Texas A&M University is moving to a cashless environment in Aggie Dining. The university will also launch mobile ordering at most of its retail campus dining locations, with the ultimate goal of converting to an entirely cashless experience across all campus dining.
According to an official university release, the implementation of cashless technology will enable students, faculty and staff to have access to a mobile ordering app that will make their campus dining experience quicker and easier. Transact Campus will provide its mobile ordering app solution as part of the cashless overhaul.
The Transact app will enable students to order and pay for food in advance at retail dining locations across campus, including Copperhead Jack’s, Einstein Bros. Bagels, Houston Street Subs, Rev’s American Grill, Shake Smart, Cabo, Azimuth, Creekside Market and Vet Med Café. A&M will add more locations over the course of the coming year.
The mobile ordering app is free to download and available on both Android and Apple devices. To set up an account, users will first select Texas A&M as their location and add a payment option. Students can add a standard credit card or their Texas A&M meal plan with dining dollars.
When placing an order, students select the time they want to pick up their order. When ready, the student will visit the participating location’s designated mobile order pickup line to retrieve their food.
University officials say that mobile ordering is part of an larger strategy to reduce wait times and boost convenience at various campus dining locations.
“The Transact mobile ordering app allows everyone on campus to customize their dining experience,” says Donald Koshis, senior director of operations for Aggie Dining. “It is a great tool that will help our customers with its ease and convenience.”
The move to an entirely cashless dining environment will also enable the university to streamline campus operations, reduce security risks, speed-up transaction times, and mitigate health and safety concerns associated with handling cash.
Touchless payment options will also be available on campus. Students can make purchases with Apple Pay, Google Pay, debit cards, credit cards and Texas A&M dining dollars.
Reverse ATM kiosks will also be installed at A&M’s Memorial Student Center to convert cash to a Visa or Mastercard prepaid debit card, free of charge. The cards can be utilized anywhere Visa or Mastercard are accepted.
“Our new technology and systems being put in place will bring a smoother service to our customers and speed up wait times,” says David Riddle, regional vice president of Aggie Dining. “We are excited about these big changes and the positive impact they’ll have on the customer experience.”
