Card Use: The CatCard is your multi-purpose campus identification card and must be used to enter many campus buildings, obtain services, or utilize CatCard debit accounts. Your card and related accounts are non-transferrable. Except where noted below, you are responsible for any usage on your card. Your card may be confiscated if given to anyone else for use.
Lost, Stolen Cards and Replacement Fees: You should immediately report a lost or stolen CatCard. You may report the loss and immediately suspend your card online or in-person at the CatCard Office during office hours (9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, or by phone at 209-500-6464. You are responsible for all card transactions. There is no charge to suspend your card or reactivate it if recovered. CatCards that are damaged or defaced must be replaced. A $20 fee is charged to replace a lost or stolen card. No campus community member or affiliate is permitted to carry two CatCards. All old, found or expired CatCards are to be returned to the CatCard Office to be destroyed.
CatDollars
By having an open Cat Dollars account, you agree to be legally bound by all terms and conditions set forth herein. The University of California, Merced, agrees to accept and maintain deposits in a cash account for your benefit and exclusivity for the purpose described herein. These deposits shall be applied against amounts debited to your account for goods and services purchased by you at the point of sale terminals accepting payment through the use of the card. You understand that a cash account is not a credit account. Account charges may not reduce your balance below zero. You may not obtain cash or cash advances from a Cat Dollars account. Statements of account activity are available online or by visiting the CatCard Office.
Dining Meal Plans
Residential and Resident Assistant Meal Plans are tax-exempt plans available for purchase by residents only. Residential Meal plan dollars rollover from the fall to spring semester and are forfeited at the end of the academic year. Commuter meal plans are also available. Please visit the dining website for more information. Statements of plan activity are available online or at the CatCard Office.
Error Resolution
If you notice an error on a CatCard receipt or statement, contact the CatCard Office immediately at 209-500-6464, or anytime online. The CatCard Office will investigate the transaction and reply within 10 business days. If no error is found, a written explanation will be provided.
Closing Accounts, Refunds, and Inactive CatCard Accounts
A refund of an outstanding Cat Dollars account balance may be requested upon separation from the University of California, Merced, for a $5 administrative processing fee. Faculty, staff, and students are subject to the $5 processing fee. Accounts left dormant for more than 12 months are subject to a $3 monthly maintenance fee.* A reasonable attempt will be made to contact customers with a card balance of $35 or greater after 12 months. The remaining funds will be transferred to the university's holding account after 18 months of inactivity. The university will issue a check for any remaining card balance within three months of transferring funds to the university's holding account.
*pending university approval
Any returned purchases originally made on a Cat Dollars account must be credited back to that account.
Returned Checks
A $25 fee is charged for a returned e-check. The CatCard Office reserves the right to withhold the amount of the returned check until proper payment has been made. If the available funds on the cardholder’s CatCard accounts are less than the amount of the returned check, the CatCard Office may implement a registration hold on your student account and/or suspend your CatCard account until payment is received. In addition, the cardholder may be billed for the difference.
