<p>I’ve tried reading up on the meal plans and I’m still pretty confused. I know at many colleges like Wisconsin & UNC they just have a card which you can swipe everytime you eat a meal, and money is taken off of it (like a debit card). </p>
<p>Does U of I have something like this? Because I’m more of a snacker so I don’t eat every meal and I’m definitely not planning on eating in the dining halls for every single one.</p>
<p>I’d just like to add to this question: What exactly are cafe credits?</p>
<p>Included in the meal plan:
Classic meals = Swiped whenever you eat a regular meal in the dining halls. Buffet style.
Cafe credits = Basically, $1 = 1 credit. You can use it to buy snacks at a la carte locations or at late night. chips, drinks, smoothies, and pizza are the norm. You can also use cafe credits to pay for the equivalent of a classic meal or to bring in a guest that doesn’t have a meal plan.</p>
<p>The meal plans are updated weekly. If you don’t use up all your classic meals, you lose them, but you can only have up to double your weekly cafe credits. </p>
<p>for example, you have a 12 classic meal plan + 15 cafe credits/week. at the beginning of every week, you’ll start with 12 classic meals, no more, no less. But you cafe credits will carry from week to week, though you can never exceed 30 credits.</p>
<p>You can also add extra credits by cash/credit card, which are just like cafe credits, except they don’t expire. you can also use extra credits in the university housing laundry rooms.</p>