Procurement Cards can be used for the following travel expenses:
- Domestic Airfare
- Lodging
- International Airfare
- Group Travel
- Tours and Tickets
However, Procurement Cards may NOT be used for other individual business travel arrangements such as meals, rental cars, shuttles, buses, taxi cabs, fuel, valet service, parking, etc. Reimbursement for these types of expenses will be made in accordance with the University’s travel policy.
Direct billing to the department is available when utilizing Great Southern Travel.
Note: For security purposes, the cardholder is NOT allowed to fax across their credit card information to any travel related vendor. As an alternative, a credit card authorization form can be completed and emailed to the vendor.
Domestic airfare
Departments may use their Procurement Cards to pay for domestic airfare. Procurement Cards can also be used to pay for the appropriate checked baggage fees.
Lodging
Procurement Cards can be used to pay for room and tax charges only.
Procurement Cards may NOT be used to pay for other charges that may apply to lodging including room service, internet access, mini bar, telephone charges, resort fees, parking, valet service, etc.
Express check-out should be avoided, as the statement provided may not show that charges have been paid in full. Many hotels and motels offer a faculty or commercial rate that is less than the normal daily rate if advance reservations are made or if the fact that the employee represents the University is brought to the attention of the hotel or motel clerk at the time of registration.
Process for payment of lodging charges:
- Payments can be made directly to the hotel/motel
- Reservations and payments for hotels/motels can be made online using web based travel agencies (expedia.com, travelocity.com, hotels.com, etc.)
- Package deals combining both hotel/motel and airfare charges can be paid for on the Procurement Card. Package deals cannot include any other individual business travel arrangements such as meals, rental cars, shuttles, buses, taxi cabs, gas, etc.
Print out of the reservation confirmation and a paid receipt showing only room and tax charges needs to be obtained.
Note: Normally, when lodging charges are placed on a credit card, the vendor will put a ‘hold’ on the credit card. The ‘hold’ amount (actual amount varies by vendor) may not be a real charge but it will temporarily encumber money that would otherwise be available for the cardholder to use. The pending charges will eventually go away a few days after the trip has been completed.
International Airfare
Definition: For the purpose of the Procurement Card policy, the United States includes the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Travel outside of the United States must be approved prior to traveling according to the criteria below:
- Travel associated with academic units must submit foreign travel approval signed by their department head, dean, and the Provost, unless the travel is associated with the China Branch campus.
- Travel associated with the China Branch campus must submit foreign travel approval signed by the Vice President for Research and Economic Development.
- Travel associated with other administrative duties must submit foreign travel approval signed by the President.
A copy of the approval must be kept on file along with the other backup documentation.
All foreign travel paid for on the Procurement Card should only be for business purposes. If less than 25% of the time on the trip is spent on personal activities, the trip is considered entirely for business.
Travelers with a foreign destination may upgrade their economy class to economy plus or other similar class, but at no time will the University reimburse travelers for business or first class airfare.
Note: Please use caution when paying for transactions with vendors based out of Spain and Turkey. From a credit card security standpoint, the bank has identified them as being high-risk. Kindly inform the Procurement Card Coordinator prior to making payments to vendors in either of those countries.
Group Travel
A detailed invoice or reservation confirmation showing a list of all passengers on the trip will need to be attached to any other additional documentation.
Tours and Tickets
A detailed invoice or reservation confirmation and a paid receipt from the vendor showing the amount charged to the card needs to be obtained. Also, an explanation detailing the business purpose of the event needs to be kept on file as well. Cardholders may use the Procurement Card Tours and Ticket Purchases Form.
Payment for tours and tickets to vendors in foreign locations is also permitted on the Procurement Card. For fraud and security purposes, caution must be used when buying from foreign vendors.