Card, mobile credential, payment and security
Phased elimination plan concludes at the end of June
Last summer, Harvard announced that it was phasing out its decades-old Crimson Cash declining balance program. Citing declining usage and the prevalence of open system debit and credit cards, they began a yearlong multi-step elimination plan.
This month, the final stages of this plan will be complete, and the one of higher ed’s pioneering declining balance and off-campus merchant programs will be no more.
In 2024, residential dining, gyms, and vending ceased to accept the payment method. The once-popular off-campus merchant program managed by the university also ended, with Grubhub stepping in to fill the gap.
At the start of 2025, Crimson Cash was no longer accepted at retail dining locations.
This left three areas to complete the phase out – laundry, copy/print, and Student Grilles. These areas were more difficult to eliminate as they relied heavily or exclusively on Crimson Cash.
The solution for laundry came via a payment app from the institution’s laundry provider CSC. The CSCPayMobile App lets students add funds to a dedicated laundry account to pay for services.
“This will be a significant improvement to user convenience accepting all major credit cards as well as Apple Pay and Google Pay,” says the Crimson Cash website. “In addition, the app will show the availability of machines, wash and dry cycle status, and account balance information.”
TouchNet is providing the solution for the Grilles and copy/print services.
The Student Grilles – which previously only accepted Crimson Cash and flex bucks – will now accept credit and debit cards via the TouchNet solution. They will continue to accept BoardPlus, the $65 of flex bucks provided with undergraduate meal plans.
Harvard’s copy and print services, known as Crimson Print, will complete the transition to a dedicated account that can be recharged via debit or credit card through the TouchNet payment gateway.
As described by the Crimson Cash site, “students and guests will be able to add to or manage their printing account balances from the Crimson Print web portal.”
As of June 30, there will be no place left for students to use any remaining Crimson Cash funds. They can, however, request a refund online until June 30, 2026.
R.I.P. Crimson Cash. You were a model for campuses across the country and made life better for hundreds of thousands of students over the years.
