hey so the off campus meal plan/ meal card system is a bit confusing,

for the freedom plan: you have to deposit 100$ right and then you can add as much as you want to it? can u also remove money from this plan? also does it have a time limit as in you have to use that amount up in a given period of time

for the term plan: for this plan you have to use the money up in the 4 week term you have right? or you can also extend the term at a rate of 55$/week. but in the end you have to use it all up within the given term or its gone right? so for eg. if i only take the original 220$ for the 4 weeks min and then i dont extend it than after the 4 weeks ill loose what ever is on it right?

..

which plans have you taken for off campus/suggest?

There's an offcampus meal plan? And now I'm wondering where I'm going to eat when I'll be moving in.

trust me, there are alot of places to eat in mcmaster

Freedom plan: You have to add min. $20 each time. There's no time limit, it just carries over the next year. When you graduate, if you have money remaining then you can get a refund for that amount.

I used the freedom plan because it was the most convenient (could add money whenever you were getting low, could get a refund at the end, etc).

Originally Posted by Chevalier

hey so the off campus meal plan/ meal card system is a bit confusing,

for the freedom plan: you have to deposit 100$ right and then you can add as much as you want to it? can u also remove money from this plan? also does it have a time limit as in you have to use that amount up in a given period of time

for the term plan: for this plan you have to use the money up in the 4 week term you have right? or you can also extend the term at a rate of 55$/week. but in the end you have to use it all up within the given term or its gone right? so for eg. if i only take the original 220$ for the 4 weeks min and then i dont extend it than after the 4 weeks ill loose what ever is on it right?

..

which plans have you taken for off campus/suggest?

Well how often are you going to be eating on campus?

What I did is I got the term plan for 30-ish weeks (which is the whole school year), as I'm thinking of eating on campus at least once day and the odd weekend I'm staying in Hamilton, as I'm usually in Toronto for the weekend. Then when that runs out I'll either do a freedom plan or just pay by cash.

What's good about the term plan is that it's tax-free purchases. But also make sure if you go with that you use it all up because you won't get any remaining money back once you finished "x" amount of weeks.

I lived on res first year (had a meal plan), and then after that I didn't bother with any of their specific plans, I just kept reloading money on. It's tax-free, also.

Originally Posted by nerual

I lived on res first year (had a meal plan), and then after that I didn't bother with any of their specific plans, I just kept reloading money on. It's tax-free, also.

Not entirely tax free. The term plan is entirely tax free (13%) while the freedom plan is only 5% (or is it 8%?).

Originally Posted by jhan523

Not entirely tax free. The term plan is entirely tax free (13%) while the freedom plan is only 5% (or is it 8%?).

I don't have a "plan", though. I just randomly add money. The freedom plan requires that you first load $100, which I haven't done. I think it's technically adding money to whatever plan I had in first year. The tax does get deducted, though.

Originally Posted by nerual

I don't have a "plan", though. I just randomly add money. The freedom plan requires that you first load $100, which I haven't done. I think it's technically adding money to whatever plan I had in first year. The tax does get deducted, though.

Yeah, I've never set up the actual freedom plan using the form either. I just add money to my meal card. The money still goes in the freedom account though, and I notice that I'm still paying taxes.

Originally Posted by jhan523

Yeah, I've never set up the actual freedom plan using the form either. I just add money to my meal card. The money still goes in the freedom account though, and I notice that I'm still paying taxes.

Weird :S I definitely don't pay taxes--that's one of the main reasons I keep doing it, and why I buy my coffee on campus instead of at the Tim Horton's near my house.