Parents

Parental deposit

What you need to know

The WatCard is the official University of Waterloo identification card. It provides our students with access to various services on and off campus, such as printing, food services, gym membership and even transportation. The student’s account and personal information is kept strictly confidential between the WatCard office and the University of Waterloo; outside parties will not have access to account information without his or her proper consent, written or in person.

Meal plans

Want to ensure your student has convenient access to healthy food choices while on campus? The easiest way to do this is by purchasing a meal plan. Meal plans are available for students living both on and off campus. For more information about meal plan services offered by the university you can contact Food Services.

  • Meal plan money can only be used at UW Food Services locations.
  • Meal plan money does not expire as long as you remain a student.
  • Additional meal plan money can be added at the WatCard office throughout the term.
  • Meal plan money does not become Flex Dollars.

Flex Dollars

Flex Dollars are the primary balance on your child's WatCard. They can be used at any location that accepts WatCard as payment. Some of the most common uses for Flex Dollars are:

  • Using laundry machines in residences.
  • Printing anywhere on campus with uPrint.
  • Buying text books and course notes from the bookstore.
  • Purchasing GO bus tickets from the Turnkey Desk.

A few things to keep in mind about Flex Dollars:

  • Only way to pay for laundry in residences.
  • Used to pay for uPrint services.
  • Flex Dollars don't expire as long as you remain a student.
  • Can be used to pay for student services such as documents from the Registrar's Office.

Parental deposit

You can add funds to your child's WatCard online using credit or debit card.

  • What you need to know- Their eight-digit student number which is located on the front of their WatCard (ex. 11119999), their last name and their birth date (ex. m/d/yyyy). Do not include leading zeroes for the month or day fields (ex. January 1 would be 1/1/1990).

  • All payments made online are processed through Bambora.

  • A confirmation email will be sent to the email submitted on the payment form upon payment completion.

  • The university will not collect or retain your credit card information.