<p>Is there a fee for opening a FLEX account?</p>
<p>No, not at all. Personally, I didn't use flex at all my freshman year, and I still don't. I really don't see the point. It's just cash that you cant use off campus. Why not just go to the ATM when you need money and pull 10 bucks out? The only convenience I really felt was nice was that you could use it for the washers/dryers and didn't have to rummage for quarters. Go ahead and open it, then you can add money to it during the year if you feel like it.</p>
<p>Flex is nice because you can use it for laundry and for vending/copier machines (as well as just about anything else - including food - on campus). I like not having to carry much cash or any change around, personally.</p>
<p>When I was a freshman, the computer store could deal with Flex tax-free, but I'm pretty sure that's not the case anymore.</p>
<p>No - FLEX is still tax-free anywhere on campus, which is a nice benefit to using it instead of cash. The main benefit, in my opinion, was that when I went out at night I never, ever had to bring around a purse with me - I just stuck my cell phone in 1 pocket and my keyring with attached room key and DukeCard in the other. Then again, you could do the same with loose cash or a credit card I guess, but since you're always going to be carrying around your DukeCard ANYWAY (since you need it to get into buildings, basketball games, etc.), it's just one less thing to worry about grabbing before you head out, and you know you always have some money on you. I used FLEX for all sorts of things - mostly textbooks, laundry, copies, and Duke clothing purchases - but especially if you plan on buying textbooks through something other than FLEX, you don't need more than 50-75 dollars on there to start with. I just suggest having some on there because you never know when you're going to need copies and you don't have cash on you, and it's so much easier to swipe your DukeCard through a machine than go rummaging around your room for quarters.</p>
<p>But wait, I tried to use flex at the bookstore and they always charged me tax... I feel ripped off now... :p</p>
<p>if my parents were planning on giving me a debit card when school starts, why should I get a FLEX account? What are the differences?</p>
<p>Flex works in vending machines and copiers, and there's also that no-tax thing. AND - you don't have to sign any receipts :)</p>
<p>I worked at Mad Hatter's on campus last year (and will work there again next year). Let me tell you from the viewpoint of someone who has to deal with many people and a lot of money... FLEX and Food points are so much better than cash and debit cards. Our credit card machine is crappy, and it usually takes about a minute for it to print the receipt... and you have to wait around to sign it. Plus at the end of the semester, a lot of people run out of Food points, so they can easily resort to FLEX. Just my two cents.</p>
<p><em>pastes post from older flex thread</em></p>
<p>Flex is incredibly useful, as it's usable anywhere on campus (washing machines, vending machines, all stores, copies are cheaper with it (7 cents instead of 10?)), entirely refundable upon closing the account, and all the money stays with you as long as you have your DukeCard. You can deposit at any time. The Card Office is never closed, so you can open one at any time. You don't have to deposit to open an account, and it's free to open, so go ahead and open. You can deposit money electronically like by charging Flex to bursar, but you can't open an account online, so it's good to already have open and available for your use. 97% of undergrads have Flex accounts at any given time.</p>
<p>All in all, it's a good good option to have, especially to minimize carrying cash around on campus. Sure, you'll need cash going off campus, but if you do lose your card or it gets stolen, you can just call up the card office to get it shut off and avoid losing any money besides the $10 it takes to get a new card (which can also be charged to bursar, haha!)</p>
<p>So how much FLEX do you guys recommend? 100, 250, 500, or 750 seem to be the options.</p>
<p>Unless you're sure you'll be using FLEX all the time, go with 100 - you can always add on more through the bursar website (you just type in the number on your Duke card, it's easy and you can do it from your own computer at any time) if you need more on there. Also, any unused FLEX money gets returned to you via refund check. 100 may seem like a lot, but even if you only use it for laundry & a few minor purchases, it adds up over the semester.</p>
<p>You can always add more, and over four years at Duke, you'll likely use FLEX enough for any of those amounts, depending on your buying habits. I've seen people add 1k$ right off the bat.</p>
<p>Depends on if you are planning to use Flex to buy books :)</p>
<p>I went with the initial max ($750), used it to buy books, do laundry, pick up the occassional set of school supplies, and then used what was left to pay a balance on tuition.</p>