Procurement Card Restrictions

Your UCSB FlexCard can be used to purchase a variety of goods and services for your department. However, some goods and services are restricted when using your card due to funding or policy restrictions. 

One restriction is buying from campus services using your FlexCard. You should not use your FlexCard when purchasing products and services from on-campus retailers or campus services (also known as recharge or self-supporting unit/activity), such as the campus bookstore, facilities maintenance, ticket office, mail services, etc.

The standard and recommended card per transaction limit is $10,000, though lower limits may be set according to department and individual purchasing needs.

FlexCard may also be used to pay for orders exceeding $10,000 (including inventorial equipment), but only after a Gateway FlexCard purchase order has been obtained:

  1. Log onto Gateway and, under Gateway Forms, select the FlexCard Authorization form.
  2. Complete the FlexCard Authorization form, drop it into your Shopping Cart, and complete the requisition per the usual workflow.
  3. Once the requisition is processed by Procurement Services and a purchase order number is assigned, FlexCard Administration is notified.
  4. FlexCard Administration temporarily increases the Cardholder's per transaction limit to the amount authorized by the purchase order, and notifies the Cardholder to place the order.
  5. Once payment processes, FlexCard Administration returns the Cardholder's per transaction limit back to normal.
  6. When processing the transaction in the Allocation Module, the department enters the FlexCard purchase order number (F000000nnnnn) into the appropriate fields, so it appears on the general ledger and as a reference during audits conducted by FlexCard Administration.

FlexCard may also be used to pay for certain services covered by Strategic Sourcing or campus contracts – for example, cell phones, bottled water, alarm services, copier maintenance and shredding.  For monthly recurring charges, it is often the most efficient payment method, with fewer issues than invoices sent to Gateway.

FlexCard can also be used to pay for certain goods formerly paid for via a Form 5 Check Request – such as recognition gifts to employees and non-employees, including bereavement flowers and retirement gifts – as long as policy limitations are observed and a FlexCard Non-Cash Awards Approval Form is completed.  Memberships may also be paid, as long as policy limitations are observed and a Membership Approval Form is completed.

For a table of allowable and non-allowable FlexCard commodities, please see consult the FlexCard Commodities Table.

If you have any doubts about whether a purchase may be made and paid via FlexCard, please contact FlexCard Administration via flexcard@bfs.ucsb.edu prior to initiating the transaction!