AIR CARD POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
I.
The Departmental Air Card
II. Acquiring the Card
III. Using the Card
IV. Record keeping and transaction reconciliation
V. Air Card Regulations
VI. Billing and Payment
VII. Roles and Responsibilities
THE DEPARTMENTAL AIR CARD
The Air Card is issued in a department’s name and will be kept in a secure location on TWU premises.
The only use for the Air Card is to make approved purchases of airline tickets for official Texas Woman’s
University business travel.
Use of the Air Card offers employees the flexibility to obtain the best fares possible from the vendor of
their choice. Record keeping is simple and accurate because the department has access to their card’s
activity through Citibank’s Global Card Management System (GCMS). Card activity can be monitored by
the department’s card administrators and Procurement Services, which increases compliance and
reduces time spent on reconciliation.
Approved vendors are limited to airlines, travel agencies and travel service companies (e.g. Travelocity).
Limiting allowable vendors reduces the risk of prohibited charges and fraud. Airfare may be purchased
for employees and prospective employees to carry out official university business. Exceptions require
additional approval and documentation. Contact Procurement Services for details.
The State of Texas contract requires Citibank to block certain types of vendors from Air Card use.
Vendors are assigned a Merchant Category Code (MCC) based on the type of business they operate. The
Air Card program is restricted from use with certain types of suppliers and merchants. These holds
apply to all cards and will not be lifted.
Please note that many vendors who operate within acceptable Merchant Category Codes may provide
some services that are restricted from purchase with the Air Card. Just because travel agencies and
travel service companies can sell air, car, and hotel packages does not mean the Air Card may be used
for such. Remember – airline tickets only!
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AQUIRING AN AIR CARD
Obtaining an Air Card is a privilege granted to departments. It must be used in a responsible and
appropriate manner. The card will be retained in a secure location in the departmental office to guard
against loss, misuse and fraud.
In order to receive an Air Card, several steps are taken:
1. A department head completes an Air Card Agreement form (ACA) agreeing to the terms of use
and designating the primary and secondary card administrators.
2. The department head and designated administrators sign the ACA.
3. The completed ACA is forwarded to the Travel Desk in Procurement Services for approval.
4. The Travel Coordinator contacts the department when the Air Card is ready for pickup.
5. The primary administrator then presents a photo ID at Procurement Services and retrieves the
card.
USING THE CARD
The primary administrator is responsible for using and reconciling charges made on the card. The
secondary administrator will perform these tasks in the event the primary administrator is unavailable.
In order to make authorized charges on the card, the card administrator must obtain information from
the potential traveler. The following process should occur before charges are made on the Air Card:
1.
The traveler completes an Air Travel Authorization form (ATA) requesting permission to fly using
departmental funds.
2. The traveler submits the ATA to the appropriate department head for approval.
3. Upon approval, the ATA is given to the Air Card Administrator so that he/she can purchase the
traveler’s airline ticket(s). The card administrator keeps the ATA and submits it to the Travel
Coordinator with the Expense Report and reconciliation paperwork.
Specific information provided by the traveler on the ATA will be used by the administrator to book the
approved airfare. Remember the State of Texas has pre-approved limits for airfare rates, and the
amount charged should not exceed these limits. A chart illustrating allowable rates is provided on the
TWU website, and the traveler should verify the appropriate rate before requesting that a flight is
booked by the card administrator. Approved vendors are limited to airlines, travel agencies and travel
service companies (e.g. Travelocity).
PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYEES
An ATA is also required for prospective employee airfare. In that case, the primary administrator may
complete the ATA on the candidate’s behalf. The ATA will be faxed to the candidate to obtain their
signature before the ticket is purchased. The candidate’s full social security number must be provided
on the ATA.
RECORD KEEPING AND TRANSACTION RECONCILIATION
The card administrator is responsible for maintaining records of every transaction by keeping the ATA
submitted by the traveler. These ATAs should be reconciled to the Expense Report when the billing cycle
ends on the 3rd of each month. All reconciliation is performed online via Citibank's Global Card
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Management System (GCMS) GCMS and must be performed by the 20th of the month. Supporting
documentation must also be received in Procurement Services by the 20th of the month. If no account
activity (credits and/or charges) occurs within a billing cycle, then no reconciliation or documentation is
required.
There are NO paper statements for the Air Card. It is recommended that both the primary and the
secondary administrators set up a recurring reminder in Outlook notifying them to perform
reconciliation duties.
The Travel Coordinator will retrieve GCMS information electronically in order to merge it with the
documentation submitted by the department. All records are audited for compliance with State and
University policies.
How to reconcile charges and submit monthly documentation when you have used the Air Card:
1. The card administrator logs into GCMS anda. Provides a department account number (as indicated on the ATA);
b. Selects the appropriate object code from a drop-down menu;
c. Indicates the Airport Codes for the city pair (available for view in GCMS);
d. Provides the traveler’s Phoenix supplier number; and
e. Specifies the trip’s business purpose, destination and dates of travel in the Expense
Description field.
2. After all expenses for the month have been reconciled, the administrator runs and prints an
Expense Report in GCMS to submit as part of their documentation package.
3. The administrator forwards the ATAs and the Expense Report to the Travel Coordinator by the
20th of the month. This can be done in one of three ways:
a. Campus Mail
b. Hand delivery
c. Scanned and forwarded to TravelCards@twu.edu – preferred method (the information
must come from a TWU e-mail address)
Please see the Forms and Instructions page of the Payment and Procurement Services website for
specific, illustrated instructions on how to reconcile in GCMS.
Remember – both the reconciliation in GCMS and all supporting documentation must be received by the
Travel Coordinator no later than the 20th of the month.
AIR CARD REGULATIONS
Any violation of State or University policy or missing the reconciliation deadline will result in a violation
being issued to the department. Violations may result in a suspension of card privileges. During the
suspension period, travelers will be responsible for booking and paying for airfare with personal funds.
They will be reimbursed upon completion of the trip and submission of their completed Travel Voucher
with all required supporting documentation.
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Violations include:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Using the card for unauthorized travel, including personal or non-business related travel.
Using the card for expenses other than airfare.
Making airfare purchases over the allowable limits set by the State.
Failing to provide reconciliation information in GCMS by the 20th of the month.
Failing to submit Expense Reports or ATAs by the 20th of the month.
Violations will be brought to the attention of the Department Head, Card Administrators, and other
university authorities as deemed appropriate by Procurement Services.
Unauthorized purchases may also result in investigation that could affect the continued employment
with the University of any employee found to participate in Air Card abuse.
Automatic 30-day SUSPENSION for 1st offense
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Using the card for unauthorized travel, including personal or non-business related travel.
Failure to comply with all other guidelines or the procedures listed below will result in the primary
and secondary administrators receiving an e-mailed Violation Notification.
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Failing to complete reconciliation in GCMS by the 20th of the month.
Failing to submit Expense Reports and/or ATAs to the Travel Coordinator by the 20th of the
month.
Information is not entered into GCMS in the correct format. Consult GCMS instructions for
detailed guidelines.
Complete description not given. Description must include the traveler’s name, destination city
and travel dates.
NSF = Insufficient funds in the account provided.
Administrators will have three (3) days from receipt of the e-mail to take corrective action. Missing
that deadline will result in a 30-day SUSPENSION of Air Card privileges.
Additionally, the University reserves the right to terminate a department’s Air Card at any time.
Repeated non-adherence to these policies and procedures may result in revocation of the department’s
Air Card.
BILLING AND PAYMENT
The Air Card master statement will be paid monthly by the Accounts Payable using a clearing account.
Each department’s Expense Report will be reconciled and charged to the department’s account(s) as
indicated in GCMS and on the ATA.
There are NO paper statements for the Air Card. It is recommended that both the primary and the
secondary administrators set up a recurring reminder in Outlook notifying them to perform
reconciliation duties.
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ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Director, Procurement Services – Vanna Parr vparr@twu.edu
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Administration of the program
Approves University policies related to the program
Travel Coordinator – Bianca Washington bwashington4@twu.edu
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Reviews University policies related to the program and submits recommendations for approval
Distributes Air Cards
Maintains documentation of Air Card activity
Reviews reconciliation for accuracy and compliance with State and University policies
Tracks violations associated with the cards
Department Head
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Completes Air Card Agreement designating Primary and Secondary Card Administrators
Authorizes Traveler to use department funds via approving the Air Travel Authorization
Traveler
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Establishes necessary flight/travel times and destinations
Enters information into the Air Travel Authorization form and obtains approval from department
head
Gives the ATA to the card administrator to purchase the flight
Primary Card Administrator
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Purchases airline tickets
Reconciles card activity
Submits Expense Reports and ATAs to the Travel Coordinator
Secondary Administrator
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Performs all duties of the Primary Administrator in his or her absence
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