Frequently Asked Questions

General Q/A's

How Exactly Does This Work?

Students currently spend lots of money off campus during the week. Whether it's for food, or gas, or groceries, students are going off campus even though many on campus facilities have greatly improved. In an ideal world, students would be able to use their Campus ID Card at merchants both on AND off campus - for safety, convenience, and parents' peace of mind. We can customize a program to fit your school's needs, but basically, it works like this: a student deposits money into their account. They go to merchants in the community and make purchases using their student ID card. The student ID card is swiped through a terminal we provide to the merchants, and the amount is deducted from the student's account. Then, the amount of the transaction is basically split between the university and Off Campus Solutions.

What are the Benefits for Students and Parents?

Students can now just carry one card and they'll always have money for food, gas, or school supplies. Plus, students are safer because they don't need to carry cash or stop by an ATM at night when they don't have any money. Lastly, their dining options now have hours that work perfectly for them, with many restaurants open 24 hours a day. Parents love the peace of mind and budgeting capabilities. Now, parents know their student has money for on campus purchases, but also for occasional trips off campus as well. Parents tell us they love the safety the card provides and knowing the student's purchases are limited to merchants the university has pre-approved. Finally, parents can add money anytime: once a week, once a month or once per semester - a great budgeting tool for parents and students.

School Q/A's

What are the Benefits for the School?

The school is able to offer students more options, flexibility, and convenience and can market their program to applicants as another student-focused initiative. Aside from serving students well, schools increase their revenue, solidify town/gown relationships, expand their dining hours (now off campus merchants can serve students late at night), and grow their on campus participation - all without hiring new personnel, buying new software, or changing their current system.

Can You Integrate with Our Current Card Program?

Our technology team has experience in college card systems and can integrate with virtually all card providers.

Would this Be Part of Our Meal Plan, Or Separate Altogether?

Some schools do the program as part of the meal plan, some as part of their Dining Dollars, and some make it an entirely separate account. We can customize the program to fit whatever your needs are. If you have special circumstances or desires, we can create a program that works just for your school.

How Will this Impact our On Campus Dining Program?

The data shows adding an off campus program actually benefits the on campus service. With the off campus program, because so many more students are relying on their ID Card for food, students who otherwise didn't have a meal plan or didn't use their card on campus, now stop by for lunch, dinner, or a snack in between.

How Does the Profit Share Work?

Through our experience and size, Off Campus Solutions is able to deliver the best profit sharing percentages in the country. Off Campus Solutions is responsible for every aspect of the merchant acquisition, swipe terminals, transaction processing, marketing design, settlement process, merchant support, and parent and student call centers. Instead of the university paying those costs, you just receive a check every month for a percentage of all the money spent by your students off campus. We are happy to provide you with more information about the profit share. In fact, call us at 1-800-345-6126 and we'll do a free financial analysis for your school. This is a way to turn your card program into an income generating office and add serious dollars to your bottom line.

What are the Licensing and Software Fees Involved?

None. Off Campus Solutions is not about taking your money upfront and charging you for every upgrade or change. We will not just raise your rates. We are your partner and we want your program to succeed in the long run because we are incented to do so. We've set it up this way so that we're both working toward the same end: making the program better and better.

How Do We Market the Off Campus Program?

Our marketing team has expertise in the development and execution of marketing initiatives to promote your off campus program. We have a range of materials and templates you can choose from to decide what will be most effective for your campus. Then, we'll customize each piece to connect best with your student body and their parents. Other schools have used brochures, mailers, inserts into orientation packets, emails, table tents, posters, and fliers.

If We Want to Make a Change, is that Difficult?

No. This is your program and these are your students. We want you to be involved and we want you to be satisfied with how the program is being run. In fact, we hope you'll suggest changes so we can continue to improve our service.

Will We Have to Staff more Workers for Student Calls?

No. Because of our presence at schools across the country, our call centers are designed to handle a large volume of student and parent calls.

Can Students and Parents See Where They're Spending their Money?

This is at the discretion of the institution and the cardholder.

What are the Hours a Student can Use the Off Campus Program?

Whenever the merchants are open, the card can be used. This increases the serving hours for the university and gives students a great place for late night snacks.

Merchant Q/A's

What are the Benefits for a Merchant?

Merchants have longed to be an official part of the university community. This gives merchants a university-approved program that brings in new customers to their establishment. Because Off Campus Solutions provides the swipe terminals free of charge, merchants have no risks whatsoever. Similar to the university, merchants pay no upfront fees, no licensing fees, and don't have to buy (or lease) any new equipment.

Who Negotiates with the Merchants for the Program?

Off Campus Solutions' merchant acquisition team has negotiated with over 1000 off campus partners and is responsible for that process from start to finish. After an initial meeting to discuss what type of stores you want accepting the card, the acquisition team will build the merchant network from there.

What do Merchants Pay to be Part of this Program?

Our merchant acquisition team negotiates with merchants to pay a percentage of each student transaction and that percentage varies based on a number of factors. However, Off Campus Solutions provides each merchant with a swipe terminal free of charge. That way, their only costs is when students come into their store - no set-up or sign-up fees.

Who Trains the Merchants on Using the Equipment?

Our launch team will help install all the merchants and train them on using the swipe terminals.

What if a Merchant has a Technology Question?

We staff a call center dedicated to working with our merchant partners. We understand keeping them happy means your students are treated with more respect and a smile.