<p>For those on a meal plan, Bama Dining has a new meal plan promo. The number of free retail meals depends on the dining plan purchased. The Bama Dining website has more details.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>That is a GREAT idea! Glad to see that Bama is trying new things.</p>
<p>Saw the promotion but wish they had a little more information about it (I couldn’t read the rules on the bottom as they got blurry when I englarged the picture). I’m all for the free retail meals though (whatever that means).<br>
I am sure this has been answered elsewhere, but can the student themselves use their “guests” passes for meals?</p>
<p>Here is the direct link: [Bama</a> Dining - The University of Alabama](<a href=“http://bamadining.ua.edu/]Bama”>http://bamadining.ua.edu/)
Scroll down past the summer plan to see the Fall promotion.</p>
<p>Does anyone know how the free refill tumbler promotion works? Can a student get a drink on the go in the tumbler at any time?</p>
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<p>Yes. And they’re not extra meals, they’re part of the however-many-meals the plan includes. They can be used for the student or a guest.</p>
<p>The freshman all-access plan gets 24 retail meals. </p>
<p>I wonder if this is being done to relieve the noon-time crowding in the dining halls?</p>
<p>I didn’t see the mention about the tumbler deal. Where is that mentioned.</p>
<p>In the past, my boys have purchased an Alabama red insulated lidded drink cup that they can refill.</p>
<p>The fine print is hard to read on the website. D got the same “flyer” in her email. It is a little easier to read:</p>
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<p>Several years ago, before Lakeside Dining was complete, the Ferg Food Court venues each had a “meal plan meal” that a student could order and it would count as a meal plan purchase. I wonder if something like that is returning?</p>
<p>With the tumbler, can they just go in and get the drink or do they have to swipe a card first to get in the dining hall?</p>
<p>Yankee Belle- I am trying to find out the same thing. I sent an email to Bama Dining but did not receive a reply. Since the students can get unlimited refills once they swipe or pay for a meal, it would really make no sense that the purpose of the free refill tumbler is to get refills while dining ( since they already do).</p>
<p>I thought that with the tumbler, they could get free refills in the food courts. That’s what my kids had. They bought the red tumbler at the Ferg Food Court.</p>
<p>S says you cannot use your own guest meals. They can only be used when you swipe your card for your own meal first. Bummer, all those guest meals going to waste. I suppose they can use them on each other if they plan it out, but what do they care, it’s our money.</p>
<p>You can donate a guest meal every semester using the Donate a Meal plan. Since son was on the 50 meal plan this year, I thought we wouldn’t have enough to do that, but he had about ten left, so we were able to donate each semester. You can go to the Bama Dining site to find out how to do this.</p>
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<p>I don’t think this is correct. Yes, they must be used when you swipe for your own meal first (meaning you can’t send a guest in without you), but that doesn’t mean a student can’t use his own guest meals. Guest meals are not extra meals. For instance, if you have the silver meal plan, you get 160 meals. You can use all 160 of those meals. Or you can use 150 of them yourself and use 10 for guests. You don’t get 10 extra meals - they’re your meals but they let you use up to 10 of them for someone else.</p>
<p>A couple questions - What is a retail combo meal? Is that something different than Dining Dollars?</p>
<p>Also, the promo says that if you sign up before 5/27 you get the free tumbler. Do you think that applies to freshmen also? 5/27 is before any of the Bama Bound sessions so I was wondering if they don’t mean for that promo to apply to freshmen. S did not get an e-mail with this promo.</p>
<p>Edit: Ok when I went to the site to try to see if I could sign him up, it appears that freshmen don’t “sign up”, they are just billed for all access. I wonder if they automatically get the 24 free meals? Guess they can’t get the free tumbler though.</p>
<p>*S says you cannot use your own guest meals. They can only be used when you swipe your card for your own meal first. Bummer, all those guest meals going to waste. I suppose they can use them on each other if they plan it out, but what do they care, it’s our money.
*</p>
<p>that is NOT true. This is how it works.</p>
<p>When the student goes thru, if he has meals on his plan, then those get used first. Once he’s thru those meals, THEN his guest meals are used for himself. </p>
<p>So, if a student has a plan with 100 meals, and 10 are “guest meals”, then REALLY the student has 100 meals to use on HIMSELF. BUT, he can only use 10 for guests, and each use, he must swipe for himself first (so using 2 meals each time a guest one is used).</p>
<p>The guest meals are STUDENT meals. If you look at the totals, you’ll see that. The “guest meal” idea is just a controlled number of student meals that can be used by a guest. </p>
<p>Kids often don’t understand these things, so don’t always believe what they say. They tend to assume a lot. lol</p>
<p>A couple questions - What is a retail combo meal? Is that something different than Dining Dollars?</p>
<p>Dining Dollars are for any retail purchase at a retail venue on campus, including vending machines.</p>
<p>I’m guessing that the retail combo meal is what I’ve described above regarding the “old way” that kids could use meal plans at the Food Court. For instance, at that time, if you went to the Italian food court venue, the combo meal was pasta, breadsticks and a soda (and maybe a small salad?). If they’re repeating that sort of scenario, then those freebie retail meals (about $6.50) may be designated combos (burger, fries, drink…or chix sand, fries, drink) that will count as one of those freebie retail purchases. If so, then Dining Dollars wouldn’t be deducted unless the student chose add’l purchases.</p>
<p>Thanks, I think that makes sense. 
Very complex!</p>
<p>And, Dining Dollars can be used in the dining halls if the student has run out of meals. I think they can also be used at the C-stores for food purchases.</p>