format_list_bulleted Topic Overview

Stanford Travel Card (TCard) Program

Procurement Services offers university-issued and university-paid credit cards, called Travel Cards (TCards), for buying travel and travel-related services required to conduct university business. The TCard is the recommended payment method for any travel costs that will not be reimbursed through the per diem method. For more information about reimbursement methods, see the Topic Overview: Business and Travel Expense Policies page. 

Travel expenses charged to the Stanford TCard are paid directly by the university to JPMorgan Chase. The TCard is a safe and easy-to-use payment method. It can be used anywhere MasterCard is accepted and reduces the need for advances and business expense reimbursements for eligible purchases.

Note: Beginning in Fiscal Year 2024, to support compliance with policies related to proper use of PCard and TCard, a suspension process will be implemented for individual PCards and Travel Cards (TCards) with certain force cleared transaction patterns. Learn more in the Fingate Announcement.

FMS also offers the Merchant Services (MS) program, which is intended to support department merchants who utilize credit and debit cards to collect payments for university goods and services. PCards and TCards are used as payment methods so they are not a part of that program. For more information on how MS manages, supports, and mitigates risk for payment collection, visit the Merchant Services Program page.

There are two types of Travel Cards:

  • Individual Travel Cards are issued to and used only by a specific individual who is an active Stanford University employee and travels frequently on Stanford business.
  • Department Travel Cards are issued to an individual who is an active Stanford University employee and is assigned as the cardholder for a department to make travel-related purchases for occasional travelers.

All expenses charged to TCards are reported in Expense Requests.

The Stanford TCard, issued by Mastercard, includes benefits such as ID Theft Protection to make travel easier. Learn more in the Mastercard Guide to Benefits for Commercial Cardholders.

Procurement Services also offers Purchasing Cards (PCards) which provide an alternate method to make allowable purchases for items not available on iProcurement, and not related to travel, on behalf of the university.

The Procurement Services department within Financial Management Services is committed to purchasing practices and policies that are compliant, responsible and appropriately support the university's goals and mission. Accordingly, those who are making purchases on behalf of or doing business with the university must follow the applicable purchasing policies and guidelines as well as Administrative Guide Policy: 5.4.3 Travel Cards.

Cardholders may only use the Travel Card for university travel-related business transactions. The TCard may be used for incidental personal expenses that cannot be easily separated from a business charge. The cardholder is personally responsible for repaying Stanford University for any non-reimbursable TCard charges after completion of travel. Refer to: Return Personal Expenses Charged to a Travel Card.

Cardholders are responsible for ensuring that all charges comply with policy and are properly itemized, supported by a business purpose, approved and submitted via the Expense Requests expense reporting process. Processing transactions in a timely manner is important to ensure expenditures are correctly reported. Expense reports should be completed and submitted immediately upon completion of travel. If transactions are not expensed within 60 days of completion of travel or expense end date, the expenses may be tax reportable to the traveler or cardholder.

Cardholders who do not comply with university policies and procedures may have their Stanford University cardholder privileges revoked. Misuse of the TCard may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.

For more detailed information, including permissible expenses, usage guidance, restrictions and limits, refer to Stanford Travel Card Policy.

It is the responsibility of the individual incurring expenses, those who assist others with incurring expenses and those involved in the preparation and approval of reimbursement requests or financial transactions to exercise good stewardship of university funds and to adhere to university policies. Learn more about roles and responsibilities in the following table.

Role Responsibilities
Individual TCard Cardholder

An individual TCard cardholder is an approved Stanford employee and frequent traveler who has a TCard issued in their name to make travel purchases. They:

  • Keep the TCard secure. Lending or sharing of a Travel Card is not allowed.
  • Never send TCard account number via text, email, messaging, etc.
  • Never save the TCard account number as a default or saved payment method for any website, with the exception of travel that is booked through a Stanford Travel booking channel webpage.
  • Follow policies related to originating transactions and  understand the university's policy and guidance.
  • Retain receipts to provide to their assigned verifier according to Business Expense policy. For internal purposes, receipts should be retained until transactions have been completely approved in order to: substantiate university business expenses and provide proof that local taxes have been paid.
  • Process their own expense requests or coordinate such processing with the assigned verifier of their TCard.
  • Notify Card Services about any changes to the account by submitting a Credit Card Profiles Change Request.
  • Immediately report fraudulent charges or a lost or stolen card to JPMorgan Chase at 1-800-316-6056,  then notify Card Services via a Support Request.
  • Immediately cancel and return the TCard and any outstanding receipts when leaving the university or transferring departments.
Department TCard Cardholder

A department TCard cardholder is an approved active Stanford employee who makes travel-related purchases for occasional Stanford travelers and visitors. They:

  • Act as the cardholder for a department TCard (see Individual TCard Cardholder responsibilities above).
  • If the department TCard must be shared with a Stanford traveler or visitor, may only share it through Secure Email, because credit card numbers are high risk data.
  • May use the TCard to pay for travel expenses in a visitor’s travel profile within a Stanford Travel booking channel.
Preparer and Verifier

The preparer is the originator or another individual who prepares and submits expense reports to properly record travel-related expenses and to request payment on behalf of Stanford-authorized travelers. Learn more about roles and responsibilities for Expense Request Reports. They:

  • Process TCard charges in the Expense Requests System in a timely manner, within 10 days and no later than 60 days after the completion of travel.

The verifier can be the cardholder or another individual who is responsible for  reviewing the charges on the TCard Outstanding Transactions tab and immediately reporting or disputing any fraudulent charges to the cardholder. The department is ultimately liable for any unresolved fraudulent or erroneous charges.

  • For internal purposes, receipts should be retained until transactions have been completely approved, in order to:
    • Substantiate university business expense by confirming with the cardholder/custodian that transactions are within policy
    • Provide proof that local taxes have been paid
Cardholder's Authorized Manager

The authorized manager is the supervisor of the individual or department TCard cardholder. They:

  • Review, approve or reject online TCard applications.
  • Review, approve or reject online Credit Card Profiles Change Requests.
  • Report a cardholder’s departure from the department or the university to Card Services.
  • Collect canceled TCards from the cardholder and destroy (shred) them, then submit a request to cancel the card via the Credit Card Profiles Change Request tool.
  • Assist with any TCard audits or investigations.
  • Review Expense Reports to confirm business purpose and reasonableness.
  • Use Oracle Business Intelligence (OBI) Reporting > SU Credit Card Custodian Report to monitor and manage active TCards.
  • Use Oracle Business Intelligence (OBI) Reporting > TCard Transaction Detail Report to:
    • Oversee and manage active TCards.
    • Monitor outstanding transactions and review recorded transactions.
    • Investigate unusual TCard transactions and inquire about their business purpose and reasonableness.
Financial Approver

A financial approver may not report to the individual who made the purchase or be the beneficiary on whose behalf the purchase was made. They:

  • Have the responsibilities of the Cardholder’s Authorized Manager (see above).
  • Establish and monitor department-level procedures to ensure that expenses and amounts charged to departmental accounts are in compliance with departmental procedures, spending limits, and budgets, and in compliance with university policy.
  • Examine TCard transactions, including attached receipts, to ensure that charges are appropriate and comply with university policies; approve or reject the transaction.
    • Verification and approval are required within 60 days of completion of travel; earlier completion is encouraged.
  • Approve spending limit changes subsequent to the application process.    
  • Use Oracle Business Intelligence (OBI) Reports to review recorded transactions.
    • Examine transactions to ensure that charges are appropriate and comply with university policies. Learn more about roles and responsibilities for Expense Request Reports.
Departments and Unit Finance Managers

Departments and Unit Finance Managers (financial managers, officers and deans) provide oversight of TCards issued in their organization. Budget unit level oversight includes the person granted Expenditure Escalation Authority for the organization. They:

  • Periodically advise faculty and staff of requirements. Dean’s offices should properly advise new employees of this guidance and any related local policies and procedures.
  • Review exceptions to any stated policy or guidance, which should be submitted to and approved by the Dean’s office before an expense is incurred. Detailed justification for the exception should be provided to be attached to the Expense Request.
Card Services Team

The Card Services team is part of the Procurement Services department within Financial Management Services. They:

  • Administer the Card Services program
  • Initiate additional training, suspension of TCard privileges or revocation of TCard due to recurring incidents of non-compliance with policy or unauthorized charges. 
Business Expense Team

The Business Expense team is part of the Procurement Services department within Financial Management Services. They:

  • Review Travel Card transactions on an audit basis.
  • Communicate instances of non-compliance or unauthorized charges to the department for escalation, approval and resolution.
  • For more information, see: Reimbursements and Expense Reports.

Cardholders will be asked to set a Personal Identification Number (PIN) when they call to activate their card. They should follow the automated telephone prompts to ensure they have set their PIN before ending the call.

  • Cardholders should call the number on the back of their card if they have trouble setting their PIN. The customer service representative will activate the card and transfer the cardholder to the automated system to set their PIN. If the cardholder is unable to answer their security questions to validate their identity,  they will be advised to notify Stanford Card Services via a Support Request.
  • If a PIN is forgotten or needs to be reset, cardholders can reset or confirm their PIN by calling the number on the back of the card and following the prompts. After resetting the PIN, the cardholder may need to enter their PIN multiple times in order for the chip reader to recognize their PIN.

Cardholders are expected to keep their TCards properly secured at all times. The only individual authorized to use the TCard is the person to whom the TCard is issued, whether it is a Department or Individual Card. Lending or sharing of TCards is not allowed.

TCard holders/custodians should take appropriate measures to ensure that TCard information is not saved/stored when using the card to make online purchases. Many online retailers store credit card information. Users of the card should take care to delete stored TCard information on online sites after completing a travel-related purchase. This may help minimize the risk of breach-related compromise of the card number and inadvertent/accidental use of the TCard for a personal purchase.

Fraud Alerts

JPMorgan Chase now supports cardholder/custodian fraud alerts directly to cardholders via text message, email or phone call to alert Stanford users of suspicious activity or attempted activity on their Purchasing Card (PCard) or Travel Card (TCard).

Cardholders can sign up to receive a mobile SMS text message, an email and/or a phone call when there’s suspected fraud on the account. Cardholder alerts notify the cardholder of suspicious activity and offer a quick method to validate transactions.

How to Enroll
To enroll, visit ccalert.jpmorgan.com and follow these steps:

  1. Enter the commercial card account number and billing zip code.
  2. Add your alert device(s).
  3. Enter your contact information.
  4. Confirm your enrollment in text, email or voice alerts:
    • For SMS text alerts, you will receive a text message. Simply reply “AGREE” to complete your enrollment.
    • For email or voice alerts, after you enter your contact information, you’ll see your enrolled alerts populated on the bottom of the page.

If you have questions about the cardholder alerts, please call 1-800-316-6056 or the number on the back of the card.

Reporting Lost or Stolen Travel Cards

In the event that a TCard is lost or stolen, the cardholder should:

  1. Immediately contact JPMorgan Chase to request cancellation and reissue of the card. Provide the cardholder’s name and 4-digit access code.
  2. Verify recent activity to ensure there are no fraudulent transactions.
  3. Then notify the Card Services team via a Support Request.

Reporting Fraudulent Charges

Fraudulent charges should be resolved directly with JPMorgan Chase no later than 60 days from the date incurred. The department is ultimately liable for any fraudulent and erroneous charges not resolved.

In the event fraudulent activity is identified, the cardholder should:

  1. Immediately contact JPMorgan Chase to request cancellation and reissue of the card. Provide the cardholder’s name and 4-digit access code.
  2. Resolve it directly with the bank no later than 60 days from the date the transaction is posted.
  3. Then notify the Card Services team via a Support Request.

Declined Transactions

Common reasons for declined transactions include the following:

  • Invalid account information, such as account number, expiration date or CVV code
  • The card's specified allowable spending limit is exceeded

If a Travel Card purchase is declined for a reason unclear to the cardholder, JPMorgan Chase can be contacted for clarification by calling the customer service number on the back of the card.

Reporting Financial Irregularities

Travel Card (TCard) expenses should reflect good stewardship of University resources. Any TCard expenses deemed to be excessive or fraudulent, benefit the individual at the expense of the University, and/or are determined to not reflect good stewardship of University resources will be subject to review, investigation, and possible disciplinary action as outlined in Administrative Guide Policy 3.5.1: Financial Irregularities. If financial irregularities are suspected they should be reported to the Ethics and Compliance Helpline.

The TCard is intended for active Stanford University employees. Travel Card eligibility is based on a departmentally-determined business need, and is contingent upon:

Apply for a TCard

To apply for an individual or department Travel Card, complete and submit the Stanford Credit Card Application Form.

Online Application With Guarantee Account (PTA)

A TCard application is initiated online only by the prospective cardholder or designated requester. A Guarantee Account (unrestricted, non-sponsored and chargeable PTA) is specified in the application and assigned its associated Travel Card. The Guarantee Account PTA is the account to which TCard charges are debited until expense reports are processed, at which time business allocations are charged to specific accounts.

Travel Card charges will be force cleared to the Guarantee Account PTA  if not verified and approved within 60 days of the posted date or the expense end date, as described in Clearing of Aging Transactions.

Application Approvals

TCard applications will route for approval via email and workflow notification to the applicant's manager, department chair or dean and to the department’s financial approver(s). Upon receiving approval from the manager and financial approver, the application will route to Card Services in the university’s Procurement Services department.

Assigned Transaction Verifier/Expense Report Preparer

Each Travel Card issued must have a designated person assigned as responsible for verifying transactions in a timely manner and preparing expense reports to properly allocate expenditures. Both of these tasks are done in the Expense Requests System. The assigned verifier/preparer may be the cardholder or other department staff.

Due to separation of duties, the verifier should not be an authorized financial approver.

Card Delivery

Once the application is approved and the required online training is completed, the card will be delivered directly to the cardholder’s Stanford business address or alternate address (one-time delivery only). The back of the card should be signed upon receipt.

Normal card processing time is 10 to 14 business days after approvals are obtained and training is completed.

Card Activation

Upon receipt of the Travel Card, cardholders must contact JPMorgan Chase to activate it. Call the telephone number provided on the sticker on the face of the card and provide the four digit access code (effective September 1, 2023, use the last four digits of the cardholder/custodian’s employee ID) and the cardholder/custodian’s date of birth.

The employee ID number, also called the University ID, is listed on the employee ID card, on the electronic employee ID in the Stanford Mobile app, and available on Axess in the My Axess Profile section.

If there is an issue with the TCard received, submit a Support Request.

Card Validity Period

Travel Cards are valid for three years from the date of issue. Expiration dates are printed on the card.

The Credit Card Profiles Change Request tool is used to manage Travel Card (TCard) account profiles. Current card profile information can be viewed by the current cardholder, verifier, cardholder’s manager or the financial approver who originally approved the card application.

Use the tool to request changes to:

  • Cardholder
  • Verifier
  • Card status - close, suspend or active
  • Business Address
  • Alternate Address (One Time Card Delivery Address)
  • PCard Per-Transaction Limit (to lower permanently)
  • Guarantee PTAE
  • Monthly Limit
  • Temporary Monthly Limit
  • Exception Request Categories

The tool may also be used to request reactivation of a card suspended for force cleared transactions.

For more information, visit  How To: Manage Stanford Purchasing Card (PCard)/Travel Card (TCard) Account Profile.

Renewals

The Travel Card will expire on the date (last day of the expiration month) embossed on the card and will be automatically renewed as detailed in this section.

The renewal TCard will be sent by JPMorgan Chase no later than the first week of the expiration month via USPS standard mail. The card will be sent to the cardholder's Stanford business address on file with JPMorgan Chase.

The following situations may result in a TCard not being automatically reissued:

  • The Travel Card had no transaction activity for 18 consecutive months.
  • The university has found improper use of the Travel Card.
  • Travel Card charges have not been reported in an expense report within the Expense Requests system in a timely manner, no later than 60 days after the completion of travel.

If an employee's renewed Travel Card was not received, submit a Support Request.

Card Cancellation by Cardholder

Cardholders who want to cancel their Travel Cards should submit the request through the Credit Card Profiles Change Request tool. If a cardholder experiences any issues or has any questions about the tool, submit a Support Request. The TCard should be destroyed and disposed of upon cancellation.

It is important that all TCard transactions be properly recorded in an expense report within the Expense Requests system.

Card Cancellation by Stanford

The TCard is valid only while the cardholder is in active payroll status and while the cardholder is using the Travel Card in accordance with university policies. The TCard will be canceled by Stanford before or on the date the employee separates from the university or due to improper use. The Travel Card should be destroyed and disposed of upon cancellation.

Card Suspension by Stanford

A Travel Card will be suspended by Stanford due to the following reasons:

  • The cardholder is on extended leave (not active payroll status).
  • Misuse or fraud of the Travel Card, including instances where use is under investigation by the university.
  • An individual TCard has transactions that are force cleared by FMS in two different quarters in a rolling 12 month period

Cardholders on extended university leave, such as sabbatical, family or medical leave, should submit the suspension request through the Credit Card Profiles Change Request tool. If cardholders experience any issues or have any questions about the tool, submit a Support Request.  It is important that all transactions be properly recorded in an expense report within the Expense Requests System before the employee goes on extended leave or leaves the current department.

Reactivating Suspended Cards

A suspended Travel Card can be reactivated, using the same card number, when:

  • The cardholder, manager or financial approver submits a reactivation request through the Credit Card Profiles Change Request tool stating that the employee has returned from extended leave. If there are any issues or questions about the tool, submit a Support Request
  • The Card Services team has determined the cardholder is eligible to continue using the TCard.
  • The cardholder whose card has been suspended for force cleared transactions follows the request process below to reactivate the card.

For cards suspended for force cleared transactions, after the 60-day suspension period ends, a cardholder must clear any outstanding transactions on the suspended card, request reactivation of their card through the Credit Card Profiles Change Request tool and attach a new card reactivation attestation form. For more information, see How To Reactivate a Suspended PCard or Travel Card.

Last Updated: Jan 12, 2024