Purchasing Cards FAQs
Wabash College’s Purchasing Card program delegates purchasing authority of the President and Chief Financial Officer/Treasurer to the cardholder, in lieu of traditional purchasing processes that require prior approval before initiating the purchase or payment. Cardholders may purchase eligible, low dollar items and/or pay for business travel expenses in the conduct of Wabash business. Below is a list of frequently asked questions about the program. Further information may be found in the Purchasing Card Program Policies and Procedures manual and the Purchasing Card (PCard) Step-by-Steps.
1. What do I do if I made a personal charge on my P-Card?
Use of the college’s purchasing card is limited to college business expenses only. In the unlikely event that the college’s card was used for a personal expense in error, it is expected that the cardholder repays the college immediately upon finding the error and no later than the due date of the reconciliation (the 17th of the month).
If the error is found prior to reconciling the purchasing card for the month, allocate the charge to
11-00000-1225-00 using the description “Personal charge made in error.” Complete a Purchasing Card Reimbursement Form and bring it (and supporting documentation) to the Business Office - Center Hall Room 105 to pay the reimbursement. The Accounts Receivable team can accept payments of check, money order, or credit cards. Because of the new form and signatures required, online payments are no longer an option.
If the error is discovered after the transaction was assigned in Smart Data and uploaded to the general ledger, payment should credit the account posted to the general ledger. Please download the Purchasing Card Expense Report that shows the account charged and attach the report to the Purchasing Card Reimbursement Form.
2. Do I charge any meals to the P-Card when travelling?
For business travel supporting you (the traveler), the purchasing card should not be used for your individual meals. Wabash College uses the federal per diem rates in lieu of actual expenses for meals and incidental expenses.
The purchasing card may be used to pay for the portion of business travel meals for hosting, recruiting, donor outreach, or other business purposes.
3. When reconciling, do I need to put the receipts in the same order as the charges?
If paper receipts are still needed for the reconciler, it would be helpful to have them in the same order. Ideally receipts should be scanned and attached to the P-Card transaction in the Purchasing Card system. Instructions on how to scan and attach are located in the step-by-steps section at the bottom of the Purchases and Payments page.
4. Where do I send my reconciliation report once I am finished each month?
Please check with your department’s Purchasing Card reconciler. The report will most likely need to route to them first. If your department falls under Academic Affairs, please route to the Dean of the College’s office. Once approved at the department level, then it is sent to the Business Office.
Coming Soon: The purchasing card portal (Smart Data) is being reconfigured and redeployed to enable online document retention and transaction review and approval. At that time, purchasing card expense reports will be discontinued since approvals will be recorded online.
5. May I charge gas/fuel to my P-Card for a personal car or Motor Pool car?
Personal Car – No, because your mileage reimbursement is intended to cover the cost of using personal vehicles.
Motor Pool vehicles will have a wallet attached to the key chain that contains a WEX gas card, which is accepted at most major gas stations. Instructions for using the card are included in the wallet. A complete list of gas stations can be found HERE. Wabash-owned vehicles should be returned with a FULL tank of gas, regardless of how far you've driven. Enterprise vehicles should be returned with the original fuel level. Be sure to include all receipts in the key chain wallet.
6. If I need to make a change after I have reconciled my P-Card, what should I do?
You may change your reconciliation by the 17th of the month. After that date, please send a journal entry request approved by your supervisor or budget manager to the Business Office.
7. If I don’t have any charges for the month, do I still need to run a reconciliation report?
No, but please log into the P-Card system to confirm you do not have any open charges or credits.
8. Do I need a receipt if I have a credit on my statement?
No, but the transaction needs to be reconciled. To remove the charge from your general ledger account, please use the same account number as the original charge used.
9. May I use my P-Card on an international trip? Do I need to notify anyone?
Yes, and yes. Please notify the Director of Auxiliary & Insurance Services and the bank (via phone number on the back of the P-Card) of the dates and locations of your travel.
10. How do I reconcile a transaction that I have reported as fraudulent/erroneous?
Select an account number within your budget for that transaction and indicate in the description field that it has been reported as fraudulent.
A credit will appear on your card typically on the following month, while the bank conducts an investigation.
Once the credit posts, reconcile the credit to the original account used on the charge.