3013.1 Purchasing Card Application, Activation, and Registration Procedure

Procedure # 3013.1; Rev. 3 (Effective May 8, 2017)
Related Policy: UW-3013 Purchasing Card Policy
Functional Owner: Travel and Card Team, Division of Business Services
Contact: Credit Card Program Manager: (608) 262-3300, meghann.grove@wisc.edu

Procedure statement
Who is affected by this procedure
Procedure
Contact roles and responsibilities
Definitions
Related references
Revisions

I. Procedure statement

UW–Madison Travel and Card Team in the Division of Business Services administers a purchasing card program supported by U.S. Bank. The card program includes a standard purchasing card and a department purchasing card. Both card types are sponsored by the employing department and authorized for use for UW–Madison business only. To obtain either type of purchasing card, an employee must submit the Purchasing Card Request form and complete mandatory training. All applications are subject to approval from the applicant’s HR Manager, their Cost Center Manager, their Divisional Expense Operations Lead, and a Credit Card Administrator. After receiving a purchasing card, the employee must activate the card. Details are outlined below.

II. Who is affected by this procedure

Employees who apply for purchasing cards; managers, Cost Center Managers, Expense Operations Leads; Division of Business Services Credit Card Administrators.

III. Procedure

Card application: Applications for purchasing cards must be completed and submitted by an applicant via the Purchasing Card Request, an electronic questionnaire available in Workday. The form is populated with information entered by the employee and imported from the employee’s Workday profile. It is recommended employees review their Workday profile prior to accessing the request form and make any necessary updates to their personal information.
1. Login to Workday.
2. Click on the Profile icon in the upper right corner of the screen (looks like a person silhouette):
3. Click the View Profile button.
4. Review your name in the red panel on the left. Click the Contact link to review your contact information. If this information requires updates, click the Edit button at the top of the page and make the required changes. If the information is current, proceed to the next step.
5. In the Workday Search bar, enter “Create Request”. Click on the resulting task.
6. In the Request Type field, enter “Purchasing Card” then hit the Enter key.
7. Select Purchasing Card Request from the resulting list and click OK.
8. Review the header-level instructions.
9. In the Describe the Request field, provide a brief description of what the requested card will be used for.
10. 10. In the Type of Card section, select the preferred card type.
  1. If selecting a Department Purchasing Card, enter the Department Name to be embossed on the card.
11. Complete the Name on Credit Card section.
12. Provide a Cycle Limit based on your purchasing needs.
13. Provide a Single Purchase Limit based on your purchasing needs.
14. Enter a 10-digit phone number.
15. Select an address for card delivery and billing purposes.
16. Read the Purchasing Card Agreement and acknowledge your agreement by typing your name in the subsequent field.
17. Enter any additional notes/comments in the Comments field.
  1. Note: The first comment field will display for approvers with the rest of the questionnaire content. The second comment field will display in the questionnaire routing history.
18. Click Submit.
19. The submitted application is electronically routed for approvals.
Approval process:
1. HR Manager approval: The HR Manager reviews the request. HR Managers may “Approve” the request to advance it in the approval workflow or “Send Back” the request for editing and resubmission. HR Managers may also “Deny” the request to eliminate it from the approval workflow.
  1. If the request is approved, it is routed to the Cost Center Manager.
  2. If the request is sent back, it is routed to the applicant’s My Tasks inbox for editing and resubmission.
  3. If the request is denied, it is eliminated from the approval workflow and a notification is delivered to the applicant in Workday.
2. Cost Center Manager approval: The Cost Center Manager reviews the request. Cost Center Managers may “Approve” the request to advance it in the approval workflow or “Send Back” the request for editing and resubmission. Cost Center Managers may also “Deny” the request to eliminate it from the approval workflow.
  1. If the request is approved, it is routed to the Expense Operation Lead.
  2. If the request is sent back to the applicant, it is routed to the applicant’s My Tasks inbox for editing and resubmission.
  3. If the request is denied, it is eliminated from the approval workflow and a notification is delivered to the applicant in Workday.
3. Expense Operations Lead approval: The Expense Operations Lead reviews the request. Expense Operations Leads may “Approve” the request to advance it in the approval workflow or “Send Back” the request for editing and resubmission. Expense Operations Leads may also “Deny” the request to eliminate it from the approval workflow.
  1. If the request is approved, it is routed to the Credit Card Administrator.
  2. If the request is sent back to the applicant, it is routed to the applicant’s My Tasks inbox for editing and resubmission.
  3. If the request is denied, it is eliminated from the approval workflow and a notification is delivered to the applicant in Workday.
4. Credit Card Administrator approval: The Credit Card Administrator reviews the request and confirms applicant eligibility for the card program. Credit Card Administrators may “Approve” the request to advance it in the approval workflow or “Send Back” the request for editing and resubmission. Expense Operations Leads may also “Deny” the request to eliminate it from the approval workflow.
  1. If the applicant is ineligible based on prior audit findings/compliance issues, the Credit Card Administrator denies the request and notifies the applicant and their HR Manager.
  2. If the applicant is eligible, the Credit Card Administrator verifies the applicant has completed the required training.
  3. If the applicant has not completed the required training, the Credit Card Administrator notifies the applicant of the training requirement and retains the request without ordering the purchasing card from U.S. Bank.
  4. If the applicant has completed the required training, the Credit Card Administrator approves the application and orders the card from U.S. Bank.
Training: Before the Credit Card Administrator orders a purchasing card from U.S. Bank, the applicant must complete Purchasing Card Policies and Procedures training and Travel Policy Training. Registration details are available in the Training section of the Purchasing Card website. Department card applicants are also required to complete a supplemental Department Card Training. Department card applicants will be automatically enrolled in this training and sent an invitation from Canvas.
Card distribution: U.S. Bank mails the purchasing card directly to the applicant at the address indicated on the Purchasing Card Request.
Card activation: Cards may be activated online or via phone:
1. Online:
  1. Visit the U.S. Bank Access Online site and click Activate Your Card. (You do not need to login.)
  2. Enter the requested information (card number, expiration date, last 4 digits of business phone number).
  3. The cardholder will be sent two emails to the email address on file for the account (included on application); one email with a unique activation link and another with an activation code. Follow the link in the first email to enter the code from the second email. The link and activation code are valid for 20 minutes. If this time lapses, the cardholder should begin the process again.
2. Phone:
  1. Contact U.S. Bank Customer Service at (800) 344-5696.
  2. When prompted for the last four digits of the Social Security number or Employee ID, enter four zeroes (0).
Access Online Registration: Registration provides a purchasing cardholder with online access to account information, activity and billing statements. To register, the cardholder follows these steps:
1. Go to access.usbank.com and click Register Online.
2. Enter the following:
  1. Company Short Name: UWMDSN
  2. Account Number: 16-digit account number embossed on the purchasing card (no dashes or spaces)
  3. Account Expiration Date: As indicated on the purchasing card
3. Click Send a Code.
4. Complete remaining on-screen prompts.
Real-time alerts: To enroll in real time alerts via text message or email, see Procedure 3013.8 – How to Enroll in Real-Time Alerts.

IV. Contact Roles and Responsibilities

Applicant/Cardholder: responsible for submitting the Purchasing Card Request, completing the mandatory purchasing card training, activating the card, and registering the card in Access Online.
Cost Center Manager: responsible for reviewing and approving the request.
Credit Card Administrator: responsible for reviewing the request for eligibility, confirming training requirements, processing the application through U.S. Bank, and retaining required supporting documentation.
Expense Operations Lead: responsible for reviewing and approving the request.
HR Manager: responsible for reviewing and approving the request.
U.S. Bank: responsible for processing the card request, producing the card, and sending the card to the applicant.

V. Definitions

Access Online: U.S. Bank’s web-based transaction management tool used by the Credit Card Administrators to maintain the purchasing card program at UW–Madison and by purchasing cardholders to manage account settings.
Department Card: A university-liability credit card issued to a UW–Madison employee that may be used by other authorized employees or enrolled students for pre-approved business-related purchases.
Purchasing Card: a university-liability VISA credit card issued by U.S. Bank to a trained UW-Madison employee for business-related purchases.
Purchasing Card Request: an application using Workday’s “Request Framework” submitted by a card applicant to obtain a purchasing card at the Universities of Wisconsin.
Real-Time Alerts: Functionality provided by U.S. Bank that allows a cardholder to receive alerts via text message and/or email when specified transactions post to their purchasing card account.
Workday: the cloud-based software used by the Universities of Wisconsin to manage finance and human resources.

VI. Related references

VII. Revisions

Procedure Number	3013.1
Date Approved	May 8, 2017
Revision Dates	June 21, 2017 – remove Travel Card training option. March 28, 2018 – add role of applicant’s Supervisor in Section I Procedure Statement and Section III Procedure May 4, 2018 – Updated card distribution process; purchasing cards are delivered directly to the applicant Jan. 19, 2021 – Updated Procedure Number to 3013.1 from 300.1 December 11, 2021 – Purchasing Card Module implementation September 2, 2022 – Updated to replace “Purchasing Card Application and Agreement” with new “PCard Request Form.” Feb. 22, 2023 – Cardholder signature no longer required. Sept. 11, 2023 – New and required UW Travel Policy Training available. July 1, 2025 – Updated due to Workday implementation and new request form

Contents