One Card Program
| Effective: | 08/20/12 | Approved By: Vice President for Financial Affairs and Chief Financial Officer | |
| Revised: | 12/09/25 |
For Assistance Contact: Credit Card Administration
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Purpose/Scope
To provide guidance on how to obtain, use and account for expenditures on a university-issued One Card. This guideline and the Financial Guideline – Clickwrap Agreements apply to One Card users and departmental administrators involved in this process.
Authority
The State of Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts provides authority to participate in the One Card program. At a minimum, UT San Antonio must comply with the requirements established by the agencies and legislation below, although UT San Antonio may also choose to be more restrictive:
- The United States (US) General Services Administration (GSA)
- Texas Administrative Code Title 34 Part 1, Chapter 5, Subchapter E, Rule 5.57 — Use of Payment Cards by State Agencies
- Texas Government Code Chapter 2155 Purchasing: General Rules and Procedures
- State of Texas — Comptroller of Public Accounts: Travel Regulations Act (Travel Act) and official interpretations of the Travel Act as made by the comptroller
- State of Texas — General Appropriations Act
- UT System Regents' Rules and Regulations require institutions to issue travel regulations covering authorization for travel and reimbursement for approved travel
University Guidelines
Table of Contents
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- Responsibilities
- Eligibility
- Allowed Transaction Types
- Purchases
- Travel Expenses
- Hospitality Expenses
- Limits
- Restrictions
- Online Card Management System
- Documentation and Retention
- Monthly Reconciliation and Payment
- Card Changes
- Declined, Disputed and Fraudulent Transactions
- Lost, Stolen or Damaged One Cards
- Training
- Non-Compliance Consequences
A. Responsibilities
The university’s designated credit card provider issues the One Card and provides card management services.
Cardholders must comply with this guideline and applicable regulatory, statutory, grant, funding source, departmental/program and UT/UT San Antonio requirements, policies and procedures. These include, but are not limited to, state rules for the use of credit cards and for travel. Cardholders are personally liable to UT San Antonio for any personal, unauthorized and/or inappropriate use of the card. Use of the One Card for charges other than official UT San Antonio business, including for personal purposes, is a direct violation of the state's contract with the card provider, the State of Texas Charge Card Program and Texas Administrative Code Rule 20.413 State Travel Credit Cards.
Cardholders must also
- Secure the One Card and account number at all times
- Not allow anyone else to use the One Card to complete in-person, telephone or online charges or to sign a charge receipt.
Department managers are responsible for approving One Card applications, validating appropriate usage of the One Card for official UT San Antonio business and ensuring compliance with this guideline (and any other applicable requirement) when authorizing monthly One Card payments.
If tasks are delegated, the department manager retains primary responsibility for ensuring that transactions are appropriately reviewed, approved, documented and completed in a timely manner.
Departments must maintain documented departmental internal controls and ensure segregation of duties related to One Card usage, in addition to complying with UT San Antonio-wide requirements and restrictions.
The Credit Card Administration office administers the One Card program and is the primary liaison between UT San Antonio and the card provider.
B. Eligibility
Only current faculty and staff employees and graduate research assistants may be eligible for One Cards. Prospective employees and student employees are not eligible for One Cards.
One Cards are issued in the name of an individual. Departments can have multiple One Cards, however, the department manager’s responsibilities remain the same.
The applicant must be a UT San Antonio employee familiar with travel and purchasing rules and regulations, business contracts processes and procedures, export controls, the Prompt Payment Law and vendor holds.
To apply for a One Card, refer to the One Card Procedures. To request changes to an existing One Card, see Card Changes.
C. Allowed Transaction Types
One Cards may be used for the following as requested by department managers:
- Purchases: Payment for goods and services within the card’s monthly and single purchase limits
- Travel: Authorized travel expenses, subject to UT San Antonio travel guidelines
- Business entertainment/hospitality: Certain hospitality expenses can be charged to One Cards with special event privileges.
Online orders: Cardholders must ensure supplier websites are secure, do not store credit card numbers and comply with the Clickwrap Agreements guideline. For more information, see the One Card Procedures.
D. Purchases
Cardholders are encouraged to use Rowdy Exchange whenever possible and ensure purchases comply with procurement, HUB, and tax exemption rules. Designated cardholders have access to the UT San Antonio Amazon Business Prime account as an alternate purchasing platform. See the One Card Procedures for details.
E. Travel Expenses
Business travel outside of the traveler’s designated headquarters requires prior approval, whether or not there is a cost to UT San Antonio.
Travel must comply with relevant requirements (see the Travel Authorization and Travel Reimbursement financial guidelines for more information).
Airfare purchases must be made through the approved agencies. For more information on airline and car reservations, see the One Card Procedures.
Meal expenses are not allowed on the One Card due to travel-related per diem reimbursements.
F. Hospitality Expenses
Hospitality expenses are allowed only on cards with approved special event privileges and must comply with the Business Entertainment and Hospitality Expenditures guideline. Refer to the One Card Procedures for instructions on how to request and manage special event privileges.
G. Limits
The standard single transaction limits for purchasing and hospitality are $5,000, including freight/shipping and all other related charges:
- Transactions must not be split over time, or between vendors, recipients, etc., with intent to circumvent the single transaction limit. Repetitive purchases are limited to $15,000 maximum per vendor per fiscal year.
- Purchases using federal funds are subject to OMB Uniform Guidance, 2CFR Part 200.
- Purchases of electronic goods are limited to $499.99 per item (including shipping and handling). Purchases of multiple items that together exceed this limit will involve Credit Card Administration review.
The standard per-cycle credit limit for purchasing and hospitality is $10,000. Departments can request higher or lower limits than the standard. Use the One Card Application and Agreement form (for new cards) or the CMR form (existing cards).
Per-cycle credit limits for travel are based on departmental need.
H. Restrictions
The One Card can be used for expenses as allowed by Merchant Category Codes (MCC). Departments/colleges may request that the Credit Card Administration office add certain MCCs to One Cards, using the CMR form.
Vendor On Hold: Per the State of Texas Procurement and Contract Management Guide, users are required to conduct a vendor hold search for any transaction $500 or over no earlier than the seventh day before purchase completion/contract execution. Cardholders must check the vendor’s status via the State Vendor Hold Search Tool tile located on PeopleSoft’s landing page prior to completing a purchase and keep a screenshot (see Documentation and Retention). For more information, refer to the Payment Holds financial guideline.
International Vendors: Do not transact with individuals or entities on U.S. government restricted, denied, debarred, designated or blocked persons lists. Cardholders must submit a restricted party screening request to the Office of Research Integrity and Infrastructure (ORI) at export@utsa.edu prior to engaging the vendor, regardless of dollar amount.
Participant, Speaker, Evaluator Agreements (exempt agreements) must be fully approved prior to paying for any related expenses with the One Card.
Past Due Invoices: Do not use the One Card to pay a past due invoice. Past due invoices must go through UT San Antonio's accounting system for late payment interest calculation. The Prompt Payment Law stipulates that payment is due 30 days from the date goods/services are received/completed, or a correct invoice is received, whichever is later. A payment is considered overdue beginning on the 31st day, and interest accrual begins on that date. For more information, see Financial Guideline — Texas Prompt Payment Law.
Restrictions
Do not use One Cards with restricted businesses or on restricted commodities, unless otherwise specified on the One Card Procedures webpage.
I. Online Card Management System
Cardholders must maintain active access to the provider’s online card management system to review statements and transactions. See the One Card Procedures for access setup, including program administrator access.
J. Documentation and Retention
Departments must retain One Card documentation for one year from the statement date, including receipts, approvals and supporting evidence. Electronic retention is acceptable. Departments must submit this documentation as part of the monthly reconciliation and payment process. These documents must be readily available for audits and reviews and must be shredded before disposal. See the One Card Procedures for more information on document retention.
K. Monthly Reconciliation and Payment
Department managers must ensure reconciliation/review and payment of all One Card charges by the 20th of each month (or other published deadlines due to holidays, short months or fiscal year-end), not the payment due date on the card statement, to comply with the Texas Prompt Payment Law. Late or incomplete reconciliations may result in default cost center charges. See the One Card Procedures for more information.
Department managers must ensure sufficient funds are available to pay One Card balances in full.
L. Card Changes
Departments use the Card Maintenance Request (CMR) form to update limits, cost centers, or privileges. See the One Card Procedures for more information.
M. Declined, Disputed and Fraudulent Transactions
Cardholders must immediately dispute unauthorized or incorrect transactions and report suspected fraud to Credit Card Administration and the card provider. See the One Card Procedures for more information.
N. Lost, Stolen or Damaged One Cards
The cardholder must immediately report lost or stolen cards by contacting the card provider (use the contact details provided on the card). The cardholder must also notify the department manager and the Credit Card Administration office immediately. See the One Card Procedures for more information.
O. Training
Cardholders must complete the required One Card training before activation and renew training every two years.
P. Non-Compliance Consequences
Non-compliance with this guideline and applicable regulatory, statutory, grant, funding source, departmental/program or UT/UT San Antonio requirements, policies and procedures may result in disciplinary/corrective measures. Depending on the nature, severity and frequency of non-compliance, consequences may include written notifications and memos of non-compliance, mandatory trainings, suspension of card, loss of card, and termination. For more information on types of non-compliances and consequences, please see the One Card Procedures.
Related Forms
- Addendum for Special Events
- Business Entertainment and Hospitality Request (BEHR) Form
- Card Maintenance Request (CMR)
- Motor Vehicle Rental Exemption Certificate
- One Card Application and Agreement Form
- One Card Procedures
- Program Administrator Form
- Texas Hotel Occupancy Tax Exemption Certificate
- Texas Sales and Use Tax Exemption (Tax Exempt Certificate)
- Travel Reimbursement/Settlement (TRS)
- Vendor Dispute Form
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 12/09/25 | Policy streamlined and reorganized; detailed procedures and restrictions relocated to the One Card Procedures webpage. Edits for clarity and current entity names. |
| 05/06/25 | Employee awards, gifts and prizes are allowable on the One Card under specific conditions (see section J, Restricted Commodities). |
| 08/13/24 | Substantive updates include security requirements (section D); codifying in this guideline use of the One Card for airfare purchases regardless of funding source (section G); clarifying vendor hold searches, adding the new vendor hold search tool and referencing Laboratory Safety division approval (section J); adding refresher training requirement for cardholders (section R). |
| 07/05/24 | In section N. Card Changes, simplified one of the bullet points to “Temporary status change”. |
| 01/19/23 | Vice presidents and deans who are department managers may delegate certain approval authority if conditions are met (sections C and N); Amazon Business Prime added as an alternative purchasing platform (section F); hospitality expenses funded by a non-Official Occasions cost center require an Addendum for Special Events form (section H); updates to the restricted commodities list (section J). |
