Meal Plan Policies 2024-25 - Carolina Dining Services

MEAL PLANS

Students must be actively enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to be eligible for a Meal Plan.

Meal Plans are purchased online at onecard.unc.edu. Charges will appear on the student’s University account billed by Student Accounts and University Receivables.

All of our Fall 2024 – Spring 2025 on-campus Meal Plans (Unlimited and Block) are ANNUAL CONTRACTS paid per semester. The fall semester portion of the contract is billed when a student first purchases the Meal Plan, and the spring semester portion is billed automatically to the student’s account for the spring semester. The student will be billed for the same Meal Plan type in the spring semester unless the Meal Plan is changed or canceled in accordance with these policies (Off-Campus plans excluded).

Meal Plans may be purchased online until September 3, 2024. Meal Plan purchases made AFTER September 3, 2024, must be made in person at the UNC One Card Office. Starting October 24, 2024, any student who did not purchase a Meal Plan for the fall semester may purchase a Meal Plan for the spring semester. After January 17, 2025, all spring Meal Plan purchases must be made in person at the UNC One Card Office.

For the fall semester, Meal Plans begin on Wednesday, August 14, 2024, at dinner, and end on Saturday, December 14, 2024, at breakfast. For the spring semester, Meal Plans start on Sunday, January 05, 2025 at dinner and end on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at breakfast. Meal Plans are not available for use during official University holidays and breaks unless otherwise specified.

PLUS Swipes are part of the Meal Plan’s total swipe allotment and are not additional meals. (For example: Block 200 allows 200 total meals during the semester and up to 35 of those meals can be used as PLUS Swipes. This plan could be used as 165 Meal Swipes in the dining halls and 35 PLUS Swipes. If the student only uses 10 PLUS Swipes, they would have 190 Meal Swipes for use in the dining halls).

PLUS Swipes and Meal Swipes do not transfer over from semester to semester – at the end of each semester, all remaining Meal Swipes (including PLUS Swipes) purchased for that semester expire. For the fall semester, all remaining Meal Swipes expire on December 14, 2024, after breakfast. For the spring semester, all remaining Meal Swipes expire on May 10, 2025 after breakfast.

PLUS Swipes may only be utilized for select meals in select Carolina Dining Services (CDS) retail locations. A PLUS Swipe may only be used once per meal period (Breakfast, Lunch, Late Lunch, Dinner, Late Night). Upon utilizing a PLUS Swipe, the Meal Plan participant will be unable to access an all-you-care-to-eat dining hall (Top of Lenoir and Chase Dining Hall) for fifteen minutes.

FLEX

Flex is money that can be added to a student’s One Card and works like a debit card (declining balance). Flex can only be added to a student’s account if the student is actively enrolled in either an On-Campus or Off-Campus Meal Plan. Flex can only be used for food purchases at approved CDS locations, which includes delivery orders (delivered to an on-campus address) from participating local restaurants, Takeout Central and on-campus food trucks.

$200 Flex comes with the purchase of the 100 Block plan or can be added to any On-Campus or Off-Campus Meal Plan. Additional Flex may be purchased online at onecard.unc.edu throughout the year in $50, $100, $200, $300, $400 or $500 amounts. Charges will appear on the student’s University account billed by Student Accounts and University Receivables.

The last day to add Flex in the fall semester will be December 3, 2024. The last day to add Flex in the spring semester will be April 28, 2025.

Flex is nonrefundable. At the end of the semester, any leftover Flex will be rolled over to the student’s account for the next semester (including any Bonus Flex that was awarded during the year during applicable promotions). This will occur for every semester provided the student continues to be actively and consecutively enrolled at the University. Meal Plans are not available for use during the summer; however, students may use any leftover Flex added prior to April 28, 2025 during the summer semester. If a student is no longer enrolled in classes, Flex will be cleared from the students account following the end of the fall or spring semester.

OFF-CAMPUS PLANS

Fall semester Off-Campus Meal Plans will be available for purchase beginning August 01, 2024. Off-Campus Meal Plans are semester contracts. Students that sign up for a fall semester Off-Campus Block or Flex Plan will not automatically be enrolled for the spring semester. The last day to add an Off-Campus Plan for the fall semester will be December 3, 2024. Students will need to sign up again for the spring semester between December 16, 2024 and April 28, 2025.

Off-Campus Meal Plans are only available to students living off campus, living in Ram Village, Granville Towers, Baity Hill, and students in a fraternity or sorority. See specific rules regarding GREEK CHANGES.

CHANGES AND CANCELLATIONS

FALL 2024: A student may request to change or cancel their previously selected Meal Plan through September 3, 2024. Changes prior to September 3, 2024 will be credited back to the student’s account on a prorated basis at Student Accounts and University Receivables. Block Plan refunds are prorated per unused swipe and Unlimited Plan refunds are prorated per day. The new Meal Plan chosen will be billed in full.

There is no charge for the first change during this time; however, there is a $50 processing fee for each change thereafter. For cancellations after September 3, 2024 there is a $250 cancellation fee.

SPRING 2025: Requests to change the spring semester portion of the 2024-25 Meal Plan contract must be made online at onecard.unc.edu between October 24, 2024 and January 17, 2025. Any approved changes will be credited back to the student’s account on a prorated basis at Student Accounts and University Receivables. Block Plan refunds are pro-rated per unused swipe and Unlimited Plan refunds are prorated per day. The new Meal Plan chosen will be billed in full.

Contact CDS at 1.800.UNC.MEAL to discuss potential Meal Plan change costs.

After September 3, 2024, all emergencies necessitating account changes will be handled on an individual basis by contacting the UNC One Card Office. If this emergency results in a second Meal Plan change, the student may be required to pay a $50 processing fee. If the emergency results in a cancellation, the student may be required to pay a $250 cancellation fee.

Changes to a student’s spring semester Meal Plan must be made online at onecard.unc.edu.

GREEK CHANGES AND CANCELLATIONS

After September 3, 2024, a student who pledges a fraternity or sorority with a mandatory meal program may change or cancel their Meal Plan. As long as the student provides a dated bid card from the Greek organization to the One Card Office within ONE WEEK of receiving the bid, they will only be charged a $50 processing fee at the time of cancellation.

Upon change or cancellation, any Meal Plan balance will be credited back (on a prorated basis) to the student’s account at Student Accounts and University Receivables, less the appropriate fees.

Students requesting to cancel their Meals Plans after one week of receiving the bid will be charged a $250 cancellation fee.

LEAVING THE UNIVERSITY AND STUDY ABROAD

A student who is no longer studying at the University at the end of the fall semester for any reason (study abroad, graduation, medical leave, dismissal, etc.) has the right to cancel their Meal Plan for the spring semester without charge. The amount charged to the student’s account for the spring semester will be credited in full. Students must provide documentation from the appropriate University office (the Registrar for graduation, the Study Abroad Office for semesters abroad) to the One Card Office by December 13, 2024 to receive a full spring refund.

CAROLINA DINING SERVICES, ONE CARD AND UNIVERSITY POLICIES

Per University policy, One Cards are nontransferable. One Cards found to be used by individuals other than the assignee are subject to immediate confiscation by CDS staff and reporting to the Honor System as an honor code violation.  Visit onecard.unc.edu for full One Card policies.

For customers’ safety, shirts and shoes must be worn at all times in dining facilities. Individuals not complying with this policy will be asked to leave the premises.

Smoking of any sort (including e-cigarettes) is forbidden in the dining facilities. Individuals not complying with this policy will be asked to leave the premises.

Meals taken away in CDS reusable to-go containers count as ONE Meal Swipe. If students wish to eat a meal in the dining hall as well as take a meal to go, they will be charged for TWO Meal Swipes. Individuals abusing or not complying with this policy may have their to-go privileges suspended. Reusable boxes are not included in Flex Plans. Customers have the option to pay for a reusable box via credit card or using Flex.

Each Meal Swipe is valid for a single meal period in the dining halls. Individuals who wish to remain in the dining halls over multiple meal periods may be asked to re-swipe their cards.

Individuals are not permitted to solicit in dining facilities. Any individual not complying with this policy will be asked to desist or leave the premises.

Outside posters, flyers and other printed materials are not permitted to be posted in dining facilities. All posted materials will either be food service or emergency/health notifications approved by CDS.

Individuals are expected to comply with University policies including, but not limited to, those set forth at policies.unc.edu.

MODIFICATION OF TERMS 

Carolina Dining Services and the UNC One Card Office reserve the right to alter or change any statement contained herein. A current version of these terms is available online at onecard.unc.edu or by request at the UNC One Card Office located in the Student Stores Building. The University shall not be responsible for any failure to provide meals in the event conditions exist not wholly within its control (i.e. acts of God, fire, strikes, natural disasters, etc).