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P-Card Suggested and Prohibited Uses

Contact: Executive Director of Procurement, (205) 934-4423


Note: Not an all-inclusive list.

Suggested Uses

  • Travel Related Items:
    • Airline tickets – including employees, trainees, students, guest speakers, and volunteers
    • Transportation Expenses – airport shuttles, taxis, etc. (excluding on-demand transportation companies – i.e. Uber/Lyft type applications that require storage of P-Card information within the application or program)
    • Hotels – Incidental room charges should be charged to a separate / personal credit card
    • Meals – up to reimbursement limit per meal, require detailed receipts, alcohol excluded. Reimbursement limits - $25 for breakfast, $50 for lunch, $75 for dinner
    • Fuel – for University/State vehicles and rental cars – receipt should reference license plate number for University/State vehicles and note “rental car” if for a rental car. Note: P-Cards should not be used when access to a fuel key and UAB Fuel Depot is available.
  • Meals when not in travel status – (student events, lectures, incidental to a meeting) require detailed receipts, guest list with affiliation to UAB, and UAB business purpose
  • Professional License Renewals and Memberships
  • Conference registrations
  • Technology Solutions (University Purchasing and IT advance approval required) including:
    • Software(Department Applications or Individual Use)
    • Networking Equipment (Routers, Access Points, Switches)
    • Telephone Equipment (Landline or Mobile Devices)
    • Cloud Services

Prohibited Uses

  • In state travel per diem expenses
  • Professional services
  • Cash advances
  • Capital items
  • Controlled substances (including radioactive materials and pharmaceuticals)
  • Laboratory Animals
  • Equipment Maintenance or service agreements
  • Technology Solutions ( absent University Purchasing and IT advance approval required) including:
    • Software(Department Applications or Individual Use)
    • Hardware (Laptops, Desktops, Servers, Monitors, Tablets or Printers)
    • Networking Equipment (Routers, Access Points, Switches)
    • Telephone Equipment (Landline or Mobile Devices)
    • Cloud Services

As a reminder, avoid all apps/websites that require storage of the P-Card number.

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