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Getting A Card
Using A Card
I've made the purchase, but...
Etc., Etc.
Consider the following:
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Did you or your staff place many low dollar value (less than $4,999.99) orders? |
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Do you make frequent pick-ups at local suppliers? |
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Do your suppliers accept MasterCard® as a means of conducting purchase transactions? |
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Do you purchase airfare? |
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Do you travel? |
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Do you hold conferences at off-campus locations? |
See the Getting Started page for some help developing departmental policies and guidelines for card use.
Purchasing Cards are obtained by filling out a Cardholder application, having it signed by the appropriate dean, director, chair and forwarding it to the Procurement Services. Cards will be issued only after the cardholder has taken the required web based training.
Any employee of the University (faculty, staff, or paid graduate student) may be issued a Purchasing Card with supervisory approval. PurCards are not issued to temporary employees.
The UVM Purchasing Card will generally be accepted by any merchant within the authorized Merchant Category Codes (MCC Codes) who accepts MasterCard.
The UVM Purchasing Card may be used for transactions up to $4,999.99 with merchants included in the Merchant Category Codes (MCC Codes) selected by Procurement Services. Monthly cycle charges normally cannot exceed $25,000. The cycle limits can be lower if requested.
The following materials must be obtained through Procurement Services, with all required approvals, via purchase requisition:
Animal orders Capital equipment - greater than $5,000 Hazardous materials - contact Environmental Safety Radioactive orders - contact Radiation Safety Maintenance agreements Items costing greater than $4,999.99 All personal services, such as consulting, catering, printing, etc., requiring an Independent Contractor versus Employee determination (non-incorporated vendors) The above listed materials and services may only be procured and paid for through the UVM Procurement Services.
Your Purchasing Card cannot be used for any of the following :
Alcohol Cash advances Firearms, ammunition Gifts Personal Purchases
Tuition reimbursement
No. The Merchant Category Codes (MCC Codes) associated with cash advances have been turned off on your Purchasing Card. Charges for such items will be declined at the point of attempted purchase.
No. The Purchasing Card is for University business purposes only. Making personal purchases via any University purchasing mechanism can jeopardize UVM's tax exempt status with the State of Vermont.
The Purchasing Card Program is administered by Procurement Services. The assistant director of Procurement Services is the Program Administrator. See the Contacts page.
No. Since all Purchasing Card transactions are paid by the University, they are not connected to an employee's personal credit history.
If your card is lost or stolen, call the Mellon Bank Mastercard Service Center immediately, 1-800-258-9275, then contact the Program Administration team. Procurement Services will work with Mellon Bank to get a new card issued for you.
You may still use your card, but you must reallocate the purchase to a different chart string and/or account. Send an email of the change to the Program Administration team to change the default chart string.
It generally takes two weeks from the time a card is ordered to the time it is received in Procurement Services. When the card is received, Procurement Services performs some administrative tasks and will mail it to the cardholder.
The transaction limit is $4,999.99. The cycle limit is $25,000.
The cycle begins on the 28th of the month or the next business day. The cycle ends on the 27th of the month.
Effective July 1, 2002, airfare may be purchased with your Purchasing Card. Click here for details.
Please indicate the following:
- Name of the traveler
- Destination
- Business purpose of the trip
Notify Procurement Services that you received a decline. The staff will need to know:
Procurement Services will contact Mellon Bank to determine the cause of the decline, and take appropriate measures to correct the problem.
- the last six digits of the purchasing card number
- name of the cardholder
- date of attempted transaction
- name of the vendor
- dollar amount
Contact the vendor and request a copy.
The purchasing card cycle ends on the 27th of the month (unless the 27th is a weekend or holiday, then the next business day is the end date). PurCard Journal reports are due to Procurement Services after 10 days of receipt of the Mellon statement.
Procurement Services has 30 days to pay the bill. Journal entry transactions for the cycle ending the 27th of month #1 will have that date as a journal date. The transaction will be processed against your chart string when you have completed your reallocation and submitted the journal for posting.
For example:
Transaction Date Cycle Date PeopleSoft Journal Date 2/10/07 2/27/07 3/01/07 2/28/07 3/27/07 4/01/07
It is possible to have transactions that are almost two months old by the time they are processed in PeopleSoft and expensed to budgets.
Reallocation must be completed before the PurCard Journal report is submitted to Procurement Services (10 days after you receive the statement from Mellon Bank). The reallocation process is currently available on-line in PeopleSoft via the interim journal process.
If the transactions are no longer available to reallocate in the interim journal process or have already been charged to your budget, you will need to enter a journal entry to transfer the expense to the new chart string or account. The Journal Entry Policy provide guidelines on how this can be accomplished.
Contact the vendor and request that the tax amount be credited back to your purchasing card.
If the transactions are no longer available to reallocate in the interim journal process and have already been charged to your budget, you will need to create a journal entry to transfer the expense to the new chart string or account. The Journal Entry Policy provide guidelines on how this can be accomplished.
You no longer need to use transaction logs. The PurCard Journal Entry process will produce a printed report for each cycle. The true reallocation process will also provide a printed report.
Cut up the card and return it to Procurement Services with a note of explanation. Cards may not be left for other department members to use.
Cut up the card and return it to Procurement Services with a note of explanation. You will need to apply for a new card in your new department. Procurement Services must obtain the authorized signature of the current supervisor and budget manager on the application.
Each time transactions are downloaded from Mellon Bank, Procurement Services sends an email notification to cardholders and designates. Review the email to verify the accuracy of the charge. Unless the purchase is for airfare, Procurement Services does NOT need to receive the email with the printed cycle report. There are separate instructions for airfare purchases and corresponding email.