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Charger Card

Every newly admitted student will be charged a one-time fee of $10.00 for an official UAHuntsville photo identification card (Charger Card). Students may obtain a Charger Card in the University Center (UC), room 147, from 8:30 am until 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. You must provide a current copy of your class schedule from Charger Central, located in UC 118.

The Charger Card will give you access to campus facilities and services as well as making purchases at participating locations.

You can use your card for access to:

University Fitness Center
Athletic Events
Salmon Library (in order to check out books)
Residence Halls
Computer Labs and Classrooms
Campus Entertainment Events
Copy Machines and Printers
Food Service Vendors

Charger Card Accounts

The Charger Card offers four (4) types of accounts: Meal plans, Charger Bucks, Dining Dollars and Flex. Deposits by cash, check or credit card are accepted in UAHuntsville’s Cashier’s Office, UC 213, Huntsville, AL 35899, between the hours of 8:30 am and 5:00 pm. Credit card payments are accepted by telephone at (256) 824-6226. If mailing a check, please remember to include your student ID number and purpose for deposit.

Meal Plans

Meal plan accounts provide credits for pre-paid meals in the UC’s all-you-can-eat Charger Café. First-year freshmen living in University Housing must purchase a $1062 meal plan each semester. Upperclassmen living in University Housing, excluding residents of Southeast Campus Housing and Fraternity and Sorority Row, must purchase a $350 meal plan each semester.

There are three plan options that meet University Housing’s requirement for first-year freshmen and all six plan options meet or exceed Housing’s requirement for upperclassmen. Both your rent and your meal charges will be assessed following Housing’s room assignments. Students who live off campus are not required to purchase a meal plan, but they may certainly purchase one for greater food dollar value.

Depending on the plan, meal counts are reset daily or weekly and are non-transferable. You can use only one meal per dining period (breakfast or brunch, lunch, and dinner). Meal plans expire at the end of each semester.

Dining Dollars

The Dining Dollar account is a declining balance account that can be used for food purchases in all of our on-campus dining venues:

Charger Café in UC
Charger Brew serving Starbucks in UC
Freshens Smoothie Bar in UC
Jazzman’s Coffee Shops in Salmon Library and Business Administration Building
Gardenview Café in the Bevill Conference Center

Dining Dollars can be purchased in $50 increments. Any balance at the end of Fall semester will carry over to Spring. Any unused Dining Dollars will expire at the end of Spring semester.

Charger Bucks

The Charger Bucks account is a companion to a Meal Plan account, so they cannot be purchased independently. They can be used in all of our on-campus dining venues. Charger Bucks expire at the end of each semester, so unused Charger Bucks do not roll over from Fall to Spring.

Note: Dining Dollars and Charger Bucks allow you a discount off the door price for meals in both the Charger Café and the Tom Bevill Center’s Gardenview Café.

FLEX ACCOUNT

Students, faculty and staff may open a flex plan. The account may be opened for a minimum of $1. The account may be used at any of our on-campus dining venues, University Bookstore (located in the University Center), Off-Campus Bookstore located at 1009 Henderson Road, Huntsville (837-9543), copy machines and printers. If you live in campus housing, you will want a flex account for machines in the laundry room. Any money left on your flex account will roll over to the next semester.

ADDING MONEY TO YOUR CHARGER CARD

Money may be added with cash, check or credit card. You can come by the University Center, room 213 between the hours of 8:15 – 5:00 or call 256-824-6226. Once you pay in the cashiers office, come by room 147 with your receipt, so we can add the money to your flex account. The Cashier’s office accepts a minimum deposit of $10.00 for Flex. If a check is mailed, please add the students “A” number to the check and mail it to the address below.

University of Alabama in Huntsville
ATTN: Cashier
University Center 213
Huntsville, AL 35899-5050

OR

You may choose to utilize the Value Transfer Stations (VTS) that accept cash in increments of $1, $5, $10 or $20, for deposit on your card. These machines are located in the Salmon library and the UC lobby.

MEAL PLAN OPTIONS (click here)

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Question: How do I get a Charger Card?
Answer: You will have a Charger Card made during Compass Orientation, or you can come to University Center (room 147) with a copy of your current class schedule and picture ID during our regular office hours.

Question: If I want to change my meal plan, how do I make this change?
Answer: Students have the first two weeks of classes to make any changes to their dining options. To make the change, come by the University Center or send an email to charger card@uah.edu.

Question: How do I add money to one of my Charger Card accounts throughout the semester?
Answer: You can make a minimum deposit of $10.00 in the Cashier’s Office (UC 213) for Flex account and then take the receipt to the Charger Card Office. You can make a minimum deposit of $50.00 for dining dollars. You may pay with cash, check, money order, Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover Card.

Question: Can money be added to my Charger Card account over the phone with a credit card?
Answer: Yes. Call 256-824-6226, but expect a 24-hour delay in our placing the amount on your card.

Question: Can I mail payments for deposit to my Charger Card account?
Answer: Yes. The money will be added to your account within 24 hours of receiving it in the Cashier’s Office. Checks should be made payable to UAHuntsville and indicate your student ID number (A#). Please mail to:
   University of Alabama in Huntsville
   ATTN: Cashier
   University Center 213
   Huntsville, AL 35899-5050
Unless otherwise instructed, we will apply the deposit to your Flex account.

Question: Can anyone else use my student I.D. card?
Answer: No, you should never lend your card to anyone.

Question: Can I use my Dining Dollars or Meal Plan in the bookstore?
Answer: No, the only account you can use is the Flex account.

Question: What should I do if I lose my Charger card?
Answer: Please notify the Charger Card office immediately by phone 824-2720 or in person in UC 147. We will suspend all accounts until a replacement card can be made. You must pay a $20.00 replacement fee in the Cashier’s Office and then take the receipt to the Charger Card Office. We will change your card’s issue number, so no one else can access your accounts by using your former card.

Question: What if my card doesn’t work or gets damaged?
Answer: Take your card to the Charger Card Office for inspection. Sometimes the magnetic strip’s encoding is erased or your card is not programmed correctly. Depending on the circumstances, a $20.00 fee may be charged if replacement is necessary. Please take care of your Charger Card’s physical condition.

Question: Can I get a copy of my account transactions?
Answer: Yes, in the Charger Card Office, UC 147. We can also verify your account balances.