Financial Services - Meal Plan Questions

Each meal plan was designed with certain lifestyles in mind. It's best to pick one that fits your routine and eating habits. Review a complete description of our meal plans to help you decide.

Munch Money is a way to create a Dining Services debit account on your Western Card. Munch Money can be used as a form of payment at any Dining Service location - Resident Dining Commons or any of our Cafes and Markets. With each swipe of your card, your Munch Money balance will decline.
Munch Money gives customers great savings! University Dining Services offers 18.5% savings at the register whenever Munch Money is used to buy food items! This includes a 10% discount on prices, plus exemption from 8.5% sales tax on all food purchases. (Non-food items are subject to sales tax.)

If you live in a University Residence Hall you will be required to purchase a meal plan. A meal plan is usually purchased at the beginning of the school year or the beginning of an academic quarter, and remains in effect until the end of the school year. If you live off campus you may purchase a meal plan but it is not required. Munch Money can be purchased at any time throughout the year. Munch Money can be purchased by any WWU faculty, staff, or student with or without a meal plan. Unused Munch Money rolls over each quarter and stays on your card until you leave Western.

In order to cancel your meal plan you may fill out a cancellation form at the Housing Assignments Office in the main lobby of Edens Hall, or send a cancellation e-mail to Assignments@wwu.edu including your full name and WWU ID number, and indicating which meal plan you would like to cancel. Meal plan refunds are prorated based on a standard declining daily rate. Please contact Dining Services to get your balance before you cancel your meal plan.

You will need to fill out an Academic Year Agreement and sign a Housing Signature form at the Housing Assignments Office in the Edens Hall main lobby (8:00a - 4:00p, Mon - Fri). Quarterly meal plan rates are available for off-campus students. Housing Assignments can be reached at 360.650.6565.

To change your meal plan you must visit the University Dining Services Office in Edens Hall, Suite 109. You may decrease your plan once a quarter (dates found below). This information may also be found in the Residential Community Handbook.

The dates to decrease your meal plan for the 2008-2009 academic year are:
Fall Quarter 2008: September 21-October 1
Winter Quarter 2009: January 4-13
Spring Quarter 2009: March 30-April 7

For any student holding a meal plan with Dining Dollars, and also leaving Housing prior to the end of the quarter, it is important to be aware that their Dining Dollars are prorated. For example, if you leave halfway through the quarter, you are only allowed to spend half of the Dining Dollars allocated for your meal plan for that quarter. Each room and board payment pays for a portion of the entire Dining Dollars amount which you receive for the quarter. If you leave early, then you will not be billed for the full quarter's amount of Dining Dollars, therefore, you will not be allowed to use all of the Dining Dollars. If you use all of the Dining Dollars and leave prior to the end of the quarter, then you will be billed for the amount that you have overspent. As long as you hold your meal plan, the Dining Dollars will rollover each quarter until the end of the academic year (June).

Once the meal plan has been decreased, an adjustment will be made to your account based on the amount of time you held each meal plan. If a refund is due then it will be credited to your student account and will apply towards future charges.

Once the meal plan has been increased, an adjustment will be made to your account based on the amount of time which you held each meal plan. Any cost increase will be billed to your student account.

Dining Dollars are used just as Munch Money with three exceptions:

• Dining Dollars are part of a regular meal plan where you receive initial dollars to spend toward any food service purchase on campus. Munch Money is not a part of an initial meal plan, and is purchased separately from any meal plan.
• Dining Dollars need to be used by the end of Spring quarter (June). They do not carry over to the following academic year. Balances left on Munch Money will carry over to the next academic year.
• You may not get a refund on the Dining Dollars. Munch Money remaining balances may be refunded upon graduation or withdrawal from WWU.

Students, faculty or staff of Western Washington University may purchase Munch Money. You will need your W# at time of purchase. Payment options include:

• Online with any major credit card (American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa, Carte Blanche).
• Mail payment (check only) to:
  University Dining Services
  Western Washington University
  516 High Street
  Edens Hall, Suite 109
  Bellingham, WA.98225-9196
  
• In person via cash or check only at the University Dining Services' Main Office in Edens Hall 109

The option to purchase Munch Money online will soon be available.

You will need to go to the University Dining Services Office, in Edens Administrative Level 109, and fill out a written request. A refund will be made if you are withdrawing or graduating from WWU.

The meal plan decrease dates are listed in the Residential Community Handbook that every student receives when they check into their residence hall.