P Card FAQS & Tips
P Card Support TeamGary Stewart, Program Manager
Lizette Desperate, Program Accountant
Ronda Park, Program Administrator
After reviewing these FAQs send your inquiry to
- or -
Call x4572 for all P Card related questions
FOR MORE P CARD INFORMATION AND HELP AIDS GO TO
How do I log into Works? / WORKS URL
Note: Different browsers react differently with Works. If one is not cooperating, then try a different browser. Chrome is not a supported browser.
I can’t remember my login information for WORKS / Contact or call x4572 someone will assist you with any login problems you might be having.
Note: Your password will expire every 12 months. You have to have used 8 unique passwords before you can repeat a password.
Can I buy gift cards with my P card? / No, you should not purchase any debit or gift cards with your P card. These are considered cash equivalents and have to be reported as such for tax purposes. Please refer to gift giving policy
What is a billing cycle? / A billing cycle is one complete month. From the first day of the month to the last day of that month is a billing cycle.
When do I need to sign off on my txns? / All transactions should be signed off by the2nd business day of the
month. However, we strongly encourage weekly sign off.
What does AH, APR and ACT stand for? / AH: Accountholder; APR: Approver (your Approver in Works);
ACT: Accountant.
When will I see my transactions in Gael XPress? / Once the transactions have been signed off by the AH, APR and ACT, (all three approvals must be completed) the transactions are exported weekly from the Works application and imported into Colleague, which in turn updates your Gael Xpress accounts. The information is available in Gael Xpress the next business day after the export/import.
Can I see if my Manager has signed off on my transactions? / Yes, look at Sign Off column in your transaction signed off history, click on the data in Sign Off column to see the detail.
When do my P card transactions have to be signed off?
Please Note ...... / Preferably by the last day of the month, so your Approver and the Accountant have time to review and sign off. The latest all transactions should be signed off is the 2nd business day of the new month.
Note: It’s a good practice to log into Works on the first or second day of the month to double check if any transactions might have posted on the last day of the previous month or any transactions have been flagged back with an inquiry. If you have not signed off by the 2nd business day of the new month your card may be suspended until you do so.
I did everything required to sign off on my transactions but they are still in my Action Items task list? / If you’ve allocated the GL and stated whether you have a receipt and the business purpose for the charge then you still need to highlight the transaction and click on the Sign Off button. Follow the screen shot help aid on How to Sign Off on Transactionsavailable at
What does STL stand for? / Single Transaction Limit. The current STL is $3000.00. Purchases greater than $3000.00 require pre-approval via a Purchase Requisition.
What do I need to do to keep my card in good standing? / Please read carefully all email reminders you receive; and follow the Policies and Procedures of the P card program located at meet the required txn signoff deadline.
If a vendor asks for the phone number for my P card, which number should I give them? / DO NOT use your phone number, use 631-4205 which is the Program Manager’s phone number. This number is associated with all accounts.
When will I receive my monthly statement? / Statements are mailed on the 3rd business day of the new month. Statements are available for 20 days from the date they are generated.
How come the GLs I used to sign off are not showing up on my statement? / You will not see GLs on your monthly statement if you did not allocate and sign off on your transactions by the 2nd business day of the new month. Statements are generated and mailed on the 3rd business day and are for your information only.
What if I do not have a receipt for one of my posted transactions? / If you are missing a receipt for any transactions on your monthly statement do not hold off signing off. You can attach a receipt after the transaction has been signed off.
I lost my receipt. How can I get a copy to attach to my posted txn? / There are several ways to retrieve your P card receipt, but it depends on the type of vendor you made a purchase from.
Grocery Stores: Such as Safeway, Lucky’s, Von’s, Costco, etc. please contact the store where you made the purchase to request a lost receipt. Most stores will require the purchase date, amount, and the last 4 digits of your P card.
Restaurants: Smaller local restaurants will be able to provide you with a copy of your receipt if you contact them directly. For larger chain restaurants such as Chipotle, Cheesecake Factory, etc. you are able to go to their corporate website, find “Contact” or “Contact Us”, and provide the restaurant location where you ate, the date of the transaction, amount, and the last 4 digits of your P Card.
Hotels: Call the main number of the hotel where you stayed and let them know that you need a copy of your folio. Normally the hotel attendant will ask you for either your check in or check out date, and the last 4 digits of your credit card. They will be able to email it to you right away.
Online Vendors: Most of the time, you are emailed a receipt for your online purchase. If you do not have that emailed receipt, please contact the vendor through their website “Contact” or “Contact us” link to request a copy of your receipt.
Other vendors will provide a receipt in a similar way.
Why is there an International Transaction fee on my P card? / These fees, usually less than $2.00, show up on your P card because you’ve conducted business with a vendor who is either operating outside of the U.S. or is functioning as an intermediary
for an international company. You do not need to submit a receipt for these but you do need to sign off on them.
What if I need to purchase something that costs more than $3000.00? / You will need to complete a Purchase Requisition form with all required signatures and submit to Purchasing. Having the vendor split up a purchase into multiple transactions does not change the fact that the purchase exceeds the $3,000 threshold for a PO, breaking it up could be a violation of our P Card Policies and Procedures and cause for having the P card suspended or canceled..
Why is my card being declined? / First call the bank at the number on the back of your card. If it is during regular business hours you can email or call x4572 and someone will help you as their schedule permits.
What if I need to code a transaction to a GL that I do not have access to? / Code the transaction to G/L Posting Clearing account 10-0-0000-1429-002. This should be the first GL that you see in your GL Assistant drop down. Be sure to add a comment before final sign off stating thecomplete 14 digit GL account number the transaction should be coded to and who authorized this GL. Don’t forget to include the business purpose for the charge in your sign off comments.
How do I split a transaction between multiple GLs? / See How to Split a Transactioninstructions posted on
What if one of my transactions needs to be coded to another department’s GL? / Select the Posting Clearing GL. Obtain written approval from the other department. Copy and paste the written approval into the comments and state the GL the transaction should be coded against. If two or more departments are splitting a charge state clearly the GLs and amounts for the split.
How do I know how much available credit I have on my P card? / Log into your WORKS account and on your home page you will see your monthly card limit, your current balance and your available credit. Note: Acct ID equals the last 4 digits of your card account.
I’ve run out of credit, what do I do now? / Check with your Approver and then email ith the credit limit your card should have, cc your Approver on this email request. Please note if this is a temporary increase and for how long the higher credit limit is needed or if it is a permanent credit increase request.
If I’m traveling on SMC business do I still need to sign off on my P card transactions? / Yes, if you have access to the internet you should be logging into WORKS and reconciling your transactions on a regular basis, certainly by the end of the month. Failure to do so puts your card at risk of being suspended.
One of my transactions has a flag, what does this mean?
How do I remove the flag? / Either your Approver or the Accountant has a question regarding your transaction.
Highlight the transaction. Click on the Remove Flag in the lower right hand corner. When the dialogue box pops up type your answer to the inquiry and hit OK. The transaction should no longer be in your queue.
How do I know if I should put something on my P Card? / Be familiar with the postedAccountholder Policies and Procedures on When in doubt email and inquire first.
How do I know what my card status is? / On your WORKS home page, click on Accounts at top of screen. You will see the card Spend Control Profile at the far right. If your card has been suspended you will see $0 credit limit and Suspend for Profile.
How come my P Card has been suspended and what do I do now? / Your card has been suspended because you may be in violation with the Policies and Procedures outlined for the P Card program. You should have received several emails warning you of the suspension with the reasons for the suspension or cancellation. These same correspondences will include information on what is required to reactivate your card, if that is an option. Email f you have questions regarding your card status.
Can I buy furniture with my P card? / No, all furniture must be approved by Facility Services. After the appropriate approvals are in place your P card may be opened up to make the purchase.
Can I buy office supplies with my P card? / No, all office supplies should be purchased via our contracted vendor Office Depot. Work with your department admin or contact Purchasing if you wish to request a desktop account.
What if a vendor charges me twice? / Contact the vendor and request a credit for the duplicate charge. Note who you spoke with and that you’ve requested a refund when you sign off on the transaction. Be watching for the credit to post. The credited amount will be in red with a minus in front.
NOTE: You must sign off on the credit, stating the GL that the credit should be reconciled to.
I accidentally used my P card for a personal purchase. What do I do now? / You still have to reconcile the transaction in WORKS. Code the transactionto the posting clearing account (it’s the first GL in your GL Assistant dropdown) and add a comment that this was a personal purchase. The transaction will be recoded by the Accountant to a reimbursement account. You can submit a check to SMC for the amount or pay by cash at the Purchasing window in the Business Office.
Yikes, I can’t find my card.
It might have been stolen or I lost it, what should I do? / Don’t panic, if during regular business hours callx4572. If after hours, holiday or weekend call Bank of America at 1-888-449-2273 and report immediately. You are also required to notify hat you’ve reported your card to BofA so that we are aware you will be receiving a new card.
My card is missing, is lost,
the mag strip is not working.
What do I need to do / If your card has gone MIA, was accidentally destroyed or is just missing in general send an email to and you will receive a reply with further information. If you know it has been stolen or could be used by someone other than yourself, please see above.
How do I get the GLs to show up on my statement? / By making sure that you’ve signed off and allocated all your transactions by the 2nd business day of the new month.
Do I need a receipt for a credit which posted to my account? / No, if you have paperwork you may attach to your posted credit transaction but you are not required to submit a receipt or proof of credit.
I requested one of my transactions to be recoded or split to a different GL but it is not showing the recode on my monthly statement? / More than likely the transaction has not been reviewed and signed off at the Accountant level prior to your monthly statement being generated. You can check the transaction history to if the Accountant has indeed signed off. If they have already signed off and NOT recoded the transaction then please contact otherwise please wait until the Accountant has been able to review the transaction. See How can I see if my Approver has signed off on my transactions?on Page 2.
What if I didn’t have any charges for the month? / A billing statement is automatically generated and mailed to allaccountholders each month. If you open your statement and see no transactions then you do not need to do anything.
I found a receipt which was missing when I closed my transaction, what should I do with it? / Go to your transaction(s) signed off and upload the receipt image. Contact PCard support for assistance.
What if I do not normally use my P card for travel but now I need to take a business trip? / Whenever you travel there are two steps you should take if you will be using your P card. Step 1: Notify BofA, using number on the back of your Visa card, and let them know of your upcoming travel plans. Do this within 1-2 days prior to departing. Step 2: Send an email to with the dates and location of your travel. Do not send this email any earlier than 1-2 days before the trip. Your Visa card will be moved to a temporary travel profile for the duration of your trip and you should receive an email reply to this affect. If you do not do BOTH of these things then your card may be declined. Always travel with a secondary means of paying for your expenses in case your card has a fraud alert placed on it and/or is being declined for any other reason.
What if I’m traveling and I need more than $3000.00 per single transaction? / Contact pcard.supportbefore you leave for your trip and your per transaction limit as well as your monthly card limit will be adjusted for the duration of your travel. Note: If we are not made aware of your travel plans then we cannot move your card to a travel profile.
I received an email from WORKSstating I have transactions to sign off on or a report to print but when I login there are no tasks in my queue? / If you do not see anything in your Action Items on your Home page, then you have signed off on everything.The BofA servers are located back East,sometimesthe email reminders that WORKSgenerates are delayed, or the SMC server delivers the emails later than when they are supposed to arrive.
To alleviate this problem, accountholders and approversare advised to log into WORKS on a weekly basis (or at least by the end of the month) just to double check that you have completed any required tasks.
What do I do if I’m traveling internationally? / Before you leave for your business trip you need to notify pcard.supportwith the dates and countries where you will be traveling. You will also need to notify BofAat 1-866-500-8262 to ensure that your card will not have a fraud alert hold placed on it.
Can I use my P card for Sodexo services? / Yes and No
Yes: You can use your P card, for business purposes only, anywhere Sodexo takes a credit card on campus. Be sure to get a receipt and state the business purpose and who attended the meal upon reconciling the transaction within WORKS.
No: No: Sodexo does not accept P cards for catering services in any amount. See Sodexo Contract Procedures.
NOTE: It is against P card policy to load flex dollars on an employee ID card with your P card.
Can I use my P card if the vendor requires an Independent Contractor Agreement, Facility Services or Transportation Agreement? / Yes, as long as you have an approved CAR number and you’ve requested on the CAR form that payment is to be made with your P card. Upon approval your card will be adjusted to accommodate the charge. You must note the CAR number in your comments when you sign off on the transaction.
My transactions were swept by a WORKS Accountant, what does this mean? / Transactions are swept when they have not been signed off in a timely manner by the accountholder and/or the approver. These transactions are still required to be signed off but no changes can be made to the GL once a transaction has been swept. Send Lizette Desperate or Gary Stewart an email if you are requesting a Journal Entry to have the GL reallocated once the transaction has been swept and closed.