Just Filed BK13 - Now I need an Employer Credit Card for Travel

[kybk]

Hello,

My wife and I just filed (in January) Chapter 13. Our meeting with the Trustee is scheduled for early March.

Now, I've just found out that I will need to do some extensive travel for my employer over the next 3-6 months. As a result, I need to get an employer-provided credit card (i.e., become an authorized user) asap (within the next couple of weeks).

My questions are:

1) Will I even be able to get a company card?

2) Will my employer find out about my BK as a result of trying to become an authorized user of their card?

Bear in mind that my primary concern is #2 - I don't want my employer to find out. Will they (my employer) get a credit report? Or will they not really see anything?

I know that employers aren't 'allowed' to discriminate for filing BK, but that doesn't mean I want them to know. It could indirectly affect future raises. Plus - it's a small company. People might talk.

My alternative is to take care of my travel expenses myself, and then submit them for reimbursement. That would be very painful, though, as it takes about a month to get reimbursed...

Thanks for any help...

KYBK

[debtinohio]

That depends, a lot are visa/mc quaranteed by the company so no credit check is involved. But if they use AMEX chances are it will get denied and a company officer will need to sign off.

[systemslt]

if at all possible do this


"take care of my travel expenses myself, and then submit them for reimbursement. That would be very painful, though, as it takes about a month to get reimbursed..."

the biggest expense can be air travel and a lot of companies would not have a problem setting up your air travel and put it on the company card.

[flower04]

We had a new job 3 weeks before we filed 13. We didn't know there would be travel involved. We did this route as suggested above where you pay and then get reimbursed because that was the usualy way things were done and being a new job, we didn't want to rock the boat.

I will not lie, it was very hard to put over $1500 out of our account for travel expenses and we didn't get reimbursed for almost 6 weeks. It was rough, thank goodness we had $500 cash saved or else we wouldn't have made it.

We have since talked to our attorney and got trustee approval for a "secured" credit card with a $1500 credit limit. It is to be used only for travel and we have to submit year end receipts to the trustee.

We used it last time and it was great, got reimbursed and paid it all off before it was due!! We haven't had a cc in several years and when we did we were never able to pay in full, so that felt great.

I would put aside a little extra for these travel expenses if you can. Easier said than done.

[kornellred]

A corporate credit card does not belong to you. Your name is on it merely for accounting purposes. You are not responsible for paying the charges, so your credit status is irrelevant.

I am in a Chapter 13 bankruptcy and I have a corporate credit card. My credit status has absolutely nothing to do with my job performance. Then again - I work for a Fortune 500 corporation worth $20 Billion dollars - so I cannot say my situation pertains in all cases.

[Flamingo]

A corporate credit card does not belong to you. Your name is on it merely for accounting purposes. You are not responsible for paying the charges, so your credit status is irrelevant.

I am in a Chapter 13 bankruptcy and I have a corporate credit card. My credit status has absolutely nothing to do with my job performance. Then again - I work for a Fortune 500 corporation worth $20 Billion dollars - so I cannot say my situation pertains in all cases.

While it may not belong to you, many times your SS# and other personal information is submitted via a company application for a corporate card with the company so it is possible a corporate card can be denied. What is needed is a corporate card under the name of the company given to you for your use. If your name and SS# are associated with it in any way and you file, it is possible for the employer to find out about your BK. Corporate cards are mostly issued to higher up executives or people who may do a lot of traveling for company business and most big companies have clauses in place for their senior management that if they file bankruptcy, they have to notify the company.

[kornellred]

I am definitely not an executive - and our work group does not travel extensively but only occasionally. It states "corporate card" on the card itself, and embossed on the card is both my name and the name of the company I work for.

This is actually my second bankruptcy in 16 years and I have worked for my current employer for 18 years. I make no secret about my financial status. If administration or human resources departments know about my bk's, they do not seem too concerned about it.

Could it be that I am an exception to a general rule? Go figure.