Cash alternative on the cards for college students

STUDENTS at Waterford Institute of Technology will now have even less money in their pockets. But it won’t have any impact on their spending power.

The college is introducing a new system that allows credit to be transferred directly to WITCards from students’ and lecturers’ owner’s credit or debit cards.

The new WITCards can be used at all newsagents, restaurants, retail outlets, bookstores and bars on the college’s campuses.

Developed at the Institute’s own SCORE (Smart Card Operations Research Enterprise) unit with support from OneCard and Dublin-based company Realex, it is seen as a major advance towards removing the need for staff or students to carry cash which provides opportunities for thieves.

The time-saving and security-enhancing system also allows parents and other family members to transfer money to WITCards remotely. Eugene McKenna, general manager of auxiliary services at the institute, said the new system for loading credit on to WITCards online would make them even more user-friendly.

“This effectively moves us to a situation where once a user can access sufficient funds on their credit or debit card they will be able to load value on their WITCard without ever having to carry paper money with all of the security risks and inconvenience that brings.”