Purchasing cards are essentially aimed at low-value, consumable-type purchases where the supplier is not on Agresso and unlikely to be used again; there is an individual transaction limit of £500 and a monthly spend limit per card of £5,000. These limits are negotiable, and limits can be increased in the appropriate circumstances. The purchasing card cannot be used for entertainment and hospitality.
Corporate cards should be used for entertainment and hospitality purposes while on St George’s, University of London business. Corporate cards are designed to be used by heads of department and senior academic staff for personal expenditure (such as travel, accommodation, entertainment and hospitality) incurred while on university business at home and overseas. The standard monthly spend limit per card is £5,000.
See Purchasing card claims – FAQ for more information.
How to apply for a purchasing or corporate card
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First, please email Susan McPheat, Director of Finance, stating which card you are applying for. You will need to give the following information:
- new cardholder’s full name
- new cardholder’s department and sub-department name
- new cardholder’s phone number and email address
- new cardholder’s position within department
- who will approve the card expenditure (must be a St George’s authorised signatory and cannot be the cardholder)
- confirmation, by email attachment, of head of department's approval
- why a card is required and what kind of expenditure it is proposed to be used for
- new cardholder’s home address (this is a requirement by a recently-passed piece of UK-wide banking legislation; we are unable to process any application without it. This will be passed to Barclaycard at the point of application and any paper records will be then shredded).
Your request will be vetted by the Director of Finance and, if approved, she will email the application form to you.
You should send the completed application form by internal mail to:
- Susan McPheat, Director of Finance, Finance Office, Hunter Wing 0.
Please do not send the form directly to the bank, as the application will be declined.
When we receive the card, we will contact you to arrange for you to collect it, along with the PIN, from the Finance office. Please note that applicants must collect the card and PIN personally, as you will be required to sign an employee agreement form (Word) before we issue you the card.