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Purchasing Card (PCard)

Harvard Purchasing Cards ("PCards") are University-liability credit cards issued in the names of authorized, trained individuals to purchase certain eligible goods and services in support of Harvard University business. See the University's complete Purchasing Card Policy.

Pcard purchases are loaded into Concur, where they must be reviewed by the cardholder and their assigned secondary reviewer, usually a manager, to verify appropriateness of the charge, policy compliance, proper coding, and complete business purpose.

To report a lost or stolen Pcard contact Citibank Customer Service immediately at 1-800-248-4553

To request a PCard:

  1. Complete the mandatory PCard Training and ROPPA Training in the Harvard Training Portal 
  2. Read the PCard Policy
  3. Submit your completed and signed PCard Application Form to Finance

Things to know

  • To report a lost or stolen card, contact Citibank Customer Service immediately at 1-800-248-4553
  • Gifts valued up to $100 are allowed for employees and nonemployees (see gift and celebrations policy). Gift cards remain prohibited on the PCard. 
  • PCard purchases cannot include tax. The University's Tax-Exempt number is printed on the PCard
  • Purchases must be reviewed by the cardholder and secondary approver. Concur is the system of record for all receipts. 
  • If you lose your receipt, or are not issued an acceptable receipt, fill out a Missing Receipt Affidavit (MRA)
  • If you use your Pcard in error, for example, for an accidental personal purchase, contact Finance immediately. The vendor may be able to cancel the charge and credit your account. If this isn't possible, the cardholder must reimburse Harvard University for the full amount of the charge, and fill out the business purpose within the Oracle settlement system with a detailed explanation, keeping copies of all supporting documentation in case of audit. Contact Finance for directions. 

Allowable expenses:

  1. Small dollar purchases that can’t be made via B2P
  2. Invoices for temp services, shredding, memberships, FedEx bills, telecom bills, office coffee, etc.
  3. Local travel, business meals and allowable entertainment expenses

Prohibited Purchases:

  1. Personal purchases of any kind
  2. Travel and entertainment expenses outside the Boston/Cambridge area. (These should be charged to the corporate card or paid personally and reimbursed.)
  3. Gift certificates/gift cards of any amount, or tangible item gifts for employees or students equal to or greater than $100
  4. Invoices or transactions over $2,500. Do not split charges over $2,500.

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