<p>How much are the meal plans offered by UA?</p>
<p>[Bama</a> Dining - Meal Plans](<a href=“http://bamadining.ua.edu/pages/meal-plans.html]Bama”>http://bamadining.ua.edu/pages/meal-plans.html)</p>
<p>Different question regarding Meal Plans – what are the forum’s thoughts/recommendations for incoming freshman Fall 2012 that has a housing waiver and will live off campus? She would be spending a lot of time on campus. Should she invest in lower level meal plan, what about dining dollars and such?</p>
<p>TIA for info</p>
<p>Since your daughter will also be exempt from the freshman meal plan requirement, I would wait until after the start of the school year to purchase a meal plan. Bama Dining has been offering some good incentives for upperclassmen and exempt freshmen to purchase meal plans the last couple of years and will probably do the same next year. As a side benefit, you will have until October to pay for her meal plan as you will have already paid her fall semester bill.</p>
<p>Depending on where she is on campus, she might eat often or very rarely on campus. For example, while the business school has a Subway and a coffee shop, it is closer to the Strip than it is to many of the other on-campus dining venues.</p>
<p>I agree with SEA_Tide’s suggestion about waiting to select. </p>
<p>However, she’ll have to have Dining Dollars, no way around that.</p>
<p>Can anyone walk through how the meal plan actually works? Like the whole experience of going to the dining hall and things… do you just swipe a card? Are they all you can eat?</p>
<p>Wait…so they have to have both a meal plan and dining dollars? Why would they need both? Do I assume that the dining dollars are for non food service run shops like Subway, etc?</p>
<p>*Wait…so they have to have both a meal plan and dining dollars? Why would they need both? Do I assume that the dining dollars are for non food service run shops like Subway, etc? *</p>
<p>Yes, on-campus frosh have to have a meal plan and dining dollars. Dining Dollars are refunded to you at the end of the year if you don’t use them.</p>
<p>Dining Dollars are for “retail dining”.at non-meal plan dining venues… The Food Court, Starbucks, Chick Fil A, Subway, vending machines, etc. </p>
<p>Can anyone walk through how the meal plan actually works? Like the whole experience of going to the dining hall and things… do you just swipe a card? Are they all you can eat?</p>
<p>There are 4 dining halls that accept meal plans and yes, they’re all you can eat. You swipe your card. </p>
<p>There are also numerous other “retail dining venues” (like Starbucks, Subway, Chick Fil A, Boar Head’s, etc) and those places take Dining Dollars, cash, credit, or Bama Cash.</p>
<p>Only frosh are required to have a meal plan, but all students must have Dining Dollars.</p>
<p>Here’s a link to all the on-campus dining venues…scroll down to see all the types and locations…</p>
<p><a href=“http://bamadining.ua.edu/pages/locations.html[/url]”>http://bamadining.ua.edu/pages/locations.html</a></p>
<p>Looks like I’ll be putting on my freshman 15 rather quickly…</p>
<p>Meal Plans </p>
<pre><code>Burke Dining Hall
Bryant Sports Grill
Fresh Food Co.
Lakeside Dining
</code></pre>
<p>**Retail Dining **</p>
<pre><code>Buffalo Phil’s located at Burke
Buffalo Phil’s Express located at Lakeside
Campus Drive HUB P.O.D
Bama Cabana located at Rec Center Pool
Subway at Alston
Rowand Johnson Hall Cart
Food Court in The Ferg
Topio’s Pizza
Bama Dog House
Burger King
Chick-fil-A
Grab-n-Go
Home Zone
Minh
Pan Geos/Spudz
Soup/Salad
Subway in Ferguson Center
Sushi
Zoca
Stewart’s Corner Lloyds Hall
Boar’s Head Deli
Chick-fil-A
Bama Dog House/Spudz
Pizza Hut
</code></pre>
<p>Coffee </p>
<pre><code>The Bistro
Java City in Gorgas Library
Starbucks in Ferguson Center
</code></pre>
<p>C-Stores </p>
<pre><code>Julia’s Market
Lakeside Market
Science & Engineering P.O.D.
</code></pre>
<p>
</p>
<p>Not according to “Men’s Fitness” :)</p>
<p>[University</a> of Alabama News UA Ranked 10th Fittest Campus in Nation](<a href=“http://uanews.ua.edu/2011/11/ua-ranked-10th-fittest-campus-in-nation/]University”>http://uanews.ua.edu/2011/11/ua-ranked-10th-fittest-campus-in-nation/)</p>
<p>Hahaha, kidding. I’ll be in the rec center and the RCS basketball court allll the time. Are there indoor courts in the rec center/somewhere else?</p>
<p>The indoor courts are in the rec center. There are two very large gyms that each hold several basketball courts.</p>
<p>*TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The dreaded freshman weight gain may be a thing of the past on The University of Alabama campus, recently ranked 10th among the 25 fittest campuses in the country by “Men’s Fitness.” </p>
<p>UA was named to the elite campus ranking for its “top-notch workout facilities, healthy food choices and opportunities to stay active,” according to “Men’s Fitness.” </p>
<p>UA students have options to eat healthy and stay fit all across campus. Through the campus bike program, students can cycle to classes. The Student Recreation Center, a state of-the-art fitness center, features a climbing wall, indoor and outdoor pools, as well as 119 cardio machines and 100 strength-training machines. The SRC staff offers personal training, body composition and movement tests, and a wide range of exercise classes. </p>
<p>*</p>
<p>Thanks for the info on meal plans – from this thread and from reading UA site I think I have it, but just to be sure:</p>
<p>Meal Plans, Dining Dollars, Bama Cash are all loaded on the ACT card…</p>
<p>Meal Plans can only be used at the all you can eat dining facilities…</p>
<p>Dining Dollars and Bama Cash can also be used at the all you can eat dining facilities…</p>
<p>Meal Plans save approx 40 cents on most expensive meal (Dinner), but it is same price for all meals – a finite number of meals or in some cases “grab and go” items</p>
<p>300 Dining Dollars will be loaded to ACT card upon full time registration</p>
<p>Parents can supplement the Dining Dollars with Bama Cash as needed to cover meals and other items that may be needed (that accept Bama Cash)</p>
<p>Seems to me, as long as I trust Daughter, and do not put too much Bama Cash on account at once, it would be a better option to just use the 300 Dining Dollars for use either at all you can eat dining halls or retail dining locations – and supplement as needed with Bama Cash.</p>
<p>I’ve probably got it wrong.</p>
<p>RTR</p>
<p>What’s the difference between dining dollars and Bama Cash?</p>
<p>What is the difference between Dining Dollars and Bama Cash debit accounts on the Action Card?
All undergraduate students with 9 or more hours will join our Dining Dollars program. A balance of $300 per fall and spring semester (and $100 per summer) is automatically billed to your account. These funds are available for use at all campus Bama Dining locations plus all Domino’s Pizza, Buffalo Phil’s, Crimson Cafe, Strip Tea’s & Coffee and campus vending machines. Bama Cash accounts are optional. With a pre-deposit of funds, you can then use your Action Card to make purchases at participating locations both on and off campus.</p>
<p>So, dining dollars is extra money for dining halls and certain restaurants, and Bama Cash is more like a debit account? That seems confusing.</p>
<p>Dining dollars are required: $300 per semester. You do not have to spend any of it. But it can be used various places off campus. There is a process to get the money back at the end of the year or semester. (Don’t remember it offhand.)</p>
<p>The Bama Cash is not required at all. But you will probably want around $50 on your account for doing laundry and such. The washing machines and dryers take Bama Cash. The money is “on” your Action Card. (It’s an ID card that you get at orientation.)</p>
<p>I know it seems confusing.</p>
<p>tommykirkpatrick: Regarding that Freshman 15, you’d be amazed that you may gain very little weight at UA. Remember, you need to walk a lot to get to and from classes, the dining hall and other activities. My son once said that he figured that he walked two or three miles a day. He rarely takes the Crimson Ride anywhere. In his two-plus years of college, he’s gained more weight coming home on Christmas break.</p>
<p>BamaAF quote</p>
<p>*Meal Plans can only be used at the all you can eat dining facilities…</p>
<p>Dining Dollars and Bama Cash can also be used at the all you can eat dining facilities…
*</p>
<p>Yes, Meal Plans are only used at the 4 Dining Halls that are “all you can eat.”</p>
<p>While DD and BC can be used at the “all you can eat” dining halls, that’s usually not the case. However, since your D will be off-campus, that might be an option she’d use. If she didn’t do any “retail dining” then with $300 DD per semester, she could buy over 30 lunches on campus…which would be about 2 lunches per week. </p>
<p>Usually, kids use their DD for “retail dining” (see post #10) and use their Bama Cash for Laundry and anything else. We only use BC for laundry. My kids used their Alabama Credit Union debit cards for anything else.</p>
<p>*So, dining dollars is extra money for dining halls and certain restaurants, and Bama Cash is more like a debit account? That seems confusing. *</p>
<p>It is at first. We just kept it simple. Kids used DD for “retail dining” and we only put a small amount into Bama Cash…just enough to do laundry since laundry is discounted that way. Then they used their bank debit card for anything else.</p>
<p>Dining Dollars (or Flex Dollars as other colleges call these dollars) are needed otherwise it would be hard for the retail dining venues to justify being on campus since their businesses mostly only get sales during school hours and not much at night, weekends, or summers…</p>