University Card Type Summary
This University Card type summary outlines the three new card options, the ProCard , TravelCard , and OneCard , that will be offered as part of the Travel & Expense Transformation project. Each section highlights who should use each, their intended purposes, and how transactions are managed and reconciled within the Travel & Expense system.
Each card is designed to support specific types of purchases, from routine operational expenses to employee and non-employee travel, while aligning with university policy and risk considerations. It also highlights key differences in eligibility, limitations, and advantages to help users select the most suitable card for their specific needs.
Once you have reviewed the different card types, complete the University Card decision tree, which will ask you a few simple questions to help determine the card that is best suited for your needs.
ProCard
Primary Use/Eligibility: Employees who make frequent/regular, small-dollar (less than $10,000) operational expenses.
Overview: The ProCard is designed to support frequent small-dollar transactions that are easy to make via card. Transactions should be standard and represent low risk to the university as allowable by policy 9.00 Expenditure Policy and Procedures and 3.2 Small Dollar Expenditures, without requiring specialized review. This card can be checked out to other users, as allowed by policy.
Example Use Cases:
- A principal investigator who makes frequent small-dollar purchases for their research.
- An administrative assistant who makes supply purchases and arranges or purchases business meals and events on behalf of the department.
- A business office employee who makes purchases such as subscriptions, conference and virtual-learning registrations, professional services, supplies, and other operational needs on behalf of the department.
- An employee who makes regular and frequent purchases to support building maintenance and upkeep.
- An employee in the division needs a university card to pay for a candidate's lunch at a nearby restaurant. The cardholder reviews all applicable policies with the employee and then checks out the card to the employee using a log.
Reconciliation Process: ProCards will be processed in Travel & Expense using a monthly report, which generates a single document showing the statement period dates with all transactions for the period. Cardholders or delegates can reconcile transactions on the statement as soon as it hits the system (typically 1-3 days after purchase). Fiscal officers will review and approve the monthly statement report.
Limitations: No travel purchases allowed on the card. Normal restrictions apply.
Advantages:
- Cardholders and delegates can use the bulk-edit feature to update the accounting string and business purposes across multiple transactions.
- Example: 15 operating supply expenses hit during the month, and they all have the same business purpose and accounting. Cardholders and delegates can edit these together and set the expense type for all of them at once.
- Once Detect, an AI audit feature, will scan transactions for potential policy issues and flag users and delegates to add additional information if needed.
- Peer institution feedback shows that the statement process for the ProCard is the most favored card reconciliation and approval process, due to the ease of reviewing and approving.
- Fiscal officer review happens monthly after the statement report is submitted.
TravelCard
Primary Use/Eligibility: Employees who travel at least once a year and make travel purchases for themselves; they may also need to make infrequent non-travel purchases.
Overview: TravelCards are designed to support travelers and minimize out-of-pocket expenses and are primarily to be used when in travel status and for travel-related expenses. It can also be used for infrequent non-travel expenses. This new travel process combines current state disbursement vouchers (DV) for travel reimbursements and PCard (PCDO) charges related to travel into one travel expense report.
Example Use Cases:
- An employee who attends a conference out of state each year as part of their professional development.
- A researcher who regularly engages in site and field visits as part of their work duties.
- An employee at the College of Medicine in Phoenix who travels to the Tucson main campus for monthly meetings as part of their job duties.
- A dean who travels frequently for a variety of university business needs.
Reconciliation Process: TravelCard receipts and expenses will be reconciled within a travel expense report. A travel expense report also includes travel allowance (per diem) and any out-of-pocket travel expenses the cardholder adds. Non-travel services or expenditures are reconciled in a non-travel expense report.
Limitations: Travel purchased on behalf of other people and frequent/ongoing non-travel purchases are not allowed on the TravelCard. Normal restrictions apply.
Advantages:
- Travelers have a card in hand in their name during their trip, reducing complexity during travel.
- Travelers can put authorized travel expenses directly on their card.
- TravelCard can be loaded into the Travel & Expense profile to utilize the booking tool.
- Allowing travelers to book expenses directly on their own TravelCard reduces the number of people involved in the travel process from start to finish.
- Travel expense report in Travel & Expense is custom-designed to handle travel-related fields and reporting, reducing manual entry.
- This single travel expense report allows the traveler, the business office, and Finance & Budget to review all travel costs associated with specific trips to ensure they align with the original authorization, the existing budget, and the overall travel policy for both card and out-of-pocket expenses.
OneCard
Primary Use/Eligibility: For employees who manage travel for non-employees (e.g., students, student group travel, DCCs, employee or student recruitment) on a regular basis. Cardholders may also need to make non-travel purchases.
Overview: The most restricted card to campus due to the higher risk and additional administrative burden and review processes associated with it. This card can be used for non-employee travel, cardholder travel, and infrequent non-travel purchases.
Example Use Cases:
- An athletic coach who travels with the team and needs to purchase group travel, meals, and supplies while away with the team.
- A faculty member who does fieldwork with students and often pays for group travel costs and supplies while out in the field.
- A business office employee who assists with DCC travel needs, who may also need to purchase non-travel items for the department.
- An executive assistant who helps manage candidate travel for employee recruitment, as well as organizes business meals for their department head.
Reconciliation Process: Processed through travel or non-travel expense reports in Travel & Expense, based on the nature of the purchase on the card. Non-travel expenses should be grouped into one or two expense reports per month, whereas travel expenses should be grouped by travel event. Transactions are not automatically grouped, and proper reconciliation is reliant upon the cardholder’s consistency, timely review, and submission.
Limitations: Limited to offices needing to frequently book non-employee travel, including group travel (i.e., Student Affairs or Athletics). Employee travel (other than the cardholder) cannot be purchased on this card. Normal restrictions apply. No automatic grouping of transactions; the cardholder or their delegate must proactively move OneCard transactions to the appropriate expense reports.
Advantages:
- An easier way for employees who frequently travel with students to book group travel and pay for allowable expenses.
- An easier way to book travel, such as airfare, lodging, or conferences for non-employees like DCCs or students.
University Card Decision Tree
Our card decision tree is a simple, question-based guide that helps employees and business offices quickly determine which University Card best fits their needs. By asking a few targeted questions, it directs users to the most appropriate card while supporting policy compliance and proper use. Begin by answering the first prompt below.