• The current CTA Accounts will be eliminated effective
July 1, 2013.
• Personalized NYS Travel Visa Cards (cards will be
Grey) will be issued to all NYS employees who travel
for the University to facilitate the payment of all
University State business related travel expenses.
• Non-Employee (Net) Cards (cards will be Green) will
be issued to state account managers to facilitate the
payment of non-state employee travel expenses while
traveling on State University Business. (e.g. UA
Foundation employees, student athletes, job candidates,
and consultants)
• Both cards are billed directly to the State
Accounting Office
• Traveler’s out of pocket expense can be
drastically reduced (no more waiting for
reimbursements) if the card is utilized for all
eligible travel expenses
Air, train, and ground transport
Meals, lodging, registration fees and incidentals
• Use of the card for transportation provides
business travel accident insurance
• The need for travel cash advances will be reduced
• Travelers will no longer need large amounts of
cash or a personal credit card to travel.
• The State and the University will be able to
capture a true picture of State travel expenses
with full use of the travel card and Net card.
• The cost of processing vendor vouchers will be
reduced.
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Air, train, and ground transportation
Meals and lodging
Conference registration fees
Baggage fees
Parking and toll fees
Fuel charges for both rental and personal vehicles
Incidental expenses (e.g. business center charges
including photocopies and faxes)
•
NYS Travel guidelines must be adhered to when using the NYS Travel/Net Card. Important note:
Campus departmental travel policy will supersede state policy if the departmental policy
mandates more restrictive travel spending.
•
Each Travel card will be embossed with the State traveler’s name and only travel expenses for that
employee can be charged to that card.
•
Each Net (non-employee) travel card will be embossed with the name of the State Account Manager
responsible for reconciling the expenses for job candidates, students, and non state employees
traveling on state business.
•
Below the cardholder’s name on all cards, “University at Albany” will be embossed on the card
because the University is the creditor. Employee credit checks are NEVER done and these cards will
never appear on your personal credit report.
•
Travelers must stay within the per diem rates for lodging and meals when using their card. Travelers
must reimburse the University for charges incurred above the per diem rates. One noted exception is
exceeding the lodging rate by staying at a Conference hosting hotel. This rate will be covered in full.
•
The University is exempt from Hotel Occupancy Tax. This Exempt Form is available at
http://www.osc.state.ny.us/agencies/travel/taxexempt.pdf
• The billing cycle for all cards is the 23rd of a
month to the 22nd of the current month. (e.g. The
April bill includes charges from March 23rd
through April 22nd.
• Net cards will be on a separate bulk bill to easily
identify all non-employee travel expenses.
• All card bills must be reconciled timely to ensure
timely payment by the Office of State Accounting
• Keep your card in a secure location
• Continue to use the Hotel Occupancy Exempt Form & the
NYS Sales Tax Exempt Form when making purchases.
Travelers must obtain card credits or provide personal
reimbursement to the University for any inappropriate taxes
incurred in travel status.
• Do NOT allow others to use your card.
• If your card is lost, stolen, or used fraudulently, notify
Citibank and the Credit Card team in the State Accounting
office.
• The Credit Card team will coordinate new card issuance and
fraud affidavit completion with the cardholder to ensure
timely card replacement and account credits.
• Around the 25th of the month, the CC Team will
email each cardholder and the account manager a
pdf copy of their statement along with an excel
reconciliation template to reconcile each trip
included in the billing cycle.
• Cardholders must complete one Travel Card
Reconciliation Form for each trip.
• Once cardholders complete the Grey areas on
each form, it will calculate any amounts owed the
University.
• The Reconciliation Form is available on the
web at Travel Card Reconciliation Form
• If the completed form indicates a refund is due
back the University, attach a check payable to
University at Albany, to the Travel Card
Reconciliation Form.
• The check will be refunded to your account.
• If the cardholder has out of pockets travel expenses associated with
a trip on their monthly bill, they need to complete a travel voucher
and attach their receipts to request reimbursement.
• These reimbursement vouchers must be attached to their
reconciliation forms for the month and sent to the Credit Card Team
for processing.
• Failure to submit the vouchers and reconciliations together will
delay the audit process for the travel card and significantly delay
reimbursements.
• Reconciliation forms and travel vouchers must have original
supporting documentation attached. (Travel itinerary, lodging folio,
meal receipts, conference agendas)
• Cardholders are strongly encouraged to keep copies of all completed
forms and supporting documentation.
• Cardholders will have 3 weeks from the date
their statement is emailed to reconcile their
charges, complete any travel vouchers, and
submit them to the credit card team for
processing.
• Failure to submit reconciliations, vouchers
and/or necessary reimbursements by the
deadline will result in immediate suspension or
revocation of your card privileges.
• Eileen Scanlan
Credit Card Program Manager
Email: escanlan@albany.edu
Phone 442-3195
• Tina LaMarche
Assistant Program Manager
Email: tlamarche@albany.edu
Phone 442-3182
• Chris Messenger
Email cmessenger@albany.edu
• Issuing as many as 500 new travel cards to
state employees
• Coordinating the travel card and travel voucher
reconciliation processes
• Coordinating and disseminating both NYS
travel card policy and campus departmental
travel policy
• Coordinating employee reimbursement of
unallowable or unauthorized expenses