A Purchasing Card is available for employees if they:
- frequently make small dollar purchases
- travel frequently on Â̾ÞÈËÊÓƵ business
- manage team travel or events/venues
- are responsible for departmental blanket purchase orders
- make purchases that are currently processed through petty cash, or
- make emergency purchases
A Purchasing Card may also be made available to students who serve as President or Treasurer of a recognized student organization at the request of the campus CFO or designee.
Personal credit references will not be checked prior to issuance of a PCard nor will any personal credit rating be affected.
Step 1 - Complete the PCard Application Form
To obtain a card, the prospective Cardholder must complete this Purchasing Card Application Form and obtain approval from their supervisor, or the PI on the grant (if applicable) and submit the form to their business services or campus finance office for approval. The PCard Manager will then email the form to the Campus PCard Administrator.
Please note all information not marked optional should be completed. Failure to do so will delay or prevent the issuance of a PCard.
Why the Merchant Category Code (MCC) is important:
- Merchant Category Codes (MCCs) are 4 digit codes used to place merchants into Standard Industry Classifications (SIC) based on the business they own. These codes are assigned by the merchant’s credit card company based on the registration information sent in by the vendor, and generally represent the vendor’s primary line of business. Â̾ÞÈËÊÓƵ has no influence on how a vendor is coded nor how, or if, the code can be changed.
- The Merchant Category Code defines the goods or services that each card may purchase from without a special exception.
- Each Purchasing card is assigned one MCC grouping (Standard, Standard Plus, Travel, and Abroad).
- At the point of sale, the Purchasing Card system checks the supplier's SIC code to ensure it is included on the Card profile. If it is not, the system will not authorize the purchase.
The PCard Manager is responsible for assuring the referenced fund-org-account (FOAPAL) are valid, as well as listing the responsible org on the application. Charges are paid directly by the Â̾ÞÈËÊÓƵ.
All new/renewal cards will be mailed directly to the Campus PCard Administrator. The Cardholder/PCard Manager will be notified via email when a new card has arrived. The email will contain specific instructions regarding how the Cardholder will log in to the online training course to complete the mandatory training modules.
Training must occur prior to the Cardholder receiving their PCard from their PCard Manager. New and renewed cards require the execution of a new Cardholder Acceptance Agreement.
Step 2 - Training Session
The purpose of the mandatory online training modules is to ensure that the Cardholder understands the policies and procedures involved with the use of the PCard as well as their role and responsibilities as a Cardholder.
The Cardholder will be required to sign the Cardholder Acceptance Agreement and the back of their card upon picking up their PCard from their PCard Manager. The agreement must be returned to the Campus PCard Administrator. This agreement will need to be signed at every card issuance or renewal prior to the new PCard being released.
The Campus Card Administrator may request retraining or provide in person training when needed.
Below is a link to the Training program required to be completed before any PCard is issued. It will only work once you have received an email from the PCard Administrator to take the training or if you have already taken the training and still hold an active PCard.
The official version of this information will only be maintained in an on-line web format. Any and all printed copies of this material are dated as of the print date. Please make certain to review the material on-line prior to placing reliance on a dated printed version.
