The whole "flex dollars" and stuff is very confusing, and I was just wondering which meal plan I should get? Is there any disadvanatge of getting a small meal plan and just adding money later on?

Or do you think it will be easy to use up a regular meal plan (Im a fairly big eater) without worrying about having money left-over at the end of the year?

Im trying to do my res application so any advice would be helpful.

For some reason it wont let me edit, but I have this to add:

With the small meal plan, you have the lowest amount in your BASIC account, ensuring that you will use it all up by the end of the year. And if you run out, you can add flex dollars which are refudable (unlike the basic dollars) and are also non-taxable....I dont see why anyone would get anything other than the smallest meal plan....unless its a big hassle to add flex dollars.

I ate throught a regular in about six months....but went home rarely and likely wasted a bunch of money on drinks (BRING YOUR OWN! ITS WAY CHEAPER THAT WAY!!).

However, if you're stuck with money at the end of the year the school gets whatever you don't spend. Sometimes students end up with a few hundred dollars...and scramble to spend it all. Because you don't want to buy cases of chocolate bars...you are MUCH BETTER OFF TO GET A SMALLER MEAL PLAN THAN YOU'LL NEED THAN ONE THAT IS TOO BIG.

And also...the amount Hospitality expects you to spend in a day is...rediculous. Most of the time you spend the amount for the entire day by lunch. So I wouldn't get the smallest plan.

Well, marked down the regular so i should be okay....the difference between the regular and the small is only $200 so it shouldn't make a huge difference

wow, that is a small difference. times have changed since my first year.

From the way it was last year (and I'm assuming it hasn't changed...) only the BASIC portion of the meal plan is non-refundable. The way I understand it is that since the BASIC part of each type of plan is the same (2300 or whatever it is), it really doesn't matter which one you choose - any extra money that you put on is refundable. It's nice to have some money in the FLEX though, cause it allows you to use meal plan off campus, whether it's at a sit down restaurant, or 3am Pita Pit delivery.

I'm a fairly big eater as well and I bought the large meal plan-- and finished it. It really depends on how often you plan on staying. For instance, some people buy small meal plans and it's fine because they go home every weekend and bring back food. However, some people are going to be there every weekend and eat a lot. A regular is a safer bet than a small. I would recommend a regular or a large though. However, if home is close by I would recommend the regular over the large. If home isn't nearby and you're a big eater consider the large. If you do choose a regular you can always add money later. Flex dollars are usually easy to waste because you can use it at Quarters, Kelseys, Boston Pizza, Pizza Pizza and a bunch of other places. Most people don't have that much money left on their flex account because they tend to eat out a lot.

Originally Posted by J-Met

The whole "flex dollars" and stuff is very confusing, and I was just wondering which meal plan I should get? Is there any disadvanatge of getting a small meal plan and just adding money later on?

Or do you think it will be easy to use up a regular meal plan (Im a fairly big eater) without worrying about having money left-over at the end of the year?

Im trying to do my res application so any advice would be helpful.

TO be honest you guys, I can remember my friends from residence taking us to lunch to BISTRO to finish off the card. It is wise to take the lowest amount and the add money as you go along. There are some really great places outside where you can use the meal card so dont worry about spending it only in campus.

for those who dont stay in residence----You can add money into your meal card with minimum of $ 100 to begin with. I highly recommend this because you can save some cash on tax when you buy food from campus once in a while.

I'll try and briefly explain the three types:

BASIC: This is your 'base' amount of money you have to spend during the school year. It is non refundable. Also, when you spend from this you get a 14% discount (save the taxes) on food. Money in here cannot be used to dine at Off-Campus vendors.

FLEX: This is basically the exact same as 'basic', and you buy FLEX dollars once you've used up your basic dollars and need extra. There's no point buying FLEX dollars until you've used up the BASIC since they'll take from your BASIC until its all used up. Money spend from here gets you a 14% discount (save the taxes) on food and cannot be used to dine at Off-Campus vendors.

FREEDOM: This is the best option since it can be used on or off campus at the restaurants that have partnered up with Hospitality Services (Quarters, Easstside Marios, Boston Pizza, Pizza Pizza, Pita Pit, Kelsey's, Basilique, Gino's Pizza). Plus you can add money to this easily via the web, it is refundable at any time, and you only have to put $100 minimum on it to start. The only negative thing about this is that you only get a 5% discount instead of 14% with the basic/flex money.



I took a look at the plans and if you're in res and expect to eat some hot breakfasts (eggs, etc), lunches and occasional dinners on campus I would recommend getting the Small plan ($2650) and adding FREEDOM dollars onto it as you need them. Freedom dollars are now much easier to add then they were years ago. I lived off-campus in my first year and used the Freedom dollars because I wanted the 5% discount.

In the past you had to go to the commons building, fill out a paper form, then pay the amount in person and it took 24 hrs to show up on your account. This has now changed and they've added the ability to do it online. You can go to https://mealcard.mcmaster.ca/ and top up right from your res room via credit card, etc. so if you end up running out for the month just add more freedom dollars. You can also check your balance online to see what you have left.

Think about it for a second. You're in residence... you do have the ability to cook your own meals if you wanted to (there's even clubs on campus that help teach you how to cook!) and cooking your own meals is much cheaper. Second, you are going to get sick and tired of campus food very quickly. Eating pizza and burgers each day has it's toll on you and after realizing that there's more to life than junk food, you'll start to want to eat more healthy choices and you'll want more variety. To do this, you'll want to eat off campus such as going to Pita Pit, Basilique, Boston Pizza, SUBWAY, Tally Ho, Pancake House, etc. with your friends. Some of these places accept the freedom dollars, but you'll be spending your own out-of-pocket money most of the time.. money that isn't locked into a meal plan.

PLUS... Union Market does NOT ACCEPT STUDENT CARDS. Thus you can't use your meal plan there. This is what a lot of students forget, and so they don't buy from there since they want to use up their meal plan money. Union Market has a ton of GREAT deals ($1.05 chocolate milk, cheap cheap bagels / creamcheese, cheap deals on bottled water and cans of pop, etc. Everything is cheaper at Union Market). So you'll want to have pocket money to buy things from there that isn't locked into a meal plan.

My tips for the day. It's a long post, I may turn into an article lol


UPDATE: See said post here.