Declining Balance Card Program Policies

Updated July 1, 2023

Program Access

The Declining Balance Card program is open to undergraduate officers and members of chartered student organizations for use with SBAC funding, SAF allocations, Agency funds and gift funds. All others must obtain special permission. Advisors should send an email to sofo@wfu.edu.

Requests are submitted using the DB Card Request form found at sofo.wfu.edu.
Requests must be received no later than 3 business days prior to the date the card is needed.
Treasurers of chartered student organizations are able to self-approve card requests. All other requests related to SBAC funding or organization Agency/Gift funds must be approved by the Treasurer on file with the Office of Student Engagement. Card requests will not be fulfilled until approval is received.
Incomplete request information will delay the issuance of your card.

For each card request, one student is designated as the “card user”. If more than one card is needed for the organization’s current activities (such as a trip with multiple traveling vehicles or an event with multiple committees) more than one card should be requested with a separate card user designated for each card.
The card user is responsible for picking up, keeping track of, and returning the issued card with any receipts. It is not permitted for the card user to share the card with another student, even if that student is a trained DB Card program participant. To assist other students with shopping trips or online expenses, a card user may accompany or meet with that student to assist with purchases, but must take responsibility for turning in any resulting receipts.
The card user should plan to keep the card no longer than is necessary, and to turn it in by the assigned due date, or sooner if possible. Consistent late return of cards can be grounds for dismissal from the program.
The card user must keep the card in a secure location when it is not in use, prior to returning it to SOFO.

Any item prohibited by the Student Code of Conduct
Alchohol
Tobacco products or tobacco paraphernalia
Firearms/fireworks
Gift cards (see below for alternate method of using organization funding to purchase gift cards)
Personal expenses of any kind
Fuel for personal vehicles
Payments made via Venmo, CashApp, Apple Pay or other digital currency apps, including students’ personal PayPal accounts

In general, card information may not be stored in students’ personal online accounts. Check out as a guest. If it is unavoidable to use a personal account, DB Card information must be removed as soon as purchases are received. Not removing card information from personal accounts can result in accidental transactions that are a policy violation.
Do not store DB Card information in personal accounts for rideshare apps (Uber, Lyft), car sharing apps or websites (ZipCar) or food delivery apps (DoorDash, GrubHub, Uber Eats or similar. See below for an alternate method of using organization funding for these types of purchases)
Do not use a DB Card to place an order using Amazon.com (see below for an alternate method of using organization funding to purchase from Amazon.)
Do not store or use DB Cards in Venmo, CashApp, Apple Pay, personal PayPal accounts or any other personal digital payment method.

Amazon.com - SOFO uses an “Amazon for Business” account to order and manage transactions centrally. Use the Amazon Order Request form at sofo.wfu.edu to submit an order and specify the delivery address.
Rideshare - SOFO is able to provide Uber vouchers, which can be used as a payment method in a student’s personal Uber account
Food delivery - please be advised that ordering directly through a restaurant's website (checking out as a guest) is not prohibited and is the preferred way of obtaining food delivery. If delivery is not available directly from a restaurant, SOFO is able to provide Uber vouchers, which can be used as a payment method in a student’s personal Uber accounts for an Uber Eats order.
Gift cards - WFU Financial Services provides the “Forest Funds” program which provides Visa gift cards through centralized ordering. SOFO can assist student groups with obtaining gift cards through this program.

Any use of a DB Card for the purposes listed above will be considered a “personal use” purchase, and will be immediately reimbursable to the university by the student. Prohibited expenses and uses made on students’ personal credit cards will also not be reimbursed to the student, whether or not the intent was for the student’s organization to fund the purchase.
In the case of an accidental purchase made in a student's personal online or mobile account, SOFO reserved the right to request a meeting with the student for the purchase of reviewing the personal account to determine status of any transactions.
Failure to respond promptly to staff in the event of a “personal use” or accidental purchase is a policy violation and can result in dismissal from the program.

Changes to business purpose or amount issued on the card must be made in writing by emailing dbcard@wfu.edu. Staff may seek additional approval for some requested changes.
Changes must be made prior to funds being expended on the card. Failure to request approval of a business purpose or amount change prior to spending funds is a policy violation and could result in loss of card privileges.

Acceptable receipts as defined in DB Card training must be turned in for all transactions.
Receipts and documentation should be turned in with the card whenever possible. In the case of delayed documentation, all receipts must be received within 7 days of the date of purchase.
When receipt details are not accepted, students must respond promptly to communication from SOFO and work diligently to obtain updated receipts. Failure to respond promptly to communication about receipts is a program violation and can result in dismissal from the program.

SOFO realizes that mistakes can happen. SOFO will make every effort to meet with students who are in violation of program policies, to understand what may be causing these missteps. We encourage prompt communication about mistakes and missteps so that the impact to a student, the organization, and the DB Card Program can be minimized. Communicate with the DB Card Program Administrator at dbcard@wfu.edu.
Violations of any of the program policies outlined above can be grounds for dismissal from the program and may result in a referral to the Office of Student Conduct.
Sharing a card with another student will be grounds for immediate suspension from the program for the remainder of the semester. There are no exceptions to this rule.
Failure to promptly reimburse the university for prohibited expenses or “personal use” purchases is grounds for dismissal from the program for the remainder of the academic year, as well as referral to the Office of Student Conduct.