GO!card℠ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Non-HHS Federal Employees

The GO!card℠ is a Visa transit benefit charge card. Your monthly credit limit is equal to your approved transit benefit amount up to the maximum, which is currently $300 (or your agency's approved maximum) per month for the calendar year 2023.

The GO!card℠ is exclusively for the purchase of monthly transit fare media.

• The approved commuting benefit will be available on the 23rd of each month and purchases should be made by the 15th of the following month. If a late benefit cycle purchase posts onto the account on or after the 23rd those funds will be lost for that rotation and the Transit Program Office will not re-apply any missed funds back onto the GO!card℠.
  • For example, If you make a purchase on the 20th of October and the transaction posts onto the account on or after the 23rd (which would be the start of the November benefit cycle) taking November's benefits the Transit Program Office will not re-apply any missed funds back onto the GO!card℠.
• Unused monthly transit benefits expire at the end of each benefit cycle.
• Your name will be printed on the GO!card℠ issued to you.
• This charge card will not appear on your credit report.  The funds are drawn from a centrally billed account.
• You are not responsible for the bill and will not receive a statement.

Each month you should receive the amount approved for your monthly commute as listed on your transit application (up to $300 per month or your agency's approved maximum.)

Transit benefits will automatically load onto the GO!card℠ on the 23^rd of each month.

No.  Since a credit check is not required for a transit benefit participant to be approved for the PSC GO!card℠, no information is reported to the Federal Credit Bureaus.

Participants are not responsible for the transit benefit funds billed and therefore, will not be sent a statement.

The GO!card℠ is exclusively for the purchase of monthly transit fare media for travel between your home and work location. The card should not be used for personal or business travel.

The Travel Charge Card is to be used solely for business related trips not daily commutes to and from your regular work location.

The GO!card℠ is to be used solely for commuting costs between your primary residence and official workplace on a daily basis.

No. The GO!card℠ is exclusively for the purchase of monthly transit fare media for commuting between your home and work location; it is not authorized to be used while on temporary duty (TDY) travel.

New enrollees should receive their GO!card℠ within 10 - 14 business days of their application approval. Transit benefits are available immediately upon card activation. The benefit amount is reloaded on the 23^rd of every month.

1. Call Citibank Customer Support at (877) 905-1861 or use the following website https://cardactivation.citi.com/ Citibank's toll-free number and website can also be found on the sticker attached to the front of the card.
2. Enter your card account number and your four-digit access code.
   1. HHS, USCG, and EPA employees: Enter the last four digits of your Employee ID
   2. TSA employees: Enter the four-digit code created at the time you applied for transit benefits.
   3. Other agency employees: Enter the last four digits of your Social Security Number.

During activation, you will be asked to create a four-digit transaction PIN. This is required to make contactless purchases and purchases at ticket kiosks and unmanned ticket booths. If you do not establish a PIN, your GO!card℠ may decline.

If you choose not create your four-digit transaction PIN during card activation, you must contact Citibank’s Automated PIN Line at (877) 905-1855 prior to making purchases to avoid a possible GO!card℠ decline.

Contact your Agency Program Coordinator for assistance.

Participants can check their account information by contacting Citibank Customer Support at (855) 643-2179 or logging onto their account via https://home.cards.citidirect.com/CommercialCard/login. They will need their GO!card℠ number and last four numbers of their SSN or Employee ID.

For customer support via phone:

• The automated attendant will report your current balance, meaning how much you have spent in the benefit period.
• Then, the automated attendant will report your available credit which is the remaining benefit you may spend in the benefit period.

Each month on the 23^rd your approved benefit amount is loaded onto the GO!card℠ to purchase passes or fare cards directly from your transit provider. Some transit vendors offer the following purchasing options; on-line, ticket voucher machines (TVMs), through the mail, or from ticket windows. If your commute cost exceeds the amount of your transit benefit, you will pay the difference using your personal funds.

Benefits are made available on the 23rd of each month and purchases should be made by the 15th of the following month.  This allows the transaction to post in the correct billing cycle. Please note that any unused monthly transit funds will expire at the end of the benefit cycle (22^nd of the month.)

If a transit purchase posts to the GO!card℠ account on or after the 23^rd, those funds will be lost from the previous month's cycle and applied to the following benefit rotation. Please note, the Transit Program Office will not re-apply any missed funds back onto the GO!card℠.

For example; If you purchase your transit fare media on the 20th of October and the transaction posts to the account on or after the 23rd (which is the start of the November benefit cycle) deducting from November’s benefits you must use personal funds to pay for your remaining commute costs.  The full benefit amount should become available on November 23^rd for the December benefit cycle.

Any unused monthly transit funds will expire at the end of the benefit cycle (22^nd of the month.) Funds will not carry over to the next month. Benefits are made available on the 23^rd of each month and purchases should be made by the 15^th of the following month.  This allows the transaction to post in the correct billing cycle. If a transit purchase posts onto the account on or after the 23^rd, those funds will be lost from the previous month’s cycle and applied to the following benefit rotation. Please note, the Transit Program Office will not re-apply any missed funds back onto the GO!card℠.

Currently, the maximum pretax monthly transit benefit limit is $300 (or your agency's approved maximum).  If your monthly commuting costs exceed the amount of the benefit loaded onto your GO!card℠, you will need to pay for your fare by splitting the transaction. You can charge $300 on your GO!card℠ and then pay the remaining balance with personal funds.

GO!cards are Merchant Category Code (MCC) specific.  This means that your card can only be used at transit vendors; all other attempts to make purchases will be declined. The GO!card℠ can be used at a point-of sale (POS) merchant where the Visa logo is accepted.  Purchases can be made from a number of mass transit vendors.  However, participants can only use the GO!card℠ to purchase fare media for their regular commute between home and work.  Any transportation costs that exceed the approved transit benefit amount will need to be paid for with personal funds.

Yes, participants can use the GO!card℠ on multiple occasions and at more than one point-of-sale (POS) merchant where the GO!card℠ is accepted.  However, only use the GO!card℠ transit benefit for regular commuting needs between home and work.

If your transit vendor does not accept charge cards, please contact your Agency Program Coordinator to determine the best payment solution for you.

No, personal funds cannot be added to the GO!card℠.

For ALL purchases, participants should select the "credit" option for the transaction to process successfully. The selection of "debit" could prevent a transaction from being completed.  Participants are required to activate their new GO!card℠ before their initial use.

Replacements for expiring GO!cards will be automatically sent during the first week of the month your card is set to expire to the current mailing address we have on file for you. Existing GO!cards can be used until the last day of the expiration month, however, once the new card is activated the existing one will no longer work.

To prevent interrupted service:

1. Contact your Agency Transit Program Coordinator to verify or update your mailing address.
2. Expect the GO!card to arrive in a white business sized envelope with no markings.
3. Existing GO!cards can be used until the last day of the expiration month. However, once the new GO!card is activated the existing GO!card will no longer work.

Activation of the replacement GO!card℠ is required, reference the FAQ, “How do I activate my replacement GO!card℠?”

Update saved payment Information:

1. A new expiration date and security code will be assigned to the replacement GO!card.
2. Prior to the 15th of the month please instruct your transit vendor and/or vanpool operator that might store this information to update their records with the replacement GO!card details to ensure successful transaction posting.

Existing GO!cards can be used until the last day of the expiration month.  However, once the new GO!card is activated the existing GO!card will no longer work.

NOTE: Each participant will be assigned a NEW expiration date and CVC / security code which will display on the card. Please instruct any vanpool operator or other transit vendor that might store this information to update their records with the replacement GO!card details prior to the 15th of the month following the set expiration date to ensure successful transaction posting.

Lost or stolen cards, should be immediately reported to Citibank at (855) 643-2179 or via CitiManager at https://home.cards.citidirect.com/CommercialCard/login.

No, at this time there is no charge for a replacement GO!card℠.

You may activate your replacement GO!card℠ by contacting Citibank Customer Support at (877) 905-1861 or logging onto the following website https://cardactivation.citi.com/. When activating the GO!card℠, all participants should be prepared to:

• Enter the 16-digit GO!card℠ account number
• Enter the last four digits of their SSN/Employee ID number (as decided by each agency)
• Ensure you have created a four-digit transaction PIN. This is required to make contactless purchases and purchases at ticket kiosks and unmanned ticket booths. If you do not establish a PIN, your GO!card℠ may decline.

If you do not create a four-digit transaction PIN during card activation and need to verify or reset your Transactions PIN, you must contact Citibank’s Automated PIN Line (877) 905-1855 prior to making purchases to avoid a possible GO!card℠ decline.

After activation, the old GO!card℠ is inactive and should be shredded.

Your new GO!card will be mailed to the mailing address we have listed on file for you. Please contact your Agency Program Coordinator to verify or update your address on file. NOTE: GO!cards can be delivered to P.O. Box numbers.

• Expiring GO!card℠: Replacement cards are mailed the first week of the month of the expiration date. Expect the GO!card to arrive in a white business sized envelope with no markings. Existing GO!cards can be used until the last day of the expiration month. However, once the new GO!card is activated the existing GO!card will no longer work.
• Lost or Stolen GO!card℠: Replacement cards are delivered within 7-10 business days of the date your GO!card was reported lost or stolen.

Yes, replacement GO!cards will be issued with new expiration dates and security codes.

• If your card was reported as lost or stolen, your account number will also be new.
• If you use on-line payments with your transit provider you will need to update your payment information with the new card number and expiration date.

Your GO!card℠ is issued based on the name provided on your application. Please contact your Agency Program Coordinator to correct this information.

Once the replacement GO!card℠ is activated, any remaining funds from the existing GO!card℠ will automatically be made available on the new one.

No. If your transportation provider has auto-pay, please do not set up this feature. Auto-pay is a monthly payment for a recurring service that is automatically charged to a credit card (GO!card℠). Charge dates may change over time and if the charge is late in the benefit cycle it could post on or after the 23rd of the month. Merchants may not inform participants of those changes. If a transit purchase posts to the GO!card℠ account on or after the 23rd, those funds will be deducted from the current month's cycle and applied to the following month's benefit rotation. Please note, the Transit Program Office will not reimburse any missed funds back onto the GO!card℠.

No; however, some agencies may allow the use of the GO!card℠ for parking benefits. Please contact your Agency Program Coordinator for guidance.

The GO!card℠ must be used to pay for actual incurred commuting expenses while using mass transit or state registered vanpools as defined by the IRS.  The IRS definition of mass transit includes bus, ferry, and rail only.  The IRS definition of mass transit does not include bicycle share programs, such as Capital Bikeshare, or commercial car share organizations, such as ZipCar or Uber/Lyft.  The GO!card℠ transit benefit charge card should not be used to procure these.

No, it is fraudulent to use the transit benefit for any purpose other than using mass transportation to commute between home and work or vice versa. At each swipe of the GO!card℠, participants are personally certifying that they are using their GO!card transit benefit only for their regular commute to and from work.

Use only what you need for the month prior to your departure. Any funds remaining on the GO!card℠ will expire at the end of the benefit cycle and your agency will only be charged for the amount you used. You must withdraw from the Transit Benefit Program by contacting your Agency Program Coordinator.

No.  GO!card℠ benefits are used for traveling to and from your work location.  Transit benefits are not transferable or intended to be used for your leisure.  Selling or distributing your transit benefits violates the self-certification on the application.