Cardholder Guide & F.A.Q.'s

Your Commercial Card Services Center provides customer service 24 hours a day/7 days a week for cardholder inquiries and issues. Our service operation consists of representatives trained to respond to the specific needs of commercial cardholders. Call:

• For card activation services, 888-571-1000 (also provided on the back of the card).
• For assistance with questions or issues related to the use of The Works program, 888-589-3473, Option 4.
• For assistance with day-to-day card program questions such as lost/stolen cards, disputed items, payments, and CVV security codes, 800-822-5985.
• For release of a card from fraud watch, 866-500-8262.
• You should call the Purchasing Department at 871-4181 when you experience:
  1. Declined Charge due to CREDIT LINE INCREASES/EXCEEDING THE CREDIT LIMITS.
  2. Declined Charge and you need the VENDOR-TYPE BLOCKING (MCC Code) reviewed by the Purchasing Department.
  3. Account closure/Activation/Replacement.

Contact the Commercial Card Services Center immediately.  If there is a chance of fraudulent activity, the account will be closed, and a new account number will be issued to you immediately.

YOU ARE REQUIRED to safeguard your P-card against theft and unauthorized usage. That means protecting your account number as well as your P-card.

**Remember that the account number can be found on receipts, charge slips, faxes, invoices and can be recorded by camera cell phones. If you use the P-card to make telephone purchases, be aware that your card number may be overheard.

• You should try to resolve the issue with the merchant.  If successful, make sure to get a written confirmation of the credit from the merchant.
• The cardholder would contact BOA to report a dispute.
• BOA will investigate all reported disputes received and will notify the cardholder in writing about the results. You will be credited the disputed amount if the transaction is found to be invalid. If, during the investigation, it is determine that the transaction is indeed valid, the charge will be re-applied to the statement and must be paid.

Disputing a Charge (this is different from fraudulent charge, see above)

If a cardholder believes that an item on a billing statement is incorrect, or if more information about a purchase is needed for reconciliation, the charge may be disputed.

The average time required for billing dispute resolution after the receipt of a cardholder notice by Bankl of America is 45-60 days.  It can, however, take longer.

The following guidelines will help you prevent fraud:

• Examine your monthly statements for unauthorized charges. Notify our Chargeback Department if there are charges on your statement that you do not recognize.
• Watch sales clerks to make sure your card is not being used to imprint more than one transaction slip. Be sure the card is returned and that the card you are handed is yours.
• Do not leave cards lying around the house, a hotel room, in an unlocked desk, or in the car.
• Beware of callers seeking your account number. The telephone is a favorite tool for criminals seeking valid account numbers or information
• Destroy expired cards by cutting them in half.
• If the card is lost/stolen/missing please notify Commercial Card Services immediately.

The MU Purchase card program is designed to allow us to specify transaction and spending limits for certain types of charges.  These limits are applied to businesses that are identified by specific Merchant Category Codes (MCCs).

Some merchant codes are excluded for monitoring purposes.  An exact amount override can be provided IF the charge is an allowed expense.

This document must be an itemized, original invoice or receipt, from the supplier/vendor.

Each supporting document must contain detailed information regarding a transaction.  This documentation should always include:

• Merchant name and address
• Transaction total and date
• Transaction detail including item descriptions, quantities, and unit prices.
• ALL documentation should include a notation of the business purpose for the transaction.  This will serve as a justification for the transaction.  Please be as brief but thorough when including a full description of the business purpose of all purchases.

Proper supporting documentation - in detail - is critical to your use of the P-card.  Without it, your transactions become unauthorized purchases that may lead to the suspension or cancellation of your card.

A P-card is a Master Card credit card that can be used to make purchases necessary to conduct University business.  This is a "corporate liability" card; the University pays the monthly bill.

Any MU employee is eligible to apply for a P-card with the written approval of their department head.  Temporary employees, student workers, and volunteers are not eligible to have a P-card.

P-cardholders should be those people that actually make purchases (i.e., the person that walks to the store, keys in an order online, etc.).  Departments may have as many P-cardholders as needed.  We encourage individuals who make frequent purchases to obtain a P-Card.

How will it help me?

• Using a P-card gives you greater control over your purchases for the University
• You eliminate the need to complete the traditional procurement and payment methods (Purchase Requisitions, Reimbursement Requests, Petty Cash forms, etc.).
• You avoid the need to spend your own money and then seek reimbursement.
• Added bonus to MU: The Purchasing department no longer needs to process low dollar purchases and invoices and can devote its efforts to higher dollar transactions where our expertise can mean significant dollar savings to MU.

Prohibited purchases include, but not limited to:

• Personal services vendors, such as:
  • Temporary agencies
  • Consultants
  • Attorneys
  • Honoraria recipients
  • Recipients of prizes and awards
  • Medical services
• Goods or services for personal use. 
  • The Commercial Card is intended for business use only. 
  • Personal spending on the Commercial Card is strictly prohibited. 
  • The University and/or Commercial Card Services Center and reserve the right to take adverse action on accounts that are clearly violating the "Business Use Only" intent of the card.
• Any order that exceeds $2,000 (unless previously approved by the Purchasing Dept).
  • Orders over $2,000 must go through the Purchasing Department, regardless of the unit price, for fixed asset tracking requirements.
  • Splitting a large order into multiple transactions each less than $2,000 is NOT permitted.
  • The $2,000 limit includes ALL fees (shipping, handling, or set-up).
• Prizes, awards, gifts, and gift certificates prohibited elsewhere in the MU purchasing policy.
• Leases or other contractual agreements regardless of the cost.
• Special occasion items (flowers, fruit baskets, candy, balloons, etc. to celebrate staff events such as births, deaths, retirements, etc. are specifically prohibited purchases under MU policy and BOG Public Use of Funds Policy.)
• IT software and/or licenses unless approved by the IT and Procurement Director.
• Any item within an MCC code which is not included in one of the card's authorized categories.

Your transaction will be declined at the point-of-sale for the following reasons:

• If the transaction exceeds your single transaction limit electronically encoded into your P-card.
• Splitting an order that exceeds your single transaction limit into multiple charges to avoid this limit is a violation of policy and transgressors are subject to disciplinary action.
• If the transaction causes you to exceed your Monthly Transaction limit.
• Or if the supplier's Merchant Category Code (MCC) is blocked*.
  • Every merchant that accepts a credit card has an assigned four-digit Merchant Category Codes that identifies the type of goods/services provided.  MU has decided to "turn off" MCC codes of vendors who sell items that are never allowed under the P-card Program.  If an MCC code is turned off, your P-card will be declined.  If you believe you have been declined in error, call the P-card Program Manager.

*Please note:  MCC blocking may not automatically prevent you from making a purchase that is not authorized.  You must always adhere to the P-card purchasing policies and not depend on MCC blocking to decide whether or not a purchase is authorized.

If your P-card is declined, contact the P-card Administrator.  Be prepared to provide details about the transaction.  These declines can often be corrected.

Note:  Although not technically declined, some transactions are blocked by the vendor due to an error in the Billing Address.  When asked for a Billing Address, you should always provide the address that appears on your P-card statement.  If that address is incorrect, contact the P-card Program Manager.

You do not have to submit your statements to Accounts Payable.  However, you MUST reconcile your transactions online with BOA through The Works program.  This must be completed by the 7^th of the month following the transaction (example:  a purchase made on October 31^st but be reconciled by November 7^th). Please see the process for reconciliation in the P-Card procedures booklet.

The Purchasing staff are responsible for ensuring that the program complies with University policies and procedures.  P-card documentation submissions are regularly reviewed for accuracy, completeness, and propriety of expenditures.  Exceptions to policies are pursued with the cardholder for resolution.  When resolution cannot be attained, the issues are escalated to a higher level which may result in disciplinary action.

• It is the financial manager that determines who will be allowed to use a P-Card within his/her organization.
• The responsible person must monitor the usage of the P-card to ensure that all policies and procedures are being followed.
• The responsible person is required to sign off on receipts for the staff.
• Responsible persons are responsible to their Vice President or Dean for the proper operation of the P-card program within their assigned organizations.

Any MU employee is eligible to apply for a P-card. In determining need, you should ask yourself:

• Is this person regularly required to make purchases on behalf of the University?
• Will this person be responsible for adhering to policies and procedures?
• Are there already other P-cardholders within the department who could make purchases for this person?

Remember:    These are NOT "departmental" P-cards and may not be shared among coworkers.  The only person authorized to use a P-card is the person whose name is embossed on the P-card.  Departments may have as many P-Cardholders as they require.

A Travel Card is a Master Card credit card that can be used to make purchases necessary to conduct University business travel.  This is an individual card; the cardholder charges travel expenses, submits for reimbursement of those expenses and pays the monthly bill. 

**IMPORTANT: Travel Cards are assigned by the University to specific individuals and may be used ONLY by that individual.  The monthly bill must be paid by the due date regardless of status of reimbursement.