Beginning on Wednesday, Oct. 1, UCSF faculty, staff and students can sign up for FastPay, the prepaid, cashless payment system accepted at retailers throughout the Parnassus campus.
FastPay will essentially turn UCSF ID badges into prefunded debit cards. Any UCSF affiliate with an updated UCSF ID badge may participate.
Users will set up a FastPay account powered by FreedomPay at http://fastpay.ucsf.edu, and will be able to activate their ID badges to be read at the point of sale. Customers can then have purchases charged to their account. They can adjust and monitor their own accounts online, and automatically deposit money from their bank accounts at regular intervals or with a declining balance, similar to the way FasTrak, the popular Bay Area electronic toll payment system, works.
As an added incentive to participate, those who sign up for new accounts before Friday, Oct. 10, 2008, will receive a $5 sign-on bonus, which will automatically be deposited into the account.
“FastPay is a convenient way to pay for purchases at UCSF and virtually eliminates the need to carry cash,” says David Odato, executive director of UCSF Medical Center Patient and Employee Services and executive sponsor of the project.
“FastPay takes technology and translates it to convenience for retail customers at UCSF,” adds Gary Forman, director of Retail Services Vendor Management. “We are pleased to be able to support the medical center on such an important initiative.”
This cashless transaction system will initially be available for purchases made at Mount Zion Café and at Parnassus retailers such as the Moffitt Café, 920 Express, Carmelina’s Taquería, Panda Express, Café Bellini, Palio Paninoteca, Subway and Courtyard Caffe.
Soon FastPay also will be accepted at the University Store, University Express, Technology Store and the Moffitt Hospital Gift Shop.
Dan Henroid, director of Nutrition and Food Services at the medical center, believes that “implementing this cashless solution will revolutionize the way customers pay at UCSF – similar to what FasTrak has done for bridge toll crossing.
“We are equally pleased that this system can be cost-effectively extended to the entire UCSF community,” says Henroid.
Of the estimated 22,000 UCSF ID badges circulating, about 10 percent have not been updated. If your card does not “beep” at a card access door, get a new card before enrolling in FastPay. Hours of operation to get a replacement ID are:
• Medical Center Security, 505 Parnassus Ave., room M 192, open around the clock
• We ID office for campus staff, Millberry Union, G level, room 18, open from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Please note that medical center departments reimburse security internally for new cards. New campus cards can be updated for $35, which may be paid directly to the We ID office by the individual or home department when authorized with a fund and DPA number.
FastPay replaces the current meal card program for residents and clinical fellows, which allows participants to pay for meals at select food vendors.
The program is sponsored by UCSF Medical Center’s Department of Nutrition and Food Services and is supported by Campus Life Services. For more information about FastPay or to sign up, visit FastPay or call Nutrition and Food Services at 415/353-1461.
