When I used to work for the federal government, I had to hand deliver the paperwork and wait up to 30 days to get reimbursed. If I used the federal Visa charge card, and the payment was due, in full, before I got reimbursed, I had to pay it in full out of my own funds and wait for the feds to send me a check. If I did not pay the fed Visa, I would get a ding on my credit report for not paying my bills on time. About 5 years ago, my federal Visa charge card limit was $2500. The Hertz unit at Reagan Airport ran a $1800 hold for a 10 day rental that would have cost $300. As a result my federal Visa was declined when I checked in my hotel that was running $100 a night in DC for the 10 day long reservation. I had to use my personal card for the hotel then I had to file a 3 page report to justify the use of my personal credit card instead of the government card. The Hertz hold took 14 days to be released. When I called Bank of America to complain, the issuer of the Federal charge card, the response was that they could do nothing until Hertz actually posted the charge. When I called Hertz, they stated that they could do nothing until the charge actually posted. Either way I was screwed until something happened.