Based on survey responses of 350 colleges and universities in North America in 2017, we find that the majority of benefits from purchasing card use are falling to a minority of card-using educational institutions. This study examines the extent to which p-card programs at colleges and universities in North America "fail to launch," and presents an outline for program self-assessment, identifies common obstacles in implementing a successful p-card program, and provides a roadmap to rehabilitate a languishing p-card program.