Credit card connector [in-depth guide]
The Credit card connector screen is used when you want the individual cardholder(s) to update/process their charges & submit them to an approver for review & payment processing.
Guide contents: Options for bringing in transactions | Card user notifications | Purchasing managers view | Typical process | Advanced processing | Customize columns | Approval process | Resources
You can also use this screen to match up to any manually created credit card charges against the downloaded transactions from the bank.
Options for bringing in transactions
We offer several ways to bring in your credit card transactions for processing.
1. Plaid connections. This newer integration allows for more banks/cards to be used automatically.
2. Import the .OFX or .CSV file. In case your bank does not appear in any other method and you can download your card's transactions to a compatible file format. Then you can import them into the connector screen for processing.
3. Set up a credit card provider in the GL account. This feature has slowly been deprecated by many of the banks so it may not work. NOTE: If you are getting emails about the card not syncing, then it might be time to move to the Plaid connection, as more and more banks have deprecated the old standard of the OFX connector.
Card user notifications
If you are a selected card user in the GL account setup, then anytime there is an unprocessed transaction in the connector, you will see a line for that card in your Notifications section to review.
Clicking on the line from here will open the Connector screen for that card.
Purchasing managers view
From the Today purchasing page, you can access all cards by clicking on Open the credit card connector. From here you also see the cards with open totals, if any.
Typical process
Update transactions
Typically all that is needed is a project and item to code the transactions to. The setup of your system will handle the rest.
NOTE: If you have 'items are required', yet you choose 'overhead', you do not need an item in this instance.
Process selected transactions
Once you have updated your transactions and want to move them forward in the system. Click the Checkbox next to the individual lines, or the top box to highlight all lines, this will trigger some additional options to appear. Choose 'process selected' to move them to the next step in the process.
NOTE: Once you choose 'process selected', those transactions will no longer be visible anywhere on this screen. As they are now charges in the system. But if you delete the charge that was created from the transaction, then the transaction will reappear on this screen.
Advanced processing
Update multiple/change selected | Mark as cleared | Hide cleared transactions & hide payments | Edit transactions details | Link to unmatched charges | Apply to an existing vendor invoice | Split vouchers | Split projects | Split orders
Update multiple/change selected
To update multiple charges with a selected setting, such as 'project', 'task', 'office', or 'charged by person', follow these steps:
- Select the transactions you wish to update.
- Click Change selected.
- Select the fields you need to update.
- Click Update.
Mark as cleared
This is typically used for the initial startup of this feature. Where if you have it auto-download the card's transactions, then it pulls in the past 90 days of transactions. So if you are caught up and have already paid your credit card bill for the last 30 days. Then you can check the prior 60 days' worth of transactions as 'mark as processed'. But this option can play a role later when you have a credit card transaction that does not need to be processed (posted to the GL) for whatever reason.
Hide cleared transactions & hide payments
The option to 'hide cleared transactions' refers to any transaction that you chose to 'mark as processed'. So you can hide these from view, and in case you need to access the transaction again to edit or fully process if you flagged the transaction this way by mistake.
The option to 'hide payments' refers to any transactions that have a negative amount. Typically this would be a payment you made to the credit card company that you've already accounted for. So hiding this from view helps keep the screen clean of unnecessary transactions.
Be sure to click Refresh after checking these options.
Edit transactions details
While you can modify the column in the grid view for editing to have quick access to your typical entry fields, you can always expand the row to see all the transaction details for editing. To do this, click on the 4 arrows icon to the left of the highlighted row.
Link to unmatched charges
From the Edit transactions details, there is an option at the bottom of the details to 'link to unmatched charges'. This allows you to see what charges have been entered manually (not processed from the connector) in the system for whatever reason, so you can essentially 'mark as processed' the transaction in the connector since the charge already exists in the system.
Apply to an existing vendor invoice
NOTE: Typically this process is done from the Select invoices to pay screen and choose to 'pay by credit card'.
You can apply the line to a single vendor invoice using the Invoice number column.
Split vouchers
NOTE: Typically this process is done from the Select invoices to pay screen and choose to 'pay by credit card'.
From the grid, if you have the column for Split vouchers, then when you edit that row and check the box...
You will be presented with a panel where you can choose open vendor invoices and determine the amount to apply.
NOTE: You cannot code a credit card charge to both a project & a vendor invoice. It is one or the other.
Split projects
You can also apply a charge to multiple projects. If the column of check-boxes for Split projects is not already listed, then you can customize the columns & select the Split projects column. Once selected, then you click the Project column which will open a separate screen to enter multiple projects & tasks and how much each project should get.
Split orders
If you have (purchase, insertion, or broadcast) orders you wish to pay for with incoming credit card charges, then you can skip the voucher process & apply charges directly to orders.
You will need to expand the row's full details to start. Then make sure a vendor is populated (with open orders).
Next click on the checkbox for Split orders.
Choose an Order.
You can edit the amount to be applied before saving.
And the final result, which lets you go back & edit the splits if needed.
Customize your columns
Choosing what columns you see in the Grid view is a great way to limit the fields you need to view/edit, and helps keep the Connector screen clean & easy to use.
From the More button at the top of the Connector screen you can go to system settings (if you have the rights to do so) and modify what columns you see and the order of the columns, in the grid entry view of the Connector screen.
Approval process
Once the employee "processes" the transactions from the Connector screen, those then get turned into charges that need to be approved. Choosing 'process charges' submits them for the approval process.
Selecting transactions and clicking Process will follow the workflow below:
NOTE: The security right, 'purchasing section > approve credit card charges' MUST be set for anyone that will be approving credit card charges.
1) If the processor has the security right 'approve credit card charges' > when processed, all selected charges will be approved & posted regardless of 'charged by' setting and 'credit card approver' setting on the employee record.
If the processor does not have the security right, go to step 2>>
2) If the processor does not have the security right 'approve credit card charges' > when processed, look at the field 'charged by' >>
- If blank > set 'charged by' to the processor's name> go to step 3>>
- If not blank > go to step 3
3) Charge by employee's credit card approver
- If CC approver is blank >send to any employee that has the security right of 'approve credit card charges'
- If CC approver is same as processor > the system will approve & post the CC charge during the processing step
- If CC Approver is different from processor > send CC charge to approver
Example approver
With the list of Submitted charges open, you can click the row for more details, and if you have edit rights, you can click into it for more details on the record itself. Ultimately the goal is to approve the list of charges.
Resources
Plaid connection [in-depth guide]
Manually adding & editing charges [in-depth guide]
Pay & reconcile credit cards [in-depth guide]
Credit card setup [in-depth guide]