Can I say no when I'm being asked to use my personal credit card for company expenses without being fired?

girlwhoknowsitstrue

Of course you do - tell them that you're at your limit and can't charge any more.

financing_loans

WTF.....

you are asking the wrong question. Your question should be *Would you work for a company that made me do this?*

I have paid for travel expenses before on my own credit card. I fill out an expense report and they pay me back in 24 hours. Such as I went to a conference and didnt know parking was not paid, or I had a lunch meeting and took 3 people with me and paid. The company gave me back the money immediately.

I dont think they can fire you for that reason. But most states are right to work states. They will fire you for something else.

Start looking for another job. If I interviewed you and you told me that story.... Good hell I would just hire you because you are getting screwed.

Sharon F

if they are not reimbursing you then it shouldn't matter if they will fire you....you need to quit

if they are reimbursing you via expense report or some sort then don't worry about it

but from the sounds of it....you are not getting your money back

if you are afraid of getting fired just tell them that your credit card is maxed out and you cant charge anything else on it
and if they want you to pay cash just keep 2 dollars handy and wave it in front of them and tell them thats all the money you have.

they dont know what's on your card or how much cash you have

Molly B

It really depends on the context, on your level etc. There are management positions where you're expected to make things happen in unusual situations, and the company reimburses you and gets you a second company card so it won't happen again. Claiming to be maxed out could keep you from being promoted.

It sounds, though, as though you're an admin, probably at a small office, and you're being run around.

I would NOT tell them you're maxed out - that makes YOU look bad and doesn't really set a boundary. Instead, I'd tell them you're doing a new personal finance program and can't float company expenditures any more. Then, stick to it.

If these things happen day-of and are requested when you're already at work, you could leave your credit card, ATM card etc at home and only bring the cash you need for the day.

As for the labor-law aspect of your question ... if you're under employment-at-will, they could fire you for no reason at all. You'd have to prove they fired you b/c you refused to buy office supplies with personal money. If they're inclined to fire you, they'll be racking up complaints about you in case you try to fight back.

I hope you didn't use your office computer to post this question.

NYB

Of course you can...
It is your descision whether you want to or not, unless you keep saying YES to make everyone happy

Unless they're giving you the money UP FRONT, DONT DO IT

mj69catz

You have the right to refuse, and if you don't have an employment contract, they can fire you at any time for any reason, even for refusing.

They may not realize this is an issue for you. For most people, they get reimbursed long before the bill comes. I know I can pay a bill, and I get paid the following Tuesday, no matter what. I can turn that right around and pay that directly to the credit card company.

Rather than "refusing" to use your card, why don't you look at the last months expenditures, and recommend that the company set up a petty cash account. Then this money could be used if money is needed.

If you are not getting reimbursed, and the items are required (birthday cakes seem silly to me - they can be ordered well in advance and a check can be ready before hand) then there is a problem.

If, on the other hand, you think you need a special filing system, or you think you need to buy birthday cakes, and the company says you can, that doesn't mean that it is a company expenditure- just that they are allowing you to bring this stuff in.

Artman

I hope you are being paid back that money. Right?

Of course you can say "NO" as long as you are not a temp. You need to call your local "labor protection agency" or your union (if you have one). You urgently need to learn about your rights. They can ask as a "favor" but they can't force you.

If your company needs constantly to send you to buy stuff, they are supposed to give you a "petty cash" for those purposes or to give you a company credit card.

I used to work on the road for some people and they were contantly interrumping me and calling at my personal cellphone for stupid little things like "where are you? are you done yet?" so I told them "my cell it's at home don't call me any more" (it was a lie and probably they guessed it was a lie) they got the message and didn't dare to talk about it, they knew it's my phone and they could't force me to use it for work, they weren't happy but there was nothing they could do unless they were willing to buy me a company phone with "their own" money.

Just be polite but firm and explain them you can't and wont keep using your own money for that. If you find hard to say "no" then just lie and say "I have no money" "I cancelled my credit card" "I already paid some debts and have no money with me"."I only got $5 bucks in the wallet". There is nothing they can do if you tell them you have no money.

They wont dare to fire you just for that, if they do they'll face a pretty big sue.

Judy

I'd probably tell them I don't have enough left on my limit, and have some personal expenses I need to buy soon and need to save the limit for that. You can refuse - and actually they are out of line for even asking you to do that - but it might be more tactful to look like you can't, rather than won't.

You could suggest that it seems that the office needs to establish a petty cash fund of maybe $50 dollars, or maybe even a little more, so these small expenses can be handled. That's what many offices do.

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