Frequently Asked Questions
The following questions and answers apply to the Research Card (RCard):
The Research Card program is currently being piloted with nominated faculty. If you feel you need to be included, please reach out to your designated business office. If the university determines to expand the program, departments will be notified.
Refer to the New Card Activation Instructions (PDF) for Purchasing and Travel Cards. The included steps are the same for the RCard.
- Ensure the RCard is used for university research-related purchases only.
- Follow all policies and procedures within the Purchasing Card Manual (all information applies to RCards) and specific guidance provided for RCard purchases.
- Reconcile transactions in Concur. All research procurement transactions are required to be reconciled between the 9th and 20th of the month.
- Attach itemized receipts and supporting documentation to transactions in Concur. Supporting documentation includes, but is not limited to, itemized receipts and business purpose statements that can be easily understood by someone not familiar with the transaction.
- Only the individual whose name appears on the card is authorized to use the card.
- Keep the card and account number (along with expiration and CVV) secure at all times.
- Adhere to purchase limits and card restrictions.
- Resolve any disputes or billing errors directly with the vendor. If they cannot be satisfactorily resolved, notify your department procurement center delegate/reconciler within 45 days of the transaction date.
- Ensure that sales tax is not charged by providing the seller with the university’s sales tax exemption certificate (PDF). If sales tax is charged, request a credit and follow up with the vendor until a credit is received.
- Ensure that refunds are credited back to the card and are not accepted as cash.
- Report a lost or stolen RCard to Card Services immediately and complete the Lost PCard Form (also used for RCards).
- Upon ineligibility of an RCard for any reason, including but not limited to employment termination or transferring between departments, notify Card Services to close the card, then forward all outstanding receipts/documentation to the department procurement center delegate/reconciler for processing.
All requests for temporary single transaction or monthly credit limit increases must be requested through your business office. The business office will submit a temporary increase form to Procurement Card Services. Each request will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
The Tax Form ST-105 can be found under Tax Exemption Forms.
As the cardholder, you are the designated reconciler but will have a procurement center delegate assigned to support you. The reconciliation of the transactions will take place in Concur. All research procurement transactions are required to be reconciled between the 9th and the 20th of the month. It is recommended that as charges are incurred the cardholder allocates/attaches receipts through the Concur mobile app or forwards them to the procurement center delegate for uploading so the submission deadline can be met. The detailed reconciliation process can be found here.
First, verify the vendor has the correct information. This includes the credit card number, expiration date, CVV code and address associated with the card (where it was originally mailed). Many declines are due to the vendor inputting an incorrect expiration date or CVV code. If you need assistance, contact researchcard@purdue.edu.
Contact the vendor to obtain a duplicate. If one is not available, use the missing receipt form. The expense may have to covered by discretionary or personal funds if the original receipt cannot be obtained. Multiple uses of the missing receipt form may result in retraining as receipts are required for all transactions.
If transactions are deemed not allowable, faculty discretionary funds will be used as a back-up funding source. Personal charges will be recovered from payroll.
No, the RCard cannot be used at auctions or on eBay. Please contact Procurement Services for assistance with these types of purchases.
Provide the card to your area’s business office. They can either notify Procurement Services by email at researchcard@purdue.edu or by submitting the Cardholder Request to Change Account (also used for RCards) online. Then the business office should shred and dispose of the card.