Purchasing Card FAQs

USF's purchasing card is a Visa credit card issued by JP Morgan Chase. The purchasing card allows approved University employees to make business-related purchases on behalf of the University without the need for reimbursement. If interested in obtaining a purchasing card, please contact your departments Business Manager.

It is a university issued credit card with a set amount to spend.

University employees who have received approval to request a purchasing or declining balance card. Approval from the President, Vice President, Vice Provosts, Dean or Business managers is required on the Purchasing Card Application form.

Employees may apply for a purchasing card or declining balance card by submitting an approved Purchasing Card Application form to the purchasing card administrator in the Accounting and Business Services Office.  In addition to completing an application, employees are required to attend a Purchasing Card training session.

There will be only one purchasing card training held each month. Please contact pcard@usfca.edu for a schedule of future trainings.

Cardholders must call the 1-800 number on the back of the card to activate their card.

The purchasing card and declining balance card is used like a regular credit card. Present the card at the time of purchase and sign the receipt. The purchasing card must only be used to purchase business-related items (e.g. office supplies and work travel) and an original itemized receipt must be obtained.

All purchasing card and declining balance card users must abide by the university’s Travel and Entertainment policies. A purchasing card agreement form must be signed upon receiving your purchasing card. It is the employee’s responsibility to check the Travel and Entertainment Policy [PDF] website periodically for changes and or updates. 

There are two limits on your established purchasing card, a single and a monthly transaction limit. The single transaction limit (one charge cannot exceed this amount) and monthly credit limits are determined by your business manager.

If your limits need to be increased, please seek approval from your Business Manager. To expedite this request, you can e-mail your business manager (Subject: P-card Limit Increase) with the single transaction limit and/or monthly transaction limit increase needed along with whether this is a one-time (temporary) increase or a permanent increase.

Prior to traveling on behalf of the university, please keep track of your limits and the remaining available funds on your card. If an increase is required, please send an increase request e-mail to your Business Manager prior to the start of your trip.

Depending on the vendor used, transactions should appear within your Concur Expense account anywhere from 24-72 hours after the purchase in incurred.

The last business day of every month is the end of the billing cycle. Cardholders must submit expenses on the first business day of every month for the previous month’s transactions. By the third business day of every month, approving business managers must review and approve all transactions for their department. If this deadline cannot be met, please notify your associated business manager via e-mail.

No - the credit card bills are paid to JP Morgan Chase directly by USF each month.

Yes, per the Internal Revenue Code, if you do not provide business substantiation (original itemized receipt and complete business purpose notes) within 60 days of the purchase, USF is obligated to add those amounts to your taxable W-2 wages. Reminders will be provided by Accounting and Business Services to avoid this circumstance.

If a purchasing card is lost or stolen, immediately contact JP Morgan Chase at 1-800- 270-7760. A JP Morgan Chase customer service representative will deactivate the account and a new card will be issued. Next, notify your approving business manager and the purchasing card administrator via email that the card was lost or stolen.

Contact JP Morgan Chase by calling the 1-800 number on the back of your purchasing card. The Fraud Department will contact you for an affidavit. They will ask the merchant to prove the purchase and will refund your USF card if it is not proven. If this isn’t resolved within 120 days of the transaction, there is no recourse and your department will have to pay the charge.

Return your purchasing card to your approving business manager who will notify the purchasing card administrator to cancel your account. Although you are leaving the university, you are still required to reconcile all expenses prior to your departure. Expenses that are not reconciled prior to your last day may be added to your taxable wages.

• Non business-related expenses
• Gift cards/certificates
• Furniture purchases
• Computer purchases
• Hazardous materials
• Services performed by an independent contractor

Please check back to this link to review prohibited expenses.

All cases of potential and or intended fraud/misappropriation are taken seriously. For more information on investigation and measures taken during an investigation, please refer to the Internal Audit Manual [PDF].

Fraud: The intentional misrepresentation of facts undertaken to mislead management, auditors, or other users of financial statements; i.e., the misappropriation or misuse of University assets, and other similar irregularities. Fraud may involve:

• Manipulation, falsification, or alteration of records, or documents;
• Misappropriation of University assets;
• Suppression or omission of transactions or the effects of transactions from University records or documents;
• Recording transactions without substance;
• Manipulation of accounting policies; or
• Any other act or series of acts intended to defraud the University.

Misappropriation: Any dishonest or fraudulent act which includes such things as:

• Unauthorized use, taking, or destruction of University property for personal gain, or to purposely deprive the University of its use;
• Forgery or alteration of checks, drafts, promissory notes, and securities;
• Any taking or unauthorized use of University funds, securities, supplies, or any other asset;
• Forgery or alteration of policy-related items, such as loans, assignments, changes in beneficiaries, etc.;
• Any irregularity in the handling or reporting of cash transactions;
• Fraudulent or conflict of interest decisions which result in financial loss to the University; or
• Any similar or related irregularity.