P-Card Helpful Information
P-Card Helpful Information
Please click one of the areas below to view additional details about purchasing that supply or service via P-Card.
Stringing
If the total charges to one vendor will exceed $7,500 then it must be purchased using a purchase order or by requesting a P-Card or T-Card exception.
"Stringing" or making successive small purchases or payments to bypass the $7,500 single transaction limitation or any other purchasing policy is not permitted.
Tips
Are allowed on a P-Card for services like Walmart delivery if the tip is required and is unable to be removed from the purchase to complete it.
SeatGeek
May be used with a P-Card for sporting event purchases with a valid business purpose.
Bug Spray/Anti-Itch Cream/Sunscreen
And similar items are allowable on the P-Card with a valid business purpose and would use account code 122000.
Exhibit Booths at Conventions
Exhibit booths/rentals/services/installation for conventions typically require a signature and terms and conditions to be signed. These must be completed with a purchase order by submitting the request in the Purchasing Portal. If the venue will not accept a purchase order, then a P-Card exception must be completed.
Non-Conference Registration
Registration for something outside the regular conference registration, such as an awards dinner or banquet, should be purchased by the person going to the event and then submitted for reimbursement unless there is a clear benefit to the University for attending. If there is a clear benefit to the University, the T-Card can be used.
Gift Cards
Are NOT allowable on a P-Card.
Memberships
Are allowed for up to three years on a P-Card without a P-Card exception and the 141700 account code would be used.
Flowers
Purchased by the unit must be limited to (spouses, parents, or children).
Rentals
Exhibit booths/rentals/services/installation for conventions typically require a signature and terms and conditions to be signed. These must be completed with a purchase order by submitting the request in the Purchasing Portal. If the venue will not accept a purchase order, then a P-Card exception must be completed.
Furniture
Furniture with a unit cost of $500 and above cannot be purchased with a P-Card. Any furniture purchase with an item that has a unit price of $500 or more must be completed with a purchase order by submitting your request in the Purchasing Portal. You must include the room layout, as this will be required for the review by UIUC PCM.
Contracts/Agreements
Orders with terms and conditions, agreements, or anything requiring a signature will need to be reviewed by the UIUC Purchasing and Contract Management Office.
These should be purchased with a Purchase Order by requesting through the Purchasing Portal, rather than with a P-Card (unless a P-card exception is required and granted).
Service Plans
Are allowable if the plan comes along with the product. If the plan is an additional plan or service warranty, then those purchases should be reviewed by purchasing.
A P-Card exception would be needed if completing the purchase on a P-Card and a copy of the service plan, terms and conditions or any agreement with the cost would need to be submitted with the exception paperwork.
On-Site Services/Installation
Orders with on-site services or installation should NOT be purchased with a P-Card. Any time a vendor will be setting foot on campus- there needs to be a purchase order in place by requesting one through the Purchasing Portal.
This could be maintenance on something in the lab or repair, installation of something in your department or office, demonstrating something, leading a workshop, consulting, training, etc…
*The exception to this rule would be whenvendors are dropping off food (that includes no service) that you are using your T-Card for.
Subscriptions
Are limited to one year in length and the dates of the subscription are required in the P-Card expense report. Subscriptions to online or physical publications such as newspapers, newsletters, and journals would fall under account code 141500. Software/electronic service subscriptions would require the electronic services/software purchased by P-Card form and would fall under account codes 153800-153808. Make sure the vendor won't auto-renew or that any auto-renewals can be canceled once the payment is made.
The following vendors have been reviewed and approved by Procurement to alleviate the requirement of an approved P-Card exception prior to purchase.
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Canva - RM071017 Grammarly - RM071017 Graph Pad - RM071017 MBTI - RM071017 NIH Toolbox - RM071017 Open AI Chat GPT - RM071017 Overleaf - RM071017 Rev.com - RM071017 |
Sirius - RM071017 Stata - RM071017 Twilio - RM071017 XM - RM071017 Amazon Advertising - IPHEC2400 Google - IPECH2401 Instagram - IPHEC2402 LinkedIn - IPHEC2403 |
Facebook - IPHEC2404 Pinterest Inc. - IPHEC2405 Reddit - IPHEC2406 Snap, Inc. - IPHEC2407 TikTok - IPHEC2408 Twitter, Inc. - IPHEC2409 YouTube, LLC - IPHEC2410 Twitch - IPHEC2411 |
Catering
A catered event typically involves one or all of the following:
- a signed contract
- a deposit
- a provided service (includes but not limited to: set-up, on-site prep, serving, and clean-up, or leaving any vendor-provided equipment behind that they return to pick-up later.)
Catered events should be submitted through the Purchasing Portal so a Purchase Order can be issued, not on a T-Card.
Food Truck
May be made using a T-Card as long as there is a valid business purpose for the purchase and there is no contract or terms and conditions to sign, or minimum deposit for the truck to be present.
Warehouse Discount Clubs
Are unallowable on all fund types since they require memberships. Examples would be Sam's Club and Costco.
Food Related
There are many snack/refreshment options in iBuy through ODP. Please consider using iBuy for your food purchases to help eliminate any card confusion. We've provided the chart below to help clarify P-Card vs. T-Card food purchases.
| P-Card | T-Card | |
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Food supplies are a common purchase for many units and differ from a business meal. |
Definitions |
Business meals are another common purchase for many units and differ from consumable food supplies. |
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Food equipment and supplies for Public Reception areas are allowable only when the office functions as an area that would provide courtesy refreshments to visitors. The 124300 account code would be used. |
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If you are paying a food service provider (such as a local restaurant) to prepare a platter of sandwiches or boxed lunches for a business meeting or a U of I System event, it would be considered a business meal and should be coded to expense account code 142500 or 142520. |
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Food that is purchased as a gift or part of a gift basket may be purchased on P-Card and must meet the criteria presented in Policy 8.1.4. These purchases should be coded as 124901, and the department must have a valid business purpose for the gift. (this includes gift baskets, popcorn, chocolate) |
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Food items purchased from a vendor such as Dunkin' Donuts, Insomnia Cookies, Panera Bread, and Einstein Bros. Bagels (you call in the order or order at a counter) would be classified as a business meal and the T-Card would be used. Also, events where food is dropped off, with no service after the drop off and no return to pick anything up would be T-Card. |
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Any purchase of food used for university research purposes (as opposed to human consumption) should be charged to account code 124000. Examples would be purchasing food items that a university professor is researching or food purchased to feed the laboratory animals that are being held for research purposes. |
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Any payments to a vendor (such as a restaurant, café, or cafeteria) for the purchase of a meal during a job interview with a prospective employee should be charged to account code 141850. |
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If an employee drives to a store and purchases pre-packaged food items "off the shelf" (such as bagels, coffee, ground beef, buns, cookies, soft drinks, etc.) to bring to a business meeting or a U of I System event, those items are considered consumable food supplies and should be coded as 124300. Firewood and charcoal are allowable items and should be purchased on a P-Card and should be coded as 124300. |
Grocery Store Rules |
If you need a cake for a retirement party or cookies for a student event and you call the grocery store bakery to have them made. This is also a T-Card. If you should complete this type of purchase, please include the order slip that shows that it was a specially made item and not something that is prepackaged from the bakery. The store should provide this for you without any issues. Include that order sheet in your expense report to show that it was made to order. |
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If you just have purchased paper plates & napkins with no additional “business meal” items, then a P-Card should be used for the purchase and should be coded as 124310. |
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If you are purchasing food for a specific event: like hamburger, buns, pickles, etc and they have paper plates & napkins on the same receipt, card services will allow that on a T-Card without a non-compliance. |