Washington University in St. Louis’ Campus Card program has been expanded and renamed to become Bear Bucks, announced Steven P. Hoffner, associate vice chancellor for operations.
Bear Bucks can be used at dining locations on four WUSTL campuses, the Campus Store, Bear Necessities, campus laundry and vending machines, printing stations, select student-run businesses, Edison Theatre, Student Union and Congress of the South 40 activities, and off-campus eateries Bobo Noodle House and Kayak’s Coffee.
Bobo and Kayak’s are located across the street from the Danforth Campus at the university’s 276 N. Skinker Blvd. building and accept Bear Bucks for eat-in or carry-out dining.
Bear Bucks are purchased from WUSTL and accessed through a WUSTL ID card. One Bear Buck is worth one U.S. dollar.
“The Bear Bucks program eliminates the need to carry cash or coins for everyday purchases such as meals, laundry, vending and printing for students, faculty and staff,” says Mark Townsend, interim manager of the Campus Card Office.
Bear Bucks differ from Meal Points, says Townsend, who leads the Bear Bucks program. Meal Points are accepted at select WUSTL dining locations only. Bear Bucks can be used at all campus dining locations as well as select off-campus eateries and for non-food-related needs on campus.
In addition to Bobo and Kayak’s, the university is exploring other opportunities to expand the Bear Bucks Program to other off-campus businesses. As businesses are added, they will be noted on the Bear Bucks website, card.wustl.edu.
WUSTL community members can save money using the Bear Bucks program. All food purchases at WUSTL Dining Services locations are tax-exempt, resulting in a savings of approximately 6 percent to 9 percent.
Before employees can purchase Bear Bucks, they must enroll in the Bear Bucks program. Employees can enroll through HRMS Self-Service at hr.wustl.edu.
Bear Bucks can be purchased in increments of $25 in the following ways:
- WebSTAC (undergraduates and graduate students only, not including University College).
- Payroll deduction (staff and faculty only).
- Charges to student account (students only). Students can charge no more than $1,000 Bear Bucks per semester to their student accounts.
- Online with a credit or debit card by using the Guest Deposit feature at card.wustl.edu. A WUSTL KEY, student ID number or employee ID number is required.
- Cash or check at the Residential Life Office, located in the ground level of South 40 House.
Bear Bucks do not expire and remain active until a student or employee leaves the university, Townsend says.
There is a spending limit per day for Bear Bucks expenditures in unattended locations ($30 laundry for vending machines and $50 for printing).
For more information on the Bear Bucks program, visit card.wustl.edu. For more information about Bear Bucks, call (314) 935-8800 or toll-free 1-855-935-8800.