status.
The trick on reimbursement is to just allow your payment to be applied directly to the GTCC account, then request a refund via the online portal. Nobody will give you a problem about it if you take your reimbursement that way.
The only downside is having to lay out your own funds while you are waiting to be reimbursed. But to us it wasn’t that big of a deal. It’s worth it to fly free and with status.
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