EXPENSES

Faculty/Staff Purchasing Cards

The PCard is the University’s preferred method for purchasing and paying for goods and services costing less than $3,000 and for travel, business meeting, and entertainment expenses. General purchases $3,000 or more cannot be purchased with the PCard and must be purchased through Procurement in iO.

The PCard is a corporate liability card issued in an employee’s name. This is a benefit to the employee as Rice directly makes payment to the card issuer eliminating the need for an employee to use their personal card and then seek reimbursement.

Rice University paid faculty and staff responsible for making purchases on the University’s behalf are eligible for a PCard. Four profiles of cards are available.

Non-travel
Non-travel combined with Travel/Entertainment
Travel/Entertainment
Custodial/Department Card

*Note: Cardholders receive email notifications when Purchasing Card (PCard) charges are been posted to iO. This notification enables cardholders to quickly identify any fraudulent charges and easily track when charges are ready for review and submission. If you have any questions or are not receiving the notification emails, please reach out to pcards@rice.edu.

How do I obtain a purchasing card?

A complete application approved by your supervisor or the department chair/head must be sent to pcards@rice.edu. Once the application is processed, the employee will receive an email with required training instructions. PCards are sent via campus mail once training is completed and the Purchasing Card has arrived. New PCards typically take 10 business days after processing to arrive. To request a Purchasing Card please contact PCards@rice.edu.

What are my responsibilities as a cardholder?

The card is issued to an individual. Approval from your supervisor or department chair/head is necessary before you may receive a PCard. Only paid employees of Rice University are eligible to receive a PCard and each user is required to attend training and sign a Cardholder Agreement.

Although the PCard has NO impact on an employee's personal credit history, please remember that when using the card University funds are being committed. This is a responsibility that should not be taken lightly. The cardholder is responsible for all charges made to the card(s) in their possession. Intentional misuse or abuse will result in disciplinary action, up to and including discharge from the university.

The PCard will work in the same way as any other credit card with the exception that the Rice Card should NEVER be used for personal charges or restricted items.

Restricted Items are as follows:

General Purchases equal to or greater than $3000 (does not apply to travel and entertainment charges)
Rice University Internal Vendors (Rice Catering, the Thresher, Rice Parking, etc.)
Cash Advances (e.g. ATM's)
Traveler's Checks
Hazardous Materials or Controlled Substances
Relocation Expenses (due to tax reporting requirements)
Non-Incorporated vendors and consultants (due to tax reporting requirements)
Any others as dictated by the University. See the Rice University Policies and Procedures on the Procure to Pay Guidelines and Procedures page.

What do I do if my Purchasing Card is lost or stolen?

Immediately notify:

JPMorgan Chase at 1-800-316-6056 (open 24 hours/day; 365 days/year),
Rice University Police (ext. 6000), AND
Purchasing Card Administrator (ext. 6708).

NOTE: If the Cardholder has a card stolen or notices that the card is missing outside of normal business hours, he/she should contact the Rice Police (ext. 6000) immediately. The Police Department is open 24 hours a day and can supply the Cardholder with the JPMorgan Chase phone number. Notify the Purchasing Card Administrator on the following business day.

Rice is responsible for all charges on the card until JPMorgan Chase is notified of the loss or theft of the card by the Cardholder. Once JPMorgan Chase is notified, the card will automatically be suspended and a new card will be sent to the Purchasing Card Administrator for distribution to the Cardholder.

What Chart of Account will my Purchasing Card purchases default to?

Purchasing Card transactions automatically default to the cardholder’s home Chart of Account in IO. The cardholder’s HCM initiator can make any updates/corrections to the cardholder’s default Chart of Account.

How do I find out my PCard billing address or PCard limits?

Please contact pcards@rice.edu for any requests/inquiries regarding PCard limits or information.

How can I increase my purchasing card limits?

Approval from your supervisor or department chair/head is necessary for any PCard limit changes. This approval must be sent to pcards@rice.edu. Once the limit increase is approved, the cardholder will receive an email when the temporary or permanent limit increase is effective.

My Purchasing Card was declined. What should I do?

First, call JPMorgan Chase at 800-316-6056 x 0. (This number is on the back of your card.) The bank can tell you why the charge was declined.

Your card may have been declined because the wrong expiration date was used, the wrong billing address was used or the card limit(s) were reached. Every card is customized by the department to allow for:

General Purchasing only
Travel and Entertainment only
Both General Purchasing and Travel and Entertainment
A limit on how much can be spent per purchase (single purchase limit)
A limit on how much can be spent per monthly cycle (cycle purchase limit)
A limit on how many daily transactions can be made (daily transaction limit)
A limit on how many transactions per monthly cycle can be made (cycle transaction limit)

If your card is declined because you have exceeded your limit and you believe the limits should be changed, talk to your supervisor or department chair/head. The approver may email pcards@rice.edu to request a temporary or permanent increase to any of the purchase or transaction limits. The Purchasing Card Change Form may also be completed and sent to pcards@rice.edu. Contact the PCard Staff with any questions.

What do I do if tax was charged on my Purchasing Card transaction?

Rice University is tax-exempt and should not be charged sales tax for University purchases made in the State of Texas. Rice's Federal Tax Identification number is printed on the PCard for easy reference. The vendor may require the Texas Sales and Use Tax Exemption Certification. Other Rice purchases (in addition to PCard purchases) are also tax exempt following these same guidelines.

If a vendor charges tax on your Purchasing Card order, you should contact the vendor directly and have the vendor issue a "credit" to your card for the amount of the tax charged. Submit the original charge and the tax refund on the same expense report.

What should I do if my Purchasing Card is charged more than once for the same order?

Your first point of contact should be directly with the vendor. If the charge is not legitimate, the vendor should credit your account. If they cannot provide documentation which supports the charge and are unwilling to credit your account, you should file a dispute with JPMorgan Chase (1-800-316-6056, ext. 0) and contact the Purchasing Card Staff at pcards@rice.edu. Disputes must be filed within 60 days of the charge or Rice may not be able to dispute the charge.

What should I do if I notice a fraudulent charge on my Purchasing Card?

For PCard charges that cannot be resolved directly with the vendor or for any charges appearing that do not belong to the Cardholder, the Cardholder should contact a JPMorgan Chase Service Representative at (800) 316-6056. They will open a Dispute Case for the transaction in question.

Contact must be made with JPMorgan Chase within 60 days of the transaction date in order to be disputed.
During the investigation, a temporary credit will be issued to the Cardholder’s account for the amount questioned.
Upon completion of the investigation, the bank will notify the Cardholder of the resolution or credit the account.
If the dispute is not settled in the Cardholder’s favor, the Cardholder’s account may be charged for the disputed amount.

What should I do if I accidentally made a personal purchase with the Purchasing Card?

Please see job aid for how to create a Cash Due Rice expense report. Once the expense report containing the Cash Due Rice item is approved through audit, the cardholder will receive a receipt from expenses@rice.edu to take to the Cashier's Office to make a deposit.

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