Procurement Services offers university-issued and university-paid credit cards, called Travel Cards (TCards), which are the preferred method for buying travel and travel-related services required to conduct university business. Travel expenses charged to the Stanford TCard are paid directly by the university to JPMorgan Chase. The TCard is a safe and easy-to-use payment method. It can be used anywhere MasterCard is accepted and reduces the need for advances and business expense reimbursements for eligible purchases.

There are two types of Travel Cards:

  • Individual Travel Cards are issued to and used only by a specific individual who is an active Stanford University employee and travels frequently on Stanford business.
  • Department Travel Cards are issued to an individual who is an active Stanford University employee and is assigned as the cardholder for a department.

All expenses charged to TCards are reported in Expense Requests.

The Stanford TCard, issued by Mastercard, includes benefits such as ID Theft Protection to make travel easier. Learn more in the Mastercard Guide to Benefits for Commercial Cardholders.

Procurement Services also offers Purchasing Cards (PCards) which provide an alternate method to make allowable purchases for items not  available on  Amazon for Business and SmartMart, and not related to travel, on behalf of the university.

The Procurement Services department within Financial Management Services is committed to purchasing practices and policies that are compliant, responsible and appropriately support the university's goals and mission. Accordingly, those who are making purchases on behalf of or doing business with the university must follow the applicable purchasing policies and guidelines as well as Administrative Guide Policy: 5.4.2 Business and Travel Expenses.

Cardholders may only use the Travel Card for university travel-related business transactions. The TCard may be used for incidental personal expenses that cannot be easily separated from a business charge. The cardholder is personally responsible for repaying Stanford University for any non-reimbursable TCard charges after completion of travel. Refer to: Return Personal Expenses Charged to a Travel Card.

Cardholders are responsible for ensuring that all charges comply with policy and are properly itemized, supported by a business purpose, approved and submitted via the Expense Requests expense reporting process. Processing in a timely manner is important to ensure expenditures are correctly reported. Expense reports should be completed and submitted immediately upon completion of travel. If transactions are not expensed within 60 days of completion of travel, the expenses may be tax reportable to the traveler or cardholder.

Cardholders who do not comply with university policies and procedures may have their Stanford University cardholder privileges revoked. Misuse of the TCard may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.

For more detailed information, including permissible expenses, usage guidance, restrictions and limits, refer to Stanford Travel Card Policy.

It is the responsibility of the individual incurring expenses, those who assist others with incurring expenses and those involved in the preparation and approval of reimbursement requests or financial transactions to exercise good stewardship of university funds and to adhere to university policies. Learn more about roles and responsibilities in the following table.

Role Responsibility
Cardholder
  • Keep the TCard secure. Lending or sharing of a Travel Card is not allowed.
  • Follow policies related to originating transactions and  understand the university's policy and guidance.
  • Retain receipts according to travel and reimbursement policy. For internal purposes, receipts should be retained until transactions have been completely approved in order to: substantiate university business expenses and provide proof that local taxes have been paid.
  • Process their own expense requests or coordinate such processing with the assigned verifier of their TCard.
  • Notify Card Services about any changes to the account by submitting a Credit Card Profiles Change Request.
  • Immediately report fraudulent charges or a lost or stolen card to JPMorgan Chase at 1-800-316-6056,  then notify Card Services via a Support Request.

  • Cardholders that leave the University or transfer departments must cancel and return the TCard and any outstanding receipts to their manager or approver immediately.
Verifier/Preparer
  • The preparer can be the originator or another individual who prepares and submits the expense reports to properly record travel and business-related expenses and to request reimbursement on behalf of Stanford affiliates (faculty, staff, students, emeritus on payroll). Learn more about roles and responsibilities for Expense Request Reports.
  • Process TCard charges in the Expense Requests System in a timely manner, no later than 60 days after the completion of travel.
  • The verifier should review the charges on the TCard Outstanding Transactions tab and report or dispute any fraudulent charges immediately to the cardholder/custodian. The department is ultimately liable for any unresolved fraudulent or erroneous charges.
  • For internal purposes, receipts should be retained until transactions have been completely approved, in order to:
    • Substantiate university business expense
    • Provide proof that local taxes have been paid
Cardholder's Authorized Manager

A manager has the following responsibilities with respect to direct reports who are issued a Travel Card:

  • Review, approve or reject online TCard applications.
  • Review, approve or reject online Credit Card Profiles Change Requests.
  • Report a cardholder’s departure from the department or the university to Card Services.
  • Collect canceled TCards from the cardholder.
  • Assist with any TCard audits or investigations.
  • Review Expense Reports to confirm business purpose and reasonableness.
  • Use Oracle Business Intelligence (OBI) Reporting > SU Credit Card Custodian Report to monitor and manage active TCards.
  • Use Oracle Business Intelligence (OBI) Reporting > TCard Transaction Detail Report to monitor and clear outstanding transactions.
Financial Approver

A financial approver has the following responsibilities with respect to departmental staff members who are issued a TCard:

  • View Authorized Manager Responsibilities for full details.
  • Establish and monitor department-level procedures to ensure that expenses and amounts charged to departmental accounts are in compliance with departmental procedures, spending limits, and budgets, and in compliance with university policy.
  • Approve spending limit changes subsequent to the application process.     
  • Approvers have the responsibility to examine transactions to ensure that charges are appropriate and comply with university policies. Learn more about roles and responsibilities for Expense Request Reports.
Departments and Unit Finance Managers
  • It is the responsibility of the financial managers, officers and deans to periodically advise faculty and staff of requirements. Dean’s offices should properly advise new employees of this guidance and any related local policies and procedures.
  • Exceptions to any stated policy or guidance should be submitted to and approved by the Dean’s office before an expense is incurred. Detailed justification for the exception should be provided to be attached to the Expense Request.
Business Expense Team

Once approved, transactions are routed to a processor on the Business Expense team in Financial Management Services. The team checks to see that the expenditures and supporting documentation comply with policy and government regulations, and if compliant, will approve the transaction for payment. When a transaction is non-compliant, it is rejected, and the person initiating the transaction is notified of required action. See: Reimbursements and Expense Reports.

Cardholders will be asked to set a Personal Identification Number (PIN) when they call to activate their card. They should follow the automated telephone prompts to ensure they have set their PIN before ending the call.

  • Cardholders should call the number on the back of their card if they have trouble setting their PIN. The customer service representative will activate the card and transfer the cardholder to the automated system to set their PIN. If the cardholder is unable to answer their security questions to validate their identity,  they will be advised to notify Stanford Card Services via a Support Request.
  • If a PIN is forgotten or needs to be reset, cardholders can reset or confirm their PIN by calling the number on the back of the card and following the prompts. After resetting the PIN, the cardholder may need to enter their PIN multiple times in order for the chip reader to recognize their PIN.

Cardholders are expected to keep their TCards properly secured at all times. The only individual authorized to use the TCard is the person to whom the TCard is issued, whether it is a Department or Individual Card. Lending or sharing of TCards is not allowed.

Fraud Alerts

JPMorgan Chase now supports cardholder/custodian fraud alerts directly to cardholders via text message, email or phone call to alert Stanford users of suspicious activity or attempted activity on their Purchasing Card (PCard) or Travel Card (TCard).

Cardholders can sign up to receive a mobile SMS text message, an email and/or a phone call when there’s suspected fraud on the account. Cardholder alerts notify the cardholder of suspicious activity and offer a quick method to validate transactions.

How to Enroll
To enroll, visit ccalert.jpmorgan.com and follow these steps:

  1. Enter the commercial card account number and billing zip code.
  2. Add your alert device(s).
  3. Enter your contact information.
  4. Confirm your enrollment in text, email or voice alerts:
    • For SMS text alerts, you will receive a text message. Simply reply “AGREE” to complete your enrollment.
    • For email or voice alerts, after you enter your contact information, you’ll see your enrolled alerts populated on the bottom of the page.

If you have questions about the cardholder alerts, please call 1-800-316-6056 or the number on the back of your card.

Reporting Lost or Stolen Travel Cards

In the event that a TCard is lost or stolen, the cardholder should:

  1. Immediately contact JPMorgan Chase to request cancellation and reissue of the card. Provide the cardholder’s name and 4-digit access code.
  2. Verify recent activity to ensure there are no fraudulent transactions.
  3. Then notify the Card Services team via a Support Request.

Reporting Fraudulent Charges

Fraudulent charges should be resolved directly with JPMorgan Chase no later than 60 days from the date incurred. The department is ultimately liable for any fraudulent and erroneous charges not resolved.

In the event fraudulent activity is identified, the cardholder should:

  1. Immediately contact JPMorgan Chase to request cancellation and reissue of the card. Provide the cardholder’s name and 4-digit access code.
  2. Resolve it directly with the bank no later than 60 days from the date the transaction is posted.
  3. Then notify the Card Services team via a Support Request.

Declined Transactions

Common reasons for declined transactions include the following:

  • Invalid account information, such as account number, expiration date or CVV code
  • The card's specified allowable spending limit is exceeded

If a Travel Card purchase is declined for a reason unclear to the cardholder, JPMorgan Chase can be contacted for clarification by calling the customer service number on the back of the card.

The TCard is intended for active Stanford University employees. Travel Card eligibility is based on a departmentally-determined business need, and is contingent upon:

Apply for a TCard

To apply for an individual or department Travel Card, complete and submit the Stanford Credit Card Application Form.

Online Application With Guarantee Account (PTA)

A TCard application is initiated online only by the prospective cardholder or designated requester. A Guarantee Account (non-restricted and non-sponsored PTA) is specified in the application and assigned its associated Travel Card. The Guarantee Account PTA is the account to which TCard charges are debited until expense reports are processed, at which time business allocations are charged to specific accounts. When TCard charges are not allocated or cleared via the Expense Requests system in a timely manner, such as 60 days or more from the end of travel, the charges may be debited to the Guarantee Account PTA on behalf of the department.

Application Approvals

TCard applications will route for approval via email and workflow notification to the applicant's manager, department chair or dean and to the department’s financial approver(s). Upon receiving approval from the manager and financial approver, the application will route to Card Services in the university’s Procurement Services department.

Assigned Transaction Verifier/Expense Report Preparer

Each Travel Card issued must have a designated person assigned as responsible for verifying transactions in a timely manner and preparing expense reports to properly allocate expenditures. Both of these tasks are done in the Expense Requests System. The assigned verifier/preparer may be the cardholder or other department staff.

Due to segregation of duties, the verifier should not be an authorized financial approver.

Card Delivery

Please read COVID-19 impacts announcement for the latest process for card delivery.

Once the application is approved and the required online training is completed, the card will be delivered directly to the cardholder’s Stanford business address. The back of the card should be signed upon receipt.

Normal card processing time is 10 to 14 business days after approvals are obtained and training is completed.

Card Activation

Upon receipt of the Travel Card, cardholders must contact JPMorgan Chase by calling the telephone number provided on the sticker on the face of the card.

If there is an issue with the TCard received, submit a Support Request.

Card Validity Period

Travel Cards are valid for three years from the date of issue. Expiration dates are printed on the card.

The Credit Card Profiles Change Request tool is used to manage Travel Card (TCard) and Purchasing Card (PCard) account profiles. Current card profile information can be viewed by the current cardholder/custodian, verifier, cardholder/custodian’s manager or the financial approver who originally approved the card application.

Use the tool to request changes to:

  • Cardholder or custodian (department PCard only within same department)
  • Verifier
  • Card status - close, suspend or active
  • Guarantee PTAE (any outstanding TCard transactions should be cleared before changing)
  • Monthly limit

To make changes to an existing TCard account, follow How to: Manage Stanford Purchasing Card (PCard)/Travel Card (TCard) Account Profile instructions.

Renewals

The Travel Card will expire on the date (last day of the expiration month) embossed on the front of the card and will be automatically renewed as detailed in this section.

The renewal TCard will be sent by JPMorgan Chase no later than the first week of the expiration month via USPS standard mail. The card will be sent to the cardholder's Stanford business address on file with JPMorgan Chase.

The following situations may result in a TCard not being automatically reissued:

  • The Travel Card had no transaction activity for 18 consecutive months.
  • The university has found improper use of the Travel Card.
  • Travel Card charges have not been reported in an expense report within the Expense Requests system in a timely manner, no later than 60 days after the completion of travel.

If an employee's renewed Travel Card was not received, submit a Support Request.

Card Cancellation by Cardholder

Cardholders who want to cancel their Travel Cards should submit the request through the Credit Card Profiles Change Request tool. If a cardholder experiences any issues or has any questions about the tool, submit a Support Request. The TCard should be destroyed and disposed of upon cancellation.

It is important that all TCard transactions be properly recorded in an expense report within the Expense Requests system.

Card Cancellation by Stanford

The TCard is valid only while the cardholder is in active payroll status and while the cardholder is using the Travel Card in accordance with university policies. The TCard will be canceled by Stanford before or on the date the employee separates from the university or due to improper use. The Travel Card should be destroyed and disposed of upon cancellation.

Card Suspension by Stanford

A Travel Card will be suspended by Stanford due to the following reasons:

  • The cardholder is on extended leave.
  • Improper use of the Travel Card is under investigation by the university.

Cardholders on extended university leave, such as sabbatical, family or medical leave, should submit the suspension request through the Credit Card Profiles Change Request tool. If cardholders experience any issues or have any questions about the tool, submit a Support Request.  It is important that all transactions be properly recorded in an expense report within the Expense Requests System before the employee goes on extended leave or leaves the current department.

Reactivating Suspended Cards

A suspended Travel Card can be reactivated, using the same card number, when:

  • The cardholder, manager or financial approver submits a reactivation request through the Credit Card Profiles Change Request tool stating that the employee has returned from extended leave. If there are any issues or questions about the tool, submit a Support Request
  • The Card Services team has determined the cardholder is eligible to continue using the TCard.

Questions?

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