FAQs

• What is the payment process?
  Answer: Each cardholder receives one monthly statement of his/her transactions from their agency coordinator.  Each agency verifies and reconciles one monthly total for all agency transactions and processes one monthly payment via ACH to JPMorgan Chase Bank.
• What is the difference between a State issued commercial credit card (P-Card) and a regular credit card?
  Answer:

  The P-Card, since it is a commercial card, facilitates more options than a regular credit card.  Limits can be encoded directly into the magnetic strip, allowing each card to be individually customized to meet the cardholder and agency’s needs.

  Controls include:

  • Monthly spending limit
  • Single purchase transaction limit
  • Limit to the number of transactions daily and monthly
  • Restrictive or permissive commodity classification

   
• What is the benefit for the Cardholder?
  Answer: The P-Card allows the cardholder to get the job done with greater efficiency by reducing processing time and by obtaining commodities and travel services faster.
• What is the benefit for the Agency?
  Answer:

  The P-Card reduces the time and paperwork associated with:

  • Purchase Orders
  • Invoices
  • Checks

   
  The P-Card offers an alternative to a variety of processes including:

  • Petty cash
  • Check requests
  • Low dollar purchase orders
  • Travel reimbursement
  • Online purchases/registrations
• What is the benefit for the Vendor?
  Answer: Accepting the P-Card ensures the vendor payment within 48 hours; increasing cash flow, reducing wasteful paperwork, and reducing accounts receivable overhead costs.
• What are the perks associated with the P-Card Program?
  Answer:

  P-Cards offer flexibility and security including:

  • Streamlines and simplifies purchasing & accounts payable functions
  • Eliminates waste & low value activities
  • Reduces transaction costs
  • Facilitates timely acquisition of materials
  • Supports travel services
  • Offers flexible controls
  • Automates data transactions
  • Improves vendor relations
  • Rebates can be earned
• Do I still need to use Contracted Vendors if I use the P-Card?
  Answer: YES! While the P-Card is a convenient purchasing and payment tool, all state procurement policies and protocols must be used, including use of state contracts, and use of GL-71 when a state contract is not in place.
  
  For questions about purchasing/procurement protocols, contact the DAS Procurement Division at 860-713-5095.
• What do I do if my P-Card is Lost or Stolen?
  Answer:

  Immediately call the bank:  1-800-316-6056

  Follow the appropriate procedures:

  • Lost or Stolen P-Card Procedures
  • Lost or Stolen Department Card Procedures
• Who do I contact if I have questions about paying my P-Card bill?
  Answer: Sarah Ormerod, 
  
  State of Connecticut
  Office of the State Comptroller – Accounts Payable Division
  55 Elm Street 
  Hartford, Connecticut 06106
  Phone:  860 702-3410
  E-Mail:  sarah.ormerod@ct.gov
• How is travel handled with the P-Card?
  Answer:

  Contact your Agency Travel Coordinator to review your agency’s travel procedures.  Travel reservations can be made through Sanditz Travel, the state contracted vendor.  When making reservations the following information needs to be provided to the travel agent:

  • Agency name and number
  • Agency billing address
  • Travel authorization number (TA#)
  • Employee profile information
• Can I use my P-Card if I’m traveling outside of the country? Is there anything special I need to do?
  Answer: If you have a cardholder traveling outside of the United States, please notify the P-Card Administrator so she can alert the bank and a notification can be put on the cardholder account for the dates of travel. With this notification, the security department that monitors the cards will read all comments on file if anything comes into question.  This should keep the account secure and fully functioning.  
• When can gasoline be purchased with my P-Card?
  Answer: The only time the P-Card can be used to purchase gasoline is when the cardholder is refueling an out of state rented vehicle.  However, the first choice in refueling would be to use a state issued Voyager Fuel Card.
• Why do I see a tax amounts when I run a report, but have receipts that clearly show no tax was paid?
  Answer:

  While the Sales Tax information available in Payment Net can be useful, the data presented is only as good as that sent by the merchant.   

  Transaction detail is presented in three different levels.  Level 1 is the most basic information - merchant name, transaction date, amount, etc.  Level 2 allows the merchant to send sales tax information.  Level 3 enables the merchant to pass line item detail (i.e. how many pencils you bought, unit price, etc.) or travel-related addendum information. All merchants that accept credit cards pass Level 1 data.  A much smaller percentage passes Level 2 and 3 data. 

  Due to the different transaction levels, you will not always be able to determine electronically that sales tax has been charged.  Sales tax information that is passed is either automatically populated by the more sophisticated merchants or manually entered by those less so. Additionally, clerks may just be tabbing through fields during the purchase and inadvertently enter some information in the sales tax field that is inaccurate. 

  The most reliable source for this information is the original receipt or invoice presented by the merchant. 

  Taxes:  If you are charged tax, make one attempt to recover the tax with the vendor and get it credited back to your account.  Document your efforts.