PCards and Corporate Cards

Harvard Credit Card Services administers the University card programs. The University offers two payment card options for eligible faculty or staff who travel or purchase goods and services on behalf of their department, the Purchasing Card (PCard) and Corporate Card.

PCard

Application

Harvard Purchasing Cards (“PCards”) are University-liability credit cards issued in the names of authorized, trained individuals to purchase eligible goods and services in support of Harvard University business. Travel outside of the Cambridge area is never allowed on PCard, nor are gift cards. Local ground transportation is allowed. Please check with the Finance Office before using a PCard to pay for gifts, celebratory events or flowers as there are restrictions on what can be purchased and for how much.

PCard Individual Cardholder Application

Training

Before you can receive your Purchasing Card you must complete the online training in full. Please call your contact in the Financial Office with questions or to set up a training time at 495-4607.

Rules

  • No travel, gift cards, personal charges or charge-splitting to stay below the per-transaction limit
  • Tax ID is printed on the card – do not pay sales tax.

Reviewing (All Transactions)

  • Your charges will now appear in Concur on a monthly basis (around the 13th or 14th of the month) so need to be added into a report then sent to your financial contact for review and approval.

Corporate Card

The Corporate Card is the primary payment method used for travel expenses incurred by Harvard employees. Employees who take at least three business trips per year and/or incur event or entertainment expenses of $5,000 or more per year are strongly encouraged to apply for a corporate card.

Citibank Corporate Card Application

Settling your Corporate Card and Reimbursing Employees through Concur

Back to HLS Finance Guidebook

University Guidance on PCards, Corporate Cards, and Department Cards

At-A-Glance Documents

Here are the links to the Pcard, Corporate Card and Department Card documents that are shorter, more condensed versions with helpful sections all relating to the type of card that they are, their uses and how to submit charges through Concur for them. Please take a few minutes to read through them in their entirety since they have some helpful and useful information in them.

University Policy

Here is the link to the full University policy which is a longer, more in-depth document that the University created explaining pcards, corporate cards and department cards, their uses and misuses and other helpful information. The above at-a-glance documents are good if you want to read a shorter version of the various cards but this document explains them all in detail. Please let us know if you have any questions pertaining to the various cards that departments and individuals can use to make purchases on behalf of HLS.