Cal State San Marcos Foundation American Express Card

Guildeines & Procedures

The Cal State San Marcos Foundation participates in the  American Express (AMEX) Corporate card program in order to facilitate Foundation's travel and procurement guidelines and provide Foundation employees a convenient and flexible method to incur business related travel and other expenses.

The Cal State San Marcos Foundation AMEX Card identifies Foundation employees and facilitates the receipt of the special governmental rates for travel. Individual employees are encouraged to accumulate all travel expenses on their individual Corporate Card. The cardholder (employee) is responsible for payment to AMEX directly for monthly balances owed. The Foundation will reimburse employees for all authorized expenses and travel that meet Foundation guidelines and procedures. This Corporate Card is available, with no annual fee to Foundation employees.

Guidelines and Procedures for Obtaining and Processing your AMEX card

Request an application. Application packets are available from the Foundation office. Complete the AMEX application and return it to the Foundation office for submission to AMEX. Issuance of the Cal State Foundation Corporate AMEX Card is subject to approval by AMEX. The Foundation will notify the applicant when the Corporate Card is received and when the card is available for pickup at the Foundation. Prior to the release of the card, the applicant is required to sign the AMEX cover letter as acknowledgement of receipt. Applicants denied cardholder status are notified by the Foundation. Applicants are to discuss any eligibility questions directly with AMEX.

Employee responsibility. The Cal State San Marcos Foundation AMEX Corporate Card is for professional business use only by Foundation employees. The cardholder is responsible for prompt payment of monthly balances. AMEX bills are “due and payable upon receipt” and will be mailed to the address indicated. Cardholders are responsible for understanding the payment terms of their AMEX agreement in order to avoid losing charging privileges. In the case of lost or stolen cards, the employee must notify AMEX immediately. Additionally, the cardholder is responsible for notifying AMEX of billing errors, or any change to the cardholder’s mailing address.

Travel. The Foundation's travel policy applies to travel with the AMEX card as well. The cardholder must complete a travel request form prior to travel. After the travel, cardholder must submit a travel claim, complete with original receipts and a copy of the AMEX statement once received by the cardholder. Cardholders may still request a travel advance prior to travel (in order to meet the AMEX payment schedule), which must be cleared post-travel.

Cardholder Reimbursement. Reimbursement to the cardholder will be processed per the current Foundation policies and procedures such as travel claim or check request. A copy of the AMEX statement showing the charge must be received by the Foundation, as well as the standard original receipts, etc. The reimbursement will be processed per the current policies, including the 10-day turnaround. The Foundation will make every effort to reimburse the cardholder in a timely manner; however, the cardholder is responsible for prompt payment to AMEX, as stated above.

Personal purchases. The Corporate Card is for the convenience of conducting Foundation business and travel only. The Foundation reserves the right to terminate any Corporate Card that is not being used pursuant to these guidelines.

Separation of employment. Upon separation of employment with the Cal State San Marcos Foundation, the employee is required to surrender the card to an appropriate Foundation AMEX representative.