Conference Card Program Information
A Conference Card is a department funded debit card which makes it easy for departments to pay for University related business meals and functions on campus. This includes all campus dining halls, including the Faculty Dining Room.
Participation in the Conference Card Program requires the completion of an annual application, definition of the program and business purpose, and authorization/sign off from a department administrator. All conference plans have an end date of May 31 and there will be no carry forward of unused balances at fiscal year-end (no exceptions). Through May 1 of any fiscal year, plan holders may request refunds of any unused conference card funds. These refunds can only be made to the chart string that was charged when setting up the conference card. At the end of each fiscal year, any remaining balances on conference cards will be returned back to the department budget. Account 68160 (Conference Card) has been established to identify the conference plan activity. This account will budget check to 64001 – General.
In order to maintain or receive a Conference Card for use beginning June 1 of any fiscal year, a department administrator will need to complete a Conference Plan Application and submit it to Auxiliary Services no later than May 1. Both Auxiliary Services and the Controller’s Office will review the application and determine if a conference plan is appropriate.
For individual or ad hoc department usage, your BC Purchasing Card should be used. All Dining units can accept the P-Card as a form of payment. As a reminder, the Purchasing Card is only to be used for University business related costs. Documentation as to the nature of the business expense and attendees will need to be provided, along with the register receipt, and maintained by the appropriate department P-Card administrator.
Conference Card FAQs
A Conference Card is a department funded debit card which makes it easy for departments to pay for University related business meals and functions on campus. This includes all campus dining halls, including the Faculty Dining Room.
Conference Plans, funded from operational budgets, are intended for business use in the same year as the budget year from which the funds are accessed. Expenditures from a conference plan are for University business purposes only. Card balances will not be carried from one year to the next. Per IRS guidelines retention of receipts is the responsibility of the department or cardholder. Purpose and attendees must be documented and accounted for. Conference Card transactions are subject to Boston College Internal Audit scrutiny and abuses can result in the forfeiture of funds on a conference plan and reductions in future budget allocations.
If you have a Conference Card, but are unsure whether or not it is funded, please email onecard@bc.edu or call 552-6650 and ask for us to check the balance on your card. Please have your 8-digit card number available.
If your department or organization is in need of conference cards for business-related purposes, please complete our Conference Plan Application and email it back to us at onecard@bc.edu. Both Auxiliary Services and the Controller's Office will review the application and determine if a conference plan is appropriate.
If your organization is making a visit to campus and would like to fund a conference card for your group, please send an email to us at onecard@bc.edu. You will be asked to send a check to us before your arrival on campus. After your visit we will send you a refund check for any remaining balance over $5.
