Finance: Plastic Dough for G.I. Joe

In today's Army, being "all that you can be" will soon include being a Diners Club member. Under a program scheduled to start this fall, up to 100,000 G.I.s and civilian employees of the Army who travel on official business will be issued Diners Club cards.

The Government expects to save some $2 million a year on the new program. One reason: the cards will cut down the amount of money the Army has to borrow for cash advances to its personnel. Moreover, Citicorp, which owns Diners Club, has agreed not to charge the usual $55 annual fee on the cards. Citicorp will still receive payments, however, from restaurants and stores that accept the plastic. Like all Diners Club members, the soldiers will receive a $150,000 travel life insurance policy. It will cover them when they take a commercial bus, plane or train, but not when they go into combat.