PCard & Travel Card
The U-M Purchasing Card (PCard) is issued to eligible employees and may be used solely for purchases related to official university business. All items purchased with a PCard are the university’s property.
The U-M Travel Card is issued to eligible employees and is a subset of the current PCard program. The Travel Card is restricted to travel merchants only and is for employees who travel but do not make any other business purchases for their department.
Employees can have either a PCard or a Travel card but do not need both. The PCard can still be used for travel-related purchases.
Use PCards For:
- Travel and travel-related expenses, especially international and conference travel
- Hosting expenses, memberships, dues, and subscriptions
- Transactions under $5,000 when the item is not available through an internal service provider or university contract (see Find Products & Services search tool)
Do Not Use PCards For:
- Personal purchases
- Goods and services available through a university contract or an internal service provider
- Services, unless the purchase is pre-approved by a Procurement Services agent
- Items on the list of Restricted Purchases and Special Approvals or items not considered an allowable business expense
- Purchases from payment systems that do not provide visibility into the item(s) that was purchased on the PCard statement (e.g., PayPal, Google Wallet, etc.). If such a system is the only way the supplier accepts payment, detailed receipts showing the supplier and item details must be provided.
Use Travel Cards For:
- Travel and travel-related expenses, especially international and conference travel, including:
- Hotels
- Ground Transportation
- Train Fare
- Baggage Fees
- Car Rental
- Travel Parking
- Gas for Rental Vehicles
Do Not Use Travel Cards For:
- Personal purchases
- Travel meals, which are reimbursed via per diem after the conclusion of the trip
- Purchases not related to travel. All Travel Cards are restricted to travel merchants only so all other purchases should decline.
The university is exempt from the payment of sales and use taxes. The Michigan Sales and Use Tax Certificate of Exemption can be used in accordance with SPG 502.03—Michigan Sales and Use Tax for university business.
Before making a PCard purchase, ask the supplier if sales tax can be excluded from the cost of the transaction. The university tax ID number is embossed on the PCard and most suppliers will accept this as evidence of U-M’s non-taxable status.
If you have any additional questions or inquiries about the tax status, please contact the Tax Compliance and Planning Department.
Responsibilites
All policies and procedures must be strictly followed. JPMorgan Chase or U-M may suspend or cancel cardholder privileges at any time for any reason. Failure to comply with these policies may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination. See SPG 507.10-1 Travel and Business Hosting Expense Policy for further information on PCard/Travel Card policies.
Cardholder Responsibilities
- The PCard/Travel Card is only to be used by the person it is issued to (the cardholder). Allowing other employees to use a PCard/Travel Card can result in its cancellation.
- PCards/Travel Cards remain the property of the financial institution issuing the PCard/Travel Card (JPMorgan Chase). It may not be transferred to, assigned to, or used by anyone other than the cardholder.
- All PCard/Travel Card holders must take the required training, PRE110, every 3 years and must review the terms and conditions as written in the PCard/Travel Card Cardholder Agreement.
- PCard/Travel Card holders are responsible for the proper use of the card and recording of the charges in Chrome River. Note: Items coded as a personal expense and submitted within Chrome River will serve as written consent to deduct from the cardholder’s paycheck.
Unit Responsibilities
- Units determine who may be good candidates for a PCard/Travel Card and are responsible for making applicants aware of the risks of being a PCard/Travel Card holder, such as fraud or misuse.
- Units should monitor their employees’ PCard/Travel Card use. For those with Business Objects access, this report is a recommended management tool: FN06 Procurement Travel & Expense PCard Holder & Limits by DeptID, Dept Grp, or EmplID.
- Ensure the proper use of the PCard/Travel Card by determining the business appropriateness of the transactions.
Expense Approver Responsibilities
Units select their own approver(s). Both the expense approver and the cardholder are equally responsible and accountable for transactions.
Expense approvers:
- Should be in a position of authority and at a higher level than the cardholder.
- Review the transactions on the expense report and all supporting documentation to ensure compliance with all policies.
- Approve the expense report in Chrome River, thereby attesting that they have thoroughly reviewed each transaction and have verified that all transactions are business appropriate and allowable expenses.
- Must take the required approver training, TEE102, and the required refresher training, TEE103, every 3 years.
Policy
Training
Training and how-to materials are available in MyLinc. You must be logged in to MyLinc for the links below to work.
PRE110 PCard/Travel Card Training
Chrome River Approver Training
