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Approved
uses for University American Express cards |
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American Express
Corporate Cards are provided only to employees whose jobs require
frequent travel, to alleviate the burden of personal outlays of cash
for expenses without the benefit of timely reimbursement. This memo
serves as a reminder that University American Express cards are for
use by University personnel only, for University travel and
entertainment purposes. The American Express cards should not be used
for office expenses. Instead, the department should contact the Pcard
Administrator at 229-2641 to inquire about obtaining a Pcard for their
offices.
The following expenses are appropriate charges to the corporate
American Express card for University employees only. |
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Airfare,
lodging, meals, car rental, taxi, and parking
are all appropriate business travel expenses, and may be charged to
the corporate American Express card. Refer to the University Travel
Policy for guidelines on these expenses.
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The
following list is a reminder of what American Express may not
be used for: |
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Personal use –
No
personal expenses should be charged to the American Express card.
Employees must reimburse the University for any personal use of
the card. Personal use of the card will result in termination of the
American Express card.
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Equipment
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Equipment
purchases must follow the approved procedures through the Purchasing
office to ensure that the purchase is recorded properly. The
University has contracts with the federal government that require
precise recordkeeping of any equipment purchases. Incorrect recording
of these expenses jeopardizes these contracts.
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Payment
for services –
No
payments to vendors who provide services is permitted on the American
Express card. Examples of services include photographers, caterers,
speakers, etc.
When in doubt about the proper
procedure to follow regarding the procurement of equipment, supplies,
or services, contact Purchasing (x92641) for instructions on how to
proceed.
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Office expenses
– Purchases of office supplies, flowers, books, etc. are not permitted
on the American Express card.
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Award programs
– No employee is authorized to enroll in any award program other than
the basic membership level. Benefits awarded under any other program
belong to the University, because American Express is a corporate
card, paid by the University. Awards obtained are
considered taxable income and the University must report this income
to the Internal Revenue Service. |
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The
Internal Revenue Service requires that the University report as
compensation any expenses which are not properly documented as
business expenses. Once this amount is reported to the IRS, it cannot
be reversed. Additionally, the IRS requires that receipts for meals
and entertainment expenses include the following detail: date, place,
business purpose, names of persons involved and amounts.
On
a monthly basis, each cardholder is requested to complete the American
Express Expense Report, attach all original receipts, and forward this
report to the Internal Audit Office (St. Mary’s Rm. 300, +4 zip 1640)
by the tenth (10th) day of the following month. All
charges should have adequate receipts and detail for verification as
to the University-business related purpose. Receipts must have a
business emblem or stamp (no notes or adding machine tape).
Accounts Payable will continue to provide the person responsible for
each area’s budget with a listing of all the charges made by each
individual cardholder on a monthly basis. This listing is to be
approved and returned to Accounts Payable by the twentieth (20th)
of each month, after verification by each department. (***Please
remember these cards are only to be used for University business
expenses.)
Please contact Internal Audit at 229-3600, with questions concerning
the American Express card. |
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