Step 1: Sign and Submit the Cardholder Agreement Form
When ordering cards from US Bank, the Card Program (as a security measure) always sets the initial single-purchase limit at $1. This prevents the cards from being intercepted or stolen and activated by someone outside our organization. Once you have received your card in the mail from US Bank, you will need to submit a signed Cardholder Agreement Form (Docusign) to creditcard@berkeley.edu before your card will be activated and ready to use.
The Cardholder Agreement Form provides in detail the specific terms you must agree to in order to use a UC Berkeley procurement card; please read the form in detail before signing. This form cannot be completed and submitted until the physical card has arrived in the mail. The form can be signed electronically within Docusign and only the signature of the cardholder is required.
Step 2: Activate your Card with US Bank
In order to begin using your card, you will need to contact US Bank via the phone number provided with the documentation you received with the card. The bank may require you to enter information from the back of the card in order to activate it; if you run into any issues doing so, you can contact the Card Program at creditcard@berkeley.edu for assistance.
Step 3: Register for Online Access and Fraud Alerts
Finally, once a new card has been activated, all cardholders should sign up for on-demand access to their account using US Bank's Access Online service. Cardholders are automatically opted into email alerts to monitor their charges in real-time and to receive alerts for suspicious fraudulent activity.
We also recommend signing up for text message alerts. Please refer to the US Bank - Online Access and Real-Time Fraud Alerts for Cardholders (PDF) for instructions.
For more information on loss, theft and fraud, please visit the Loss, Theft, Fraud, and Disputes page.
Your card is now ready for use. Please visit the Reconciling Card Transactions page if you will be reconciling your own card transactions, which is considered a best practice. Also, visit the Purchasing and Payment Method Matrix page. The Purchasing and Payment Method Matrix provides information on which purchases are allowable on which payment methods and applicable policies, and will be useful to reference it when making purchases.