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Corporate Department Cards

Harvard University Card Services offers University-liability payment credit cardoptions from Citi Bank for eligible faculty and staff who travel or purchase goods and services on behalf of their department. Commonly used cards include a Purchasing Card (PCard), Corporate Card for individuals, or Department Card for organizations.

  • Purchasing Cards (PCards) are issued in the names of authorized, trained individuals to purchase certain eligible goods and services in support of Harvard University business.
  • Corporate Card is the primary payment method for travel expenses incurred by Harvard employees. Paid employees who take at least three business trips per year and/or incur entertainment expenses of $5,000 or more per year are encouraged to apply for a corporate card.
  • Department Card is a Harvard Corporate Card taken out under the name of a Department. These cards require a departmental administrator who will be responsible for the timely processing of payments to the card via Concur.  Department cards can be used to pay for travel expenses for guests & employees who do not have Corporate Cards as well as department expenses which cannot be put on a PCard, purchased through HCOM or invoiced (e.g., catering deposit or hotel).
  • Declining Balance Card is an ideal solution for any program where there is a need to spend a specified amount of money in a specified period of time.  For example, a department may have a total budget of $500 to spend on an event scheduled two months away.  A declining balance card can be set up for 60 days with a $500 non-renewable balance.  A Declining Balance card Program allows the local Program Administrator to pre-select the maximum spend allowed on the card as well as the length of time the Card will remain active based on anticipated activity and usage.  As the cardholder makes purchases or cash withdrawals, the available balance declines until the Card limit is exhausted.  Unlike traditional card products, payments to the account do not refresh the credit limit and any charges made after the defined expiration date will be declined.

For more information about card types, eligibility and applying for a card, card usage guidelines and required training, Citi cardholder resources and the Citi Card management portal, visit the Harvard Card Services website.

The FAS Card Services Administrator will provide cards to applicants after the applicants have completed training.  FAS Card Services Administration is available to the FAS community for support with cards, including:
  • Account inquiries (declined charges, current balance, past due amounts, lost cards, fraudulent activity)
  • Reporting
  • Application processing
  • Account transfers & closures
  • Credit limit adjustments (PCard/Corporate, one time or permanent)
  • Account dispute & reconciliation assistance
  • Exception approval and policy interpretation

Please note our remote work process changes: On campus pick up of cards is suspended until further notice. All new PCard or Corporate Card Applications must be processed with the employee's home address. Applications with a Harvard University address will be returned to the applicant to correct. PCards and Corporate Cards will be mailed to an employee's home address on the application. Please expect a delivery time of up to three weeks for a new card. If your manager cannot physically sign off on a card request application, an email stating approval from your manager will suffice until we return to campus.

 

Credit Card Policies:

University-Issued Cards at a Glance:

Credit Card Trainings:

Credit Card Application Instructions:

Resources for Cardholders: