<p>the way the bing meal plans work is you pay $X and they deduct an amount upfront to cover their overhead – the amount left is what you get to spend. since they deduct the overhead upfront, the prices in the dining hall are pretty cheap. but you can also use your money at retail locations (food court, coffee kiosk) where the prices are higher. there are several different levels of meal plan you can start off with – the one they automatically put students in is a middle level for an average eater.</p>
<p>if your son simply eats a lot of food in the dining hall, or buys often at retail locations, he could use up his money. it is easy to add additional money – all the additional money you add is spending money (no additional overhead is deducted).</p>
<p>you can choose a higher level meal plan for future semesters if you want, or you can just add whenever he needs more money. money left at the end of a semester carries over to the next semester IF you still have a meal plan.</p>