UC Davis
Purchasing Card
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Making a Purchase

When making a purchase, the cardholder can provide a "reference" or order number that most vendors can pass along for display in the Explanation field of the FPD document. This information can assist for review and documentation purposes.

For in-store/in-person purchases the cardholder must sign and date the credit card receipt. Usually the signature that a store collects during the purchase process is electronic and not included on the cardholder's copy of the credit card receipt. In these situations, the cardholder should sign their copy of the credit card receipt immediately upon completion of the purchase. The cardholder's dated signature certifies that the cardholder made the purchase, and that the item(s) listed on the credit card receipt were authorized and for official university business. This receipt should then be given to the account manager as soon as possible.

The cardholder should enter the transaction or expected credit in a Purchasing Log, and use this log to reconcile the monthly Purchasing Card bank statement(s) for any erroneous charges, returns, or adjustments and ensure proper credit is given on subsequent bank statements.