Step-by-step instructions for tasks related to University credit:
How to Obtain a PCard?
Who? The staff member who will be placing orders for products and services.
When? At the time they are assigned the duties of ordering products and services.
How? Complete a PCard Application & Cardholder Agreement. Contact the PCard Administrator in Procurement to determine the appropriate spending limits for the new cardholder and to identify the correct approving authority. Obtain signatures from the appropriate delegated authorities. Submit the application to the PCard Administrator in Procurement.
The Cardholder agreement includes the default financial transaction chart string. This will be the account that all charges go against unless the cardholder goes into USBank Access Online to allocate the charge to a different chart string.
Your manager will set a single transaction limit and a monthly spending limit. The amount is automatically replenished the day after the cycle-end date
Procurement will notify the cardholder when to attend PCard training in order to be issued the new PCard.
How to Obtain a Managed Spend PCard?
Cardholder Application Submittal: A department submits a Manages Spend Cardholder Agreement Application to their delegated authority for approval and signature.
- Managed Spend PCards are issued for one fiscal year.
- Cardholder Agreement must include the following:
- Name of Cardholder
- Default chartstring
- List of approved vendors and/or services (without risk) and estimated fiscal year amount.
- If services are approved on the Managed Spend card, the cardholder is responsible for obtaining a valid certificate of insurance and providing a copy with their Managed Spend application. It is the cardholder's responsibility to get an updated certificate from the supplier if the one they submit expires during the fiscal year in which their authorization is approved. Updated certificates must be provided to the PCard Administrator to be filed with the cardholder's Manage Spend application.
- Signatures of cardholder, Approving Official, and Vice President of the division in which the cardholder is employed.
Procurement Reviewer: Determines if a Managed Spend PCard in lieu of a blanket purchase order would provide the most benefit to the University.
Managed Spend PCard Setup:
- PCard Administrator, upon receipt of signed cardholder agreement, will order the PCard.
- PCard Administrator will notify the cardholder when the PCard is received. If cardholder has not attended a PCard training session, the card will be disbursed to them at the training. If the cardholder has attended a training session, the PCard will be disbursed upon receipt.
Managed Spend PCard Audit:
- The cardholder must submit a PCard statement for each billing cycle (the 23rd of following month through the 22nd of the next month) by the first business day of each month.
- Statements must include the required supporting documentation for each charge. Refer to the PCard Handbook for details.
- Accounts Payable Technicians assigned to audit PCard statements will:
- Run usage report from US Bank Access on-line
- Ensure that cardholders turn in monthly statement
- Audit statements for proper spend and supporting documents
Managed spend PCards do not require a PCard Pre-Purchase authorization for charges exceeding $1,000.
How to Obtain a Corporate Travel Card
Corporate Travel Cards are issued to employees who frequently travel on university business. To request a Travel Card, you must have approval from your Department Chair/Manager and College Dean or appropriate Vice President.
Complete a Travel Cardholder Agreement and obtain appropriate signatures from the Approving Authority. The Travel Cardholder Agreement outlines the responsibilities of the cardholder. The Cardholder agreement includes the default financial transaction chart string. This will be the account that all charges go against unless the cardholder goes into USBank Access Online to allocate the charge to a different chart string.
Your manager will set a single transaction limit. This limit should be set to allow a sufficient amount for any expected hotel or airline charges. Your manager will also set a monthly spending limit. This determines the amount you can spend within a billing cycle (the 23rd of one month through the 22nd of the next month). The amount is automatically replenished the day after the cycle-end date.
The completed Cardholder Agreement is submitted to the Corporate Travel Card Administrator. The application will be reviewed to determine that the application is complete and has the proper signatures prior to requesting a new account set-up from U.S. Bank. When the Travel Card is received the cardholder will be invited via email to attend the next scheduled Travel Card Training. The Cardholder must attend the mandatory Travel Card Training prior to the Travel Card being issued.
How to Activate a PCard or Travel Card?
A PCard or Corporate Travel Card must be activated before it can be used. To do so follow these instructions:
- Immediately sign the back of your new card.
- Activate your new card by calling the number on the activation sticker affixed to the card
- The USBank automated activation line will prompt you to enter the following:
- Your card's 16-digit card number
- The zip code for your card's mailing address (95382)
- Your social security number (we don't provide your SSN. The activation code will be listed for you on your Activation Letter).
- Your office phone number
Note: The mailing address for your card is One University Circle, Turlock, CA. 95382. You will need this address for online and phone purchase
How to Change Information on an Existing PCard or Travel Card?
When changes of Cards are required, the Program Administrator is authorized by U.S. Bank to make the changes. Changes to a Card account include:
- Change to monthly and/or transaction limit(s)
- Name changes due to divorce, marriage, etc.
- New address or telephone number
- Department change
- Change in Approving Official
For any of the changes listed above, use the Application & Cardholder Agreement form and select "change" at the top of the form. You will only complete the information on the application that is changing.
On occasion, it may be necessary to temporarily raise or lower a Cardholder's monthly or transaction limit. All exception authorizations and temporary changes to limits must be approved in writing (email is acceptable) by the appropriate Vice President or assigned designee.
How to Make a Purchase with a PCard?
PCards are issued to employees who need to buy goods on behalf of the university. To request a PCard, you must complete the PCard Cardholder Agreement. At least one staff member in a department, more if staffing allows, should have a PCard to make low-value purchases.
Link to University Credit Card Service Group)
When? Timing determined by the purchaser.
Acceptable PCard Uses (PCard Handbook)
Your CSU Stanislaus PCard is for business use only. The following types of purchases are acceptable:
Subscriptions - Subscriptions must be sent only to the University address, not the subscriber's home address
Dues & Memberships For professional organizations only. Recreational clubs such as travel, sports and entertainment, memberships for personal use and donations are notauthorized.
Advertising Display advertisement, recruitments posted online through services such as the Chronicle of Higher Education. Note: All recruitment for staff positions must go through Human Resources.
Conference Registration & Training – For faculty, staff and student employees only.
Goods - Goods or merchandise that does not qualify as a restricted item and are within your spending limits. These might be items you would have used petty cash, or a direct pay reimbursement for prior to obtaining a PCard. Examples would be building maintenance supplies, safety supplies, electrical supplies, etc.
Foodservice: Foodservice (catering) requires all charges to be paid using PCard. A Food & Beverage/Community Relations Event Approval Form must be completed and signed for all foodservice purchases. Please contact the PCard Program Administrator if the charge is over the Cardholder's monthly or single purchase limit. A one-time increase can be arranged with approval from the appropriate Vice President.
Service and Repairs -Off Campus low risk services such as dry cleaning.
Equipment costing less than $500 – Tax and shipping must be included as part of the purchase price. If you wish to have equipment tagged and placed on inventory for security reasons, please notify Property Control at extension 3986. However, purchase of electronics costing less than $500 that contains sensitive data (iPads, computers, etc.) cannot be purchased with a PCard.
Purchases Over $1,000 (non-equipment) - require a signed PCard Pre-Purchase Authorization before the purchase is made or it will be considered an unauthorized purchase. The signed Pre-Purchase Authorization is attached to the receipt at the time the statement is reconciled.
How? There are a number of ways to make purchases. You can place orders in person, over the phone, via fax, e-mail, the Internet or the supplier's eProcurement system. Just have the supplier charge the purchase to your PCard account number and provide an itemized invoice. For phone or fax orders, instruct the supplier to put your name and mailing address on the shipping label.
How to Use a Corporate Travel card?
Prepare and deliver an authorized Travel Request & Claim form to the Financial Services Travel department PRIOR to the travel occurring. Link to Travel Service Group for How To Prepared a Travel Request Use the Travel Card as you would a personal credit card, being sure that the use is for acceptable travel expenses only.
Note that the Travel Request & Claim form is used for TWO different purposes:
- Travel Request (approved) is submitted to the Travel Desk prior to Travel, and the completed Travel Claim is submitted to Travel Desk after travel is completed.
- Travel Request and Travel Claim copies are used as supporting documentation for verifying charges on the Travel Card.
The Travel Request & Claim Form that was submitted prior to the travel event is to be utilized to enter the Travel Claim (actual expenditures). The column labeled "Payment Type" is used to indicate if the expenditure was paid using a Travel Card (TPC) or paid personally (PER) by the traveler. The traveler will only be reimbursed for those items paid personally that are supported by an itemized receipt.
The Travel Request & Claim form must be attached to the Travel Card Reconciliation Statement, along with itemized receipts card receipts.
What do I Need to do to Use My PCard for Hospitality Purchases?
The Food & Beverage/Community Relations Event Approval Form must be completed prior to the date of the event and approved by the appropriate delegated authority. A Food & Beverage/Community Relations Event Approval Form must be attached to the monthly statement with your receipt.
Refer to the Hospitality Procedures to understand the requirements involved when using University funds for hospitality. Be sure to have a speedchart established for the fund, department, and account codes to be used for the hospitality purchase (i.e., auxiliary fund). Speedchart Request form
How to Reallocate a Transaction to another Accounting Code
Before the purchasing cycle closes, cardholders have the ability to re-allocate transactions to one or multiple accounting codes, including the option of splitting individual transactions by specific dollar or percent of transaction amounts. Cardholders can allocate charges throughout the month as long as they are completed by 4PM, the first business day of the month
See the training materials for re-allocation
Resources
How To Return Merchandise Purchased with a PCard?
Be sure to inspect all orders upon receipt and contact the vendor if items purchased are damaged, defective, or incorrect. The cardholders is responsible for conducting all negotiations for replacement or return of damaged or incorrect orders.
If you receive damaged, defective, or incorrect items you should:
- Contact the vendor promptly – delays in reporting damaged goods could result in an invalid claim. Be sure to document all discussions or communications with the vendor (i.e. date, contact name, details, etc.).
- Find out if the vendor requires a "Return Materials Authorization Number" (RMA). If so, follow the vendor's procedures for requesting one. Note: vendors often charge a restocking fee if a return is not their fault.
- Fill out a Returned Merchandise Report, located on the PCard website under Forms and Documents, and distribute copies as noted on the form.
- Follow the vendor's instructions for packaging and returning the order (i.e. truck, UPS, vendor pickup, etc.). Call the CSU Stanislaus Receiving Department if you need assistance or if the order is to be sent by truck, or picked up by the vendor. UPS shipments can be processed by the Mail Services Department. If the vendor is not paying for the cost of the return it will be charged to your department account.
- Be sure to keep the credit receipt until the credit transaction shows up on your Cardholder Transaction Review Report. When the credit shows up, attach the credit receipt to your monthly report.
- If the vendor refuses to replace the defective item or fails to issue a credit, the purchase will go into dispute. Follow directions for Disputing a Transaction located on PCard website under training-quick reference guides. USBank web site
How to Submit Monthly PCard Reconciliation Statement?
Who? Everyone who has a PCard.
When? Reconciliation Statements must be submitted no later than the first business day of the next month detailing transactions made against your PCard. If there were no transactions on the PCard, no action is required. Payment of a central PCard invoice is made immediately by accounts payable but the purchase activity may be audited at any time.
How?
- Cardholders will print a copy of their statement using USBank Access Online https://access.usbank.com identifying each transaction made with the PCard during the last billing cycle.
- Attach all receipts to the back of the statement in the order that they appear on the statement. Include additional documentation that may be required such as a Food & Beverage/Community Relations Event Approval Form, Missing Receipt affidavit, Pre-Purchase Authorization, Certificate of Insurance, etc.
- Provide reconciled statement with attached receipts to your manager (approving Official) for review and approval.
- After approval, your manager forwards the statement to the PCard Program Accounting Administrator on or before the due date.
How to Prepare and Submit a Corporate Travel Card Reconciliation Statement
The Travel PCard cycles are the 23rd of the month through the 22nd of the subsequent month (e.g., Jan. 23 – Feb. 22). The reconciled Travel PCard Statement must be submitted to Financial Services no later than the first business day for subsequent month (e.g., first business day in March).
Enter the USBank Access Online to list the transactions for the billing cycle. Link to Access Online Determine if the chartstring needs to be changed for any transactions. Reallocate if needed. (How To Reallocate a PCard Transaction) Print the Statement and attach supporting documentation.
The Travel Card charges reported on the Statement require the following supporting documentation:
- Copy of the approved Travel Request-
- Copy of the Travel Request & Claim form with the claim section filled out showing the charges that were made on the Travel Card during the billing cycle. Payment type is to be entered as TPC. This is to be submitted even if the travel has not been completed.
- COPY of the itemized receipts for each charge transaction on the Travel Card Statement. The ORIGINALS of the itemized receipts must be submitted with the Travel Claim when the travel has been completed.
Travel charges may occur in advance of the travel commencement date (e.g. plane tickets, conference registration). The Travel Claim form attached to the Travel Card Statement will only claim the charges that have occurred during the billing cycle for which you are preparing a reconciliation statement. A final Travel Claim form will be submitted to Financial Services as the "Claim" that includes all charges that were on the Travel Card and personal expenses. Copies of the Travel Card Statement(s) are not required as supporting documentation for the Travel Claim.
How to Handle a Dispute about a PCard or Travel Card Charge?
You may occasionally find items on your statement that do not match your receipts. The amount may be incorrect, you may have service issues, or perhaps you did not make the purchase at all. The first step is to contact the supplier and try to resolve the error. If the supplier agrees an error has been made, they can simply credit your account.
If a supplier does not agree an error has been made, contact USBank Customer Service at (800) 344-5696 and tell them you want to dispute a charge on your card. You can also file disputes online using Access Online. USBank must be notified of disputed charges within 60 days of the statement issuing date.
How to Handle a Missing Receipt for the PCard or Travel Card Reconciliation Statement?
If you cannot obtain a receipt from a supplier, you are required to complete a Missing Receipt Affidavit (MRA). Travel Receipt form
How to Handle Lost or Stolen Cards?
The CSU Stanislaus USBank PCard is company property. Please keep it safe. If your card is lost or stolen, contact USBank Customer Service immediately at (800) 344-5696 and notify the Program Administrator. After your call, the account will be blocked. By acting promptly, you can reduce the University's liability for fraudulent charges. You may also want to make this call if your statement is lost or stolen.
How to Handle Fraudulent Use of a PCard or Travel Card?
If someone makes fraudulent purchases with your PCard it is your responsibility to report the activity. Call USBank Customer Service at (800) 344-5696 immediately and report the fraud. You are liable for all unauthorized card use until the card issuer is notified. Next, notify your manager and PCard Program Administrator to report the activity.
When you contact USBank to notify them of the fraud, you will be asked to complete paperwork and return it so the unauthorized charges can be identified and credited to your account. It is the cardholder's responsibility to complete all paperwork and verify USBank received it. All correspondence related to the fraud must be turned in with your PCard reconciliation.
What to do if a Cardholder Separates From the University?
If a cardholder is separating from the University, they must contact the PCard Program Administrator at least one week in advance notifying them of their last day. Returning your PCard is required to receive your final paycheck.
Prior to the employee's separation date from the University, they must reconcile their final PCard statement and turn it in to the PCard Accounting Administrator. If the billing cycle hasn't closed, they can print out the PCard Activity Report (located on the transaction screen) in lieu of their statement. Both the cardholder and the Approving Official must sign this report. If they expect other transactions to post in a billing cycle after they leave, they will be required to provide all the documentation to another designee in their department who will reconcile the statement in their absence.