Cal Poly Payment Card Policy and Procedures

Cal Poly's Payment Card Program provides employees with purchasing solutions for conducting university business. Cardholders are responsible for complying with the CSU Payment Card Policy and with Cal Poly's guidelines and procedures. Failure to comply may result in card suspension or revocation.

The CSU Payment Card Policy establishes the minimum systemwide requirements for payment card use. Cal Poly adheres to these standards while implementing additional controls and operational procedures to support compliance and effective program management.

CONCUR PROCARD CALENDAR FOR 2026
Month US Bank Transaction Date Range First Day Available to Submit in Concur Submittal Due Date in Concur
April 3/24 - 4/23 April 29th May 3rd
May 4/24 - 5/26 June 1st June 5th
June 5/27 - 6/23 June 29th July 3rd
July 6/24 - 7/23 July 29th August 2nd
August 7/24 - 8/24 August 30th September 3rd
September 8/25 - 9/23 September 29th October 3rd
October 9/24 - 10/23 October 29th November 2nd
November 10/24 - 11/23 November 29th December 3rd
December 11/24 - 12/23 December 29th January 2nd

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CARD TYPES

Procurement Card (ProCard)

The ProCard is intended for low-risk, low-volume purchases of goods valued at $5,000 or less that do not require a Purchase Order. It provides a fast and efficient method for making allowable business purchases and should be considered before reimbursement whenever appropriate.

Travel Card

The Travel Card is intended for approved university travel expenses. It helps employees avoid out-of-pocket costs since travel advances are not permitted.

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ELIGIBILITY

Payment cards may be issued to:

  • Full-time employees.
  • Temporary and long-term employees with appointments of six months or longer

The following individuals are not eligible for university payment cards:

  • Employees with appointments under six months.
  • Retired faculty or staff
  • Volunteers
  • Student Assistants
  • Auxiliary employees
  • Emergency hires
  • Non-employees

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ALLOWABLE AND NON-ALLOWABLE PURCHASES

ProCard: Allowable Purchases

  • Advertisements
  • Campus guest parking pass
  • Catering by Cal Poly approved caterers - Approved Caterers
  • Conference or training registration fees for groups and students*
  • CSUBUY eMarketplace vendors for allowable purchases
  • Employees ONLY, ProCard should always remain in employee’s possession
  • FedEx and UPS (off campus)
  • Furniture - ONLY with waiver (CSUBUY req#)
  • Gift Cards - Purchase of Gift Cards is restricted and requires prior approval(Gift Cards)
  • Hazardous Materials (Hazardous Materials)
  • Hospitality expenses with Hospitality Justification Form
  • Local venues including hotels for hosting and hospitality, including hospitality-related deposits.
  • Off-campus services where NO signature is required
  • Postage
  • Printing
  • Professional dues
  • Software, SAAS, AI, data sets, online survery tools, or any online service with recurring payments (Including annual) - ONLY with waiver (CSUBUY req#)
  • Subscriptions and memberships (cannot be auto-renewed)
  • Tables, chairs, tent rentals
  • Training registration fees
  • Venues - Hotels need pre-approval from SBS, use Revision Request form to unblock hotel

ProCard: Prohibited Purchases

  • All on-campus services, regardless of value (require vendor insurance, agreement signed by Procurement Specialist)
  • Amazon Prime, Costco memberships, or similar personal memberships
  • Agreements or contracts requiring signature (lease, maintenance, consulting)
  • Cardholders must not allow others to use their ProCard
  • Cash advances or ATM withdrawals
  • Cellular Service
  • Computers, laptops, tablets, and other sensitive equipment
  • Drones
  • Fines, late fees, penalties, interest charges
  • Firearms
  • Fueling of Vehicles - Fleet Fuel Card Info
  • Furniture without waiver (CSUBUY req#)
  • Items shipped off-campus (must be shipped to campus)
  • Non-campus parking
  • Peer-to-peer payment systems like Venmo
  • Personal purchases (strictly prohibited, misconduct will result in card revocation)
  • Physical assets valued at $5,000 or more
  • Purchases resulting in copyright infringement
  • Purchases creating a conflict of interest (as defined by CSU policy and Government Code)
  • Software without waiver (CSUBUY req#)
  • Splitting purchases to circumvent $5,000 limit
  • Travel-related expenses (use Travel Card)
  • Vehicles - Vehicle Purchase Info

Important: payment cards must remain in the possession of the assigned employee and may not be shared with others.

Travel Card: Allowable Purchases

Travel Cards may be used for:

  • Business travel expenses
  • Hospitality expenses

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DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS

All purchases require supporting documentation.

Required documentation includes:

  • Itemized receipt
  • Missing Receipt Affidavite (if itemized receipt or duplicate cannot be obtainable, except for hospitality, airfare, hotel/ lodging and car rental, orginal itemized receipt is always required); excessive use may result in card suspension)
  • Business purpose or justification
  • Required Hospitality Justification documentation (when applicable)
  • Required waivers for furniture or software purchases

Itemized receipts must include:

  • Merchant name
  • Description of items purchased, including quantity
  • Date of purchase
  • Price per item
  • Sales tax
  • Shipping charges (if applicable)
  • Total amount

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RECONCILLIATION

ProCard

  • ProCard transactions must be reconciled in Concur each month.
  • ProCard Expense Statement is auto-generated after the first transaction of each billing cycle.
  • Failure to reconcile and submit statement by the required deadline will result in immediate card suspension.
  • Refer to the ProCard Calendar for billing cycle and submission deadlines.
  • See the ProCard Reconciliation Guide for details.

Travel Card

  • Travel Card transactions are automatically imported into Concur.
  • Cardholders are responsible for creating and submitting an expense report to reconcile all charges.
  • Travel expense reports must be submitted within 60 days of the trip end date. See Travel Expense Report Guide
  • Non-travel expense reports (used to reconcile non-travel transactions charged to a Travel Card) should be completed promptly, preferably within 30 days of the transaction date. See Non-Travel Reconciliation Guide for details.

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POLICY VIOLATIONS AND CORRECTIVE ACTION

Policy Violations

Failure to comply with payment card policies may result in:

  • Written warning
  • Required retraining
  • Termporary card suspension
  • Permanent card revoaction

Examples of violations include:

  • Missing justifications
  • Late reconciliations
  • Missing itemized receipts or other documentation
  • Unauthorized purchases
  • Allowing others to use a card
  • Using ProCard for travel expenses

Corrective Actions

  • Missing Expense Reports: Immediate card suspension until complete and accurate expense report is submitted to SBS.
  • Other infractions: Email to cardholder and Approving Official with 1 week to remedy infraction. If no response or action, card may be suspended.
  • Multiple infractions: Email to cardholder, Approving Official, and AVP/Dean with 1 week to remedy infraction; card suspension for at least one billing cycle and retraining.

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REPORTING FRAUD

Fraudulent charges must be reported immediately. If there are fraudulent charges on your ProCard:

  • Call the Fraud Prevention line at US Bank (800) 523-9078
  • Email Dan DiPaolo, AVP Audit and Consulting Services at dipaola@calpoly.edu and cc: ProCard@calpoly.edu
  • Fill out US Bank's affidavite and return to them immediately so they can start their investigation.
  • See Reporting Fraud Guide for details before completing the above steps.
  • Find guides for all Concur processes on the Concur Guides page.

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DISPUTING CHARGES

  • Cardholdersare must report questionable or disputed transactions to US Bank Customer Service at 1-800-344-5696 within 60 days of the bank statement date.
  • Cardholders are responsible for working iwth the merchant to replace defective items or obtain a credit.
  • If the merthcant will not resolve a defecive item, the transaction becomes a disputed charge and must be report to US Bank. The cardholder must complete a Dispuste Form and will be notified by US Bank once the dispute is resolved.
  • See Disputing Charges Guide for details.
  • Find guides for all Concur processes on the Concur Guides page.

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LOST OR STOLEN CARDS

Lost of stolen cards must be reported immediately.

  • Call US Bank Customer Service at 1-800-344-5696
  • Submit a Card Service Request to notify the Card Administrator. See Lost or Stolen Card Guide for details.
  • Card Administrator will notify cardholder when the replacement card is ready to be picked up.
  • Find guides for all Concur processes on the Concur Guides page.

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REGISTERING CARD IN US BANK ACCESSONLINE

Please see Registering Card in US Bank Guide for details.Find guides for all Concur processes on the Concur Guides page.

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REVISING CARD ACCOUNT INFORMATION

To update your payment card account, including changes to information provided on the application, monthly or single-purchase spending limits, or Merchant Category Code (MCC) restrictions, the cardholder must submit a Card Service Request. This requirement applies to both permanent and temporary changes. See Card Revision Request Guide for details.

Find guides for all Concur processes on the Concur Guides page.

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UNBLOCKING MERCHANT CATEGORY CODES

To unblock Merchant Category Code (MCC) restrictions, the cardholder must submit a Card Service Request. This requirement applies to both permanent and temporary changes. See Unblocking MCC Guide for details.Find guides for all Concur processes on the Concur Guides page.

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TERMINATING PAYMENT CARD ACCOUNT

If a cardholder separates from the University, or wishes to terminate their payment card account, the manager, admin, or cardholder must submit a Card Service Request in Concur. See Terminating Payment Card Guide for details.Find guides for all Concur processes on the Concur Guides page.

Section VI: REFERENCES

US Bank 24-Hour Customer Service (800) 344-5696
US Bank Fraud Prevention Line (800) 523-9078
US Bank Access Online Customer Support (877) 887-9260
US Bank website (view current balance, current and past transactions, credit limit, dispute a transaction) https://access.usbank.com/
Card Administrator Kevin Hayes
6-0892 (email preferred)
procard@calpoly.edu