Charges made to the card are billed directly to the university and the card was designed by the bank to be used for direct operating costs of the university. Therefore, no personal items may be charged to the card and the card may not be used as a travel card to pay reimbursable expenses (see Policy #1210).

Every new cardholder must attend an orientation session to receive his/her MasterCard Purchasing Card. When the Accounts Payable Department receives the MasterCard from Comerica Bank, the Manager of Accounts Payable will schedule an orientation session for the new cardholder. At this session, the Manager of Accounts Payable will discuss the use of the card, review the documentation requirements and outline the payment process. The cardholder will be required to sign the back of the card at the conclusion of the session and acknowledge receipt of Purchasing Card procedures.

USE OF THE PURCHASING CARD:  Under no circumstances should a cardholder use the MasterCard for any personal, family or household purpose. It is the cardholder’s responsibility to be aware of the restrictions and requirements and abide by them. The MasterCard Purchasing Card is the property of Oakland University and unauthorized use of the MasterCard is prohibited. Use of the Purchasing Card outside of the spirit of this policy will be considered unethical conduct and contrary to the University's best interests. Such conduct will be pursued aggressively through formal disciplinary measures.

Comerica Bank issues the MasterCard Purchasing Card to permit cardholders to purchase goods for the University. Use of the MasterCard by a cardholder for personal expenditures is in direct violation of the University’s agreement with Comerica Bank. Therefore, the MasterCard must never be used for personal, family or household purchases.

If a cardholder is denied at the point of sale for any reason, he/she should contact the Manager of Accounts Payable (4395). Every effort will be made to remedy the situation and determine why the transaction was denied.

Cash advances are not available with the MasterCard. If a cardholder receives a PIN (personal identification number) from Comerica Bank, he/she must notify the Accounts Payable Department immediately (4395).

If the merchandise ordered with the MasterCard will be shipped to the university, the cardholder should instruct the vendor to include the individual’s name and department in the shipping address. If the Receiving department receives a package addressed to Oakland University, Receiving Department, they cannot deliver the package.

Each cardholder should avoid paying sales tax whenever possible. Comerica Bank will imprint "Oakland University Tax Exempt" on each MasterCard to assist the cardholder in not being charged sales tax by the vendor. Also, the cardholder should remember to mention the University’s tax-exempt status when placing telephone orders. The Manager of Accounts Payable will distribute a letter regarding the University’s tax exempt status during the orientation session (see Exhibit 2). Vendors may require a copy of the letter for their files.

Some Vendors may require a Purchase Order number for internal tracking purposes. If this occurs, the cardholder should designate a number consisting of C##### where ##### represents the fund number. Under no circumstances should a cardholder obtain a Purchase Order or use an existing one when charging to the MasterCard, as a duplicate payment may occur.

After each purchase, the cardholder should update a usage log (see Exhibit 3 for an example) with all the pertinent information. This will help facilitate the reconciliation process for the cardholder upon receipt of the monthly MasterCard statement from Comerica Bank.

The cardholder must ensure that any travel expenses charged to the card such as airfare, lodging or other transportation costs are included on a properly completed Travel Expense Summary. (See Policy 1210)

SECURITY AND INTERNAL CONTROL:  The payment status of the MasterCard will not affect the cardholder’s personal credit status. However, the cardholder is responsible for appropriate use of the MasterCard and it should remain under his/her direct control. The MasterCard should always be kept in a secure place. Only the named cardholder must use the MasterCard; therefore it should never be given to another employee. When making purchases, the cardholder should take precautions to protect the account number. The sales receipt should always be verified for accuracy before signing and carbons should be destroyed.

Upon discovering the unauthorized use, loss or theft of his/her MasterCard Purchasing Card, it is the cardholder’s responsibility to notify Comerica Bank immediately by telephone at 1-866-267-5201 twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The Purchasing cards have a toll-free number on the back of the card (1-800-759-9610).   If the cardholder calls that number, he/she will be asked to enter the card number and the 4 digit code on the back of the card, the phone call will then be forwarded to the Customer Service Center. To report a lost or stolen card, the cardholder should tell the representative the call is regarding a Purchasing Card.

For further security each MasterCard has individual and monthly transaction limits. This helps to limit the departments' exposure upon loss or theft of the credit card.

Once Comerica Bank has been notified of a lost or stolen card, the account will be identified as such and a new account number and card will be issued. Only transactions determined to be fraudulent or unauthorized that occur after notification to Comerica Bank will be removed from the account. Therefore, it is imperative that the cardholder notifies Comerica Bank upon discovery of unauthorized use or the loss or theft his/her card. User departments will be responsible for transactions that occur between the time the card is lost or stolen and Comerica Bank is notified.

EMPLOYEE TRANSFER OR TERMINATION:  Should a cardholder transfer between departments at the University, he/she has the specific obligation to notify the Accounts Payable Department before the transfer occurs.

Should a cardholder terminate employment with Oakland University, the user department has the specific obligation to reclaim the MasterCard and return it to the Accounts Payable Department before the employee’s termination date. The user department will be liable for all transactions on the card until it has been returned to the Accounts Payable department.

RECONCILIATION AND PAYMENT PROCESSING:  The billing address for the MasterCard should be the user department, and must include the user department’s name and address including the building and room number, city and zip code. If the cardholder does not receive a monthly MasterCard statement from Comerica Bank, he/she should contact the Manager of Accounts Payable (4395) immediately. The cardholder should notify the Manager of Accounts Payable for any changes in address or employment status. This will enable the university’s records to be kept accurate and complete.

Comerica Bank will mail the MasterCard statement to the cardholder on the last day of each month. Upon receipt of the monthly MasterCard statement, the cardholder will be responsible for reviewing the transactions for accuracy and reconciling the statement to the usage log.

If the cardholder locates an unrecognizable transaction while reviewing the monthly statement, he/she should contact Comerica Bank’s customer service center at 1-866-267-5201 (fax: 1-734-632-2326, attn: Tina Azar). The customer service representative will request a copy of the receipt and work with the cardholder to determine the legitimacy of the item.

Discrepancies will be the sole responsibility of the cardholder to resolve. If the cardholder has experienced a problem with goods received or he/she did not initiate a transaction listed on the statement, the cardholder must attempt in good faith to remedy the situation with the merchant/supplier. For goods obtained with the MasterCard, the cardholder must accept credits to the account in place of cash when entitled to a refund for any reason.

If a transaction is still in dispute after attempting to settle with the merchant/supplier, it is the cardholder’s responsibility to notify Comerica Bank in writing within 60 days after the last day of the billing cycle during which the transaction first appeared on the statement. The cardholder should submit a Statement of Questioned Item (see Exhibit 4) with supporting documentation to:

The cardholder may also telephone Comerica Bank, but it will not preserve his/her rights. The cardholder should notify the Manager of Accounts Payable (4395) when disputing any transactions.

After the cardholder has reconciled the MasterCard statements, the statement and receipts will be forwarded to the cardholder’s supervisor for review.  Executive Officers may delegate this responsibility to another employee who does not organizationally report to the cardholder.  The supervisor/reviewer will be responsible for the following:

• Ensuring that receipts are attached for any charges and that reasonable explanations exist for those receipts that are missing. 

• Determining that any charges are appropriate and within the terms of the Purchase Card policy.

• Initialing and dating page one of the statement as acknowledgement of his or her review.

It is the cardholder department’s responsibility to retain the monthly MasterCard statements from Comerica Bank and the original charge receipts in the department for seven (7) years. For auditing requirements, the original charge receipts must include an itemized description of items, purchased quantities, prices and vendors. In addition, the cardholder’s department should retain the usage logs with the MasterCard statements and original charge receipts. For Internet or phone purchases the department should maintain copies of screen printouts, packing slips or invoices identifying purchased items or services.

The cardholder does not pay the amount due on the monthly MasterCard statement. The Accounts Payable Department will automatically pay monthly charges. Amounts paid will be charged to the department’s primary fund number (as indicated on the Oakland University Purchasing Card Application and Agreement Form) and account E095 (credit card purchases).

The following summarizes the key dates in the payment and reporting process:

Last Day of month one:  End of Billing cycle   

Last Day of month one:  Comerica Bank mails statements to cardholders. 

By the 5^th business day of month two: Accounts Payable processes one payment to Comerica Bank for all MasterCard Purchasing Card charges.  

Month three:  Charges for month one will appear on the user department's fund ledgers for month two, the month of payment.                                               

Comerica Bank Customer Service Center 

    Phone:         1-866-267-5201

    Fax:             1-734-632-2326

Any campus mail related to the Purchasing Card Program should be sent to:

        Accounts Payable Department

       121 West Vandenberg Hall

In addition, any questions regarding the Purchasing Card Program should be directed to the Accounts Payable Manager at 4395 or via E-mail at payables@oakland.edu.