Q: What is the dollar limit per transaction?
A: Each transaction/purchase must be under $2,500.

Q: What is a capital item?
A: A capital item is a piece of equipment that costs $2,500 (including freight) or more and has a useful life of more than 1 year. Capital items cannot be purchased with the purchasing card.

Q: Can I buy components with my card?
A: You can purchase components with your card. Components are defined as those items to be added to an existing capital item or items purchased for use in fabricating (building) a capital item. To insure that the items are properly recorded in the fixed asset system, the cardholder and department must insure that the purchases are correctly charged to Account code 74180.

Q: Why should a vendor want to accept my card?
A: This program is advantageous to our vendors for many reasons. In addition to receiving payment within 48-72 hours, the vendor reduces his administrative costs by not having to bill AU for your purchase.

Q: Can I have the departmental vehicle serviced and charged to my card?
A: No, the payment for any repairs and maintenance done on departmental vehicles is considered reportable by the IRS. Such payments need to be processed via the normal PPS channels to affect that reporting.

Q: Can I use my card at the AU Bookstore?
A: Yes, however using the card there will lead to additional paperwork for your department. To avoid that, have your purchases at the Bookstore direct charged to your department.

Q: Can I use my card at Staples, Fisher Scientific, paper contract companies, and computer contract companies?
A: Yes. Please note, only computers under $2,500 can be purchased with the Card.

Q: Are the purchases made with my card tax exempt?
A: Yes, purchases made with your card in the State of Alabama are sales tax exempt. You may find that charges made out of state are not tax exempt. You can call PPS to find out which states we're tax exempt in.

Q: How do I prove that my purchase should be tax exempt?
A: The front of your card indicates that AU purchases are tax exempt. No tax exemption number is reflected n the card because we are tax exempt by the law-Code of Alabama. Should the vendor demand a tax exempt number, give our sales tax reporting #41506.

Q: What do I do if the vendor charges me tax anyway?
A: Check the receipt you are signing carefully if you find that sales tax has been charged, do not sign that receipt! Ask that the sale be voided and reentered. If you receive a phone order and find that tax has been charged, call the vendor immediately and ask that they credit your account for the amount of the sales tax. We've found vendors to be very accommodating and helpful in these situations.

Q: Is anyone really reviewing my charges?
A: YES!! Each of your charges is carefully reviewed by several people: the person in your department preparing the monthly reconciliation, your department head before signing the reconciliation, and an auditor in PPS. In addition, all charges are reviewable by any of the outside auditors assigned to examine AU (State Examiners, Pricewaterhouse Coopers, federal auditors, etc…) as well as the Internal Auditors.

Q: Can I use the card to make purchases that will be charged to my Alumni Association (AAA), Foundation (AUF), or Tigers Unlimited (TUF) FOAP's?
A: No, charges to FOAP's in Charts F, M, and T cannot be made using the card.

Q: What do I do with the statement I receive each month?
A: You should review that statement carefully each month and confirm that: a) you made all the charges, b) the amount on your statement agrees with the receipt you signed, and c) you have backup documentation for each charge.

Q: What do I do if charges are reflected that I didn't make?
A: Alert your departmental designee immediately! Then contact the vendor and ask that your account be credited for the amount of the charge. Make notes of your conversations with the vendor. If the vendor refuses to rectify the situation, fill out a Disputed Claim Form and give it to your departmental designee for processing. This form must be processed within 60 days of purchase date.

Q: What should I do with my receipts after I make a purchase?
A: Turn them in to your department designee. Doing that will help the departmental designee more quickly complete the reconciliation process (there's a very short window of time for doing that). If you consistently fail to submit your receipts and/or your department's reconciliation is consistently late reaching us, card privileges will be revoked.

Q: Do I have to submit an itemized invoice/receipt for each purchase?
A: Yes, with few exceptions (ex: magazine subscriptions), vendors provide either an itemized invoice/receipt or itemized packing slip with all purchases. Those invoices/receipts/packing slips must be submitted with your departmental reconciliation. Phone logs will ONLY be accepted in-lieu-of an itemized invoice if we know that the vendor doesn't provide an itemized invoice. In situations where such an exception is made, please attach the order form/magazine ad/catalog page showing the item ordered (with pricing information).

Q: Do I have to reflect the FOAP on each receipt?
A: Yes, all expenditures must be easily traceable. Unfortunately, the only way to insure that charges are easily auditable is to require that the FOAP be denoted on each invoice/receipt/packing slip.

Q: On a few occasions, my purchase was denied. Why?
A: If the total of your purchase exceeds the transaction limit set for your card or you have reached your monthly limit (established when your card was issued) the transaction will not be competed. Also, if the vendor has been given an MCC code (Merchant Category Code) by their bank that is one we have blocked, the transaction will not be approved. The item may be allowable under our purchasing guidelines, but the MCC code is the cause for the denial. For instance, if you try to purchase a publication from a vendor classified as a contractor (blocked MCC code) the transaction would not go through. Should this happen to you, please contact Debbie Griggs in PPS at 4-7771. Please remember that we have only a ten calendar day time frame for checking on these problems.

Q: Can I charge guest meals with the Purchasing Card?
A: Yes, you are required to submit an itemized receipt, guest list with association to AU of each person, and purpose of the meal. Don't forget there is a $60.00 maximum per person per day for food.

Q: Can I charge airfare on the Purchasing Card?
A: Yes, for AU employee and student business travel. You are required to submit the itinerary and purpose of travel.

Q: Can I view the transactions on my card on-line?
A: Yes, you can view your transactions via the web at payment2.works.com. Cardholders can view the transactions on their card at anytime during the month. If you are not able to access this website, please contact Debbie Griggs, Sharon Storrs, or Tammy Richey in PPS at 4-7771.