Credit Card Policy & Procedure

QCC issued credit cards entrust cardholders to make a financial commitment on behalf of the college.

The QCC P-Card Program is designed to offer a low cost and efficient alternative for the purchase of small dollar goods and services. The P-card focuses on purchases under $2,500. The card is designed to help simplify requisition, purchase order and invoice processing.

The Office of Information Technology grants user security access to the CUNYfirst Procurement Card module. The QCC Card Administrator works with the CUNY Vendor Management Unit to setup and maintain the functional roles associated with each card. They ensure the maintenance of employee data in the correct and appropriate roles and the uploading of card data received from Citibank, into the CUNYfirst system.

Functional Roles: The functional roles described below MUST be established PRIOR to use of a QCC issued credit card:

• Card Holder - The employee to whom the card is issued is responsible for using the card consistent with QCC policy and procedures. Cardholders reconcile their transactions within CUNYfirst. Login to access the CUNYfirst P-Card/T-Card User Access Form

• Card Supervisor - Supervisors approve and verify cardholder transactions within CUNYfirst to confirm that purchases have an approved business purpose and are charged to the appropriate department. Cardholders CANNOT verify their own transactions. Card Supervisors must submit their own SEPARATE user access request form. Login to access the CUNYfirst P-Card/T-Card User Access Form

• Card Proxy (Optional Role) - Proxies are authorized to reconcile transactions on behalf of cardholders. Cardholders must inform proxies when card data is available for reconciliation. Proxies must have access to cardholder receipts and should have CUNYfirst expertise and department fiscal knowledge to administer cardholder transactions. Card Proxies must submit their own SEPARATE user access request forms. Login to access the CUNYfirst P-Card/T-Card User Access Form

• Card Approver (Accounts Payable ONLY) - The Accounts Payable department provides final review and approval of cardholder transactions.

Upon issuance of a QCC credit card, cardholders are responsible for using the card consistent with NYS and NYC guidelines, including, monthly reconciliation of ALL transactions.

Cardholders will receive an electronic transactional file from Citibank. This file will be loaded into CUNYfirst for reconciliation. Cardholders will be notified by email that their transactions are available for reconciliation.

1. Indicating a business purpose for the transaction in the “Comments” area.

2. Attaching legible scanned receipts. Illegible attachments will be rejected by Accounts Payable.

3. Reviewing the default chartfields and, if necessary, updating them to reflect the appropriate CUNYfirst department and expense codes. Login to review a list of P-Card/T-Card GL Account Codes.

4. Notifying your Card Supervisor when your transactions are ready to be verified.

Card reconciliation of ALL charges on the current credit card statement AND supervisor verification of these transactions, must be completed within 5 business days of notification that the transaction file is available for reconciliation.

QCC is a nonprofit entity and is not required to pay NYS sales tax. A copy of the QCC tax exempt certificate is available. Please contact the Purchasing Card Program Administrator, Twana Lindsay at [email protected] for a copy. The sales tax exemption is only for purchases related to QCC business using a QCC issued P-card.

Cards held by individuals, including P-cards and T-cards, will follow the SAME reconciliation protocol. Once the card holder/Proxy is notified by Citibank via e-mail that the file has been loaded and is ready for reconciliation, the cardholder (or proxy) is required to reconcile EVERY transaction associated with each of the cards assigned to him/her to validate that the charges are accurate and are not fraudulent.

In the event that fraudulent charges are identified, the card holder must call Citibank at 1-800-248-4553 and notify the Purchasing Card Program Administrator, Twana Lindsay at [email protected] or phone 718-281-5527.

Failure to reconcile and verify card transactions within 5 business days of notification, will result in the employee’s card privileges being revoked.

Misuse or fraudulent use of the card will result in disciplinary action and may be grounds for dismissal.

There are certain inherent risks associated with a procurement card program.  Specifically, purchases are completed before supervision and oversight activities can occur.  Therefore, all individuals who receive a QCC issued credit card are responsible for adhering to the NYS and NYC policies and guidelines that govern their use. 

• A number of flexible card controls are available under the program. These controls ensure that the card cannot be used for certain types of purchases. ATM/cash advances and travel and entertainment related expenses are restricted on the P-Card.

• A separate T-Card can be obtained for specific travel expenses such as transportation, hotels, and airfare.

• Certain types of suppliers (e.g. traditional Travel & Expense categories) are excluded from the Card Program. These categories of suppliers have been “blocked” based on merchant category codes. Any attempt to use the card at these suppliers will be declined.

• For the P-Card, restricted supplier types include, but are not limited to airline transportation, cash advanced, hotels, restaurants and car rental companies. These restrictions have been implemented to support the guidelines of the Purchasing Card Program and to protect the interests of QCC and its cardholders.

The supervisor of the cardholder is required to:

1. Review each card transaction for every card held by one of their employees and verify that the charges are legitimate and satisfy a valid business purpose.

2. If the charge is a legitimate business expenditure, the supervisor must verify that appropriate receipts are attached to ALL transactions. Be sure that all attachments are legible. Illegible attachments may result in processing delays and/or rejection by the Account Payable department. If there isn't a receipt attached, the supervisor is responsible for notifying the cardholder that the receipt must be attached.

3. The supervisor is required to review and update chart fields, if necessary, to reflect the appropriate CUNYfirst department and expense codes. Login to view the P-Card/T-Card GL Account Codes.

4. For all transactions meeting the above criteria, the Supervisor is to change the status from "Staged" to "Verified".

5. In the event that a charge is not a legitimate business expenditure, the cardholder is responsible for obtaining repayment of the amount to QCC via a check payable to Queensborough Community College.

Cardholder and Supervisor Checklist

• The correct receipt is attached.

• The "Comments" area documents the transactions as a valid business expenditure.

• The CUNYfirst chart fields are correct.

*Card Reconciliation AND supervisor verification of ALL transactions must be completed within 5 business days of notification that card data is available.*

The final step in the reconciliation process is performed by the Accounts Payable department; referred to as the Card Approver.

Once all cardholder charges have been verified for accurate reconciliation by the Supervisor, Accounts Payable will mark transactions as "Approve JUMP TO:

• How to Apply for a QCC Issued Credit Card

• CUNYfirst Card Reconciliation

• Cardholder Reconciliation CUNYfirst Navigation: Job Aids

• Supervisor Verification CUNYfirst Navigation: Job Aids

To apply for a P-Card and/or T-Card, please follow the procedures below:

1. ALL QCC Credit Card requests (P-Card/T-Card) must be approved by the VP of Finance and the cardholder's manager. The request for a credit form must be completed and approved before an application can be submitted.

2. Once approved, the cardholder must complete the CUNYfirst P-Card/T-Card User Access Request Form. This is required to setup the different functional roles.

3. Card Holders, Card Supervisors and Card Proxies must submit their own SEPARATE request forms to gain security access to the CUNYfirst Procurement Card module.

4. For T-Cards, employees must complete the CUNYfirst Travel and Expense Center Access Form and a Substitute W-9 in addition to the CUNYfirst P-Card/T-Card User Access Request Form.

5. To update your current role, please contact Robert Liquori, Finance Coordinator, at [email protected] .

Please use the following checklist to ensure submission of a complete credit card application package. Incomplete package will result in processing delays. Submit all access forms to Accounts Payable, located in the Administration Building, Room A-406.

QCC Credit Card Application Checklist:

• CUNYfirst P-Card/T-Card User Access Form

• CUNYfirst Travel & Expense Center Access Form (For T-Card applicants)

• Substitute W-9 (For T-Card Applicants)

• Separate form for the Card Holder, Card Supervisor, and Card Proxy(MANDATORY)

The Procurement Card module in CUNYfirst introduced a new business procedure for reconciling P-Cards and T-Cards. All P-Cards are to be reconciled within the CUNYfirst e-Procurement module. All Travel cards are to be reconciled on expense reports with the My Wallet feature.

The following reconciliation guides are at your disposal:

• P-Card Holder Reconciliation Guide
• T-Card Holder Reconciliation Guide

Supervisor Verification Job Aid

• Supervisor Verification Quick reference Guide