What Can You Buy with a UCI Corporate Travel Card?

Detailed below are all of the valid uses for the Corporate Travel Card. If you want to use a corporate card for a use not listed below, you should first contact the Travel and Disbursements group in Accounting and Fiscal Services.

The Corporate Travel Card may be used to pay for the following:

  • All Travel Expenses

    This is the primary use of the Corporate Travel Card. UCI travelers are encouraged to use the card for all within-guidelines, travel-related expenses. Examples of these sorts of expenses include airline tickets, hotel reservations, conference registrations, car rentals, and meals.

    The Corporate Travel Card is particularly well suited for this because reimbursement for travel expenses can be paid directly to the credit card account, which is easier than reimbursing the traveler and requiring them to manually pay off the card. The ability to pay funds directly to a card account is built into KFS Travel and Event Management (TEM) e-documents.

    The card should only be used to pay for the cardholder's expenses. The card should not be used to pay for expenses incurred by incoming guests to UCI or anyone other than the cardholder. If a department administrator needs to pay for another department member's travel expenses, consider getting a CTS Ghost Card Account.

  • Expenses for a Business Meeting or Event

    Departments may use a Corporate Travel Card to purchase supplies or materials related to a particular event or business meeting. You should not use it for supplies not related to an event—e.g. office supplies. You can also use your corporate card to pay for non-travel business meetings that might include a breakfast, lunch, or dinner meeting expense. The expenses can then be reimburse on an ENT e-document in KFS.

    Alcohol charges may be included on corporate card accounts, but your department must ensure any meal expenses that include alcohol are not reimbursed with state funds. Please use non-state or unrestricted fund sources for reimbursing alcohol.

    Gratuities/tips for meals or delivery may be included on the corporate card, and may be reimbursed up to the per person limits set by UC Policy BUS 79.   

  • Gift Cards to Compensate Research Participants

    Principal Investigators can use their UCI Corporate Card to purchase gift cards to compensate human subjects for their participation in approved research projects. The expense should be reimbursed using an ENT document to pay the amount owed on the Corporate Card directly on behalf of the cardholder. For more information, see Sec. 701-03: Payments to Research Participants (Human Subjects).

  • Gift Cards for Recognition, Retirement, and Bereavement Flowers

    Departments may use a Corporate Travel Card to purchase gift cards for the purpose of employee recognition, sympathy gift, appreciation gift and retirement.

    • Corporate Credit Card Purchases, Event and Non Event = ENT e-document
    • Personal Credit Card / Cash Purchases, Event and Non Event = DV

The Corporate Travel Card may be used to pay for event and conference registration even when the employee will not be traveling to attend the event. This type of use will need to be reimbursed on a DV, so it will be the responsibility of the employee being reimbursed to pay off their corporate card in a timely manner.

gist flow chart

Use Corporate Travel Cards Responsibly

Ask Questions: If you're unsure of whether or not you should use your Corporate Travel Card to make a purchase, contact the Travel and Disbursements group for advice.

UCI Business Only: The Corporate Travel Card should only be used for official university business. It is not intended to be an additional credit card for personal use.

Protect Your Credit: When a Corporate Travel Card purchase is reimbursed on a Disbursement Voucher, it's the responsibility of the cardholder to pay off the card on time. Even though the card is used for UCI business, the employee is personally liable for expenses incurred. Failure to pay card balances will result in late fees, closure of the account, and deductions from the cardholder’s paycheck.