OneCard Policy

To establish the purpose, acceptable use of Seneca Polytechnic OneCards and the rights, and responsibilities of Seneca Polytechnic OneCard holders.

This policy applies to all Seneca stakeholders (e.g., employees, students, contractors and community members) who possess a OneCard.

A OneCard-based account from which purchases, other than those related to meal plans, will be deducted. Declining balance account transactions include those made for printing, dining services, library services and purchases at the Campus Store.

An account within a cardholder’s OneCard record that provides benefits when purchasing food on a Seneca campus.

A Seneca-issued photo identification, physically on a printed card, or virtually through an app, which provides access to Seneca services and spaces.

The duration during which a meal plan remains tax exempt. The tax-free status shall expire at the end of the time period for which a meal plan was purchased (e.g., two months, one semester or two semesters).

1. Seneca collects cardholder personal information under the authority of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act to:
   • verify cardholder identity
   • connect the OneCard to payment card networks
   • provide the services associated with OneCard
   • administer Seneca programs and activities
   • carry out Seneca services and functions
2. Cardholders’ digital photographs will be printed on their OneCard and stored in Seneca’s database.
3. All photos used for a OneCard, including those submitted by a cardholder, are Seneca property and may be shared with Seneca faculties, services, employees and OneCard service providers to identify the cardholder as a member of the Seneca community.
4. Without limiting section 2.1, 2.2 or 2.3 of this policy, any digital photographs of government-issued identification the Cardholder chooses to submit will be stored in Seneca’s database until they can be checked and approved.
5. After approval, digital photographs of government-issued identification will automatically be deleted.
6. For Cardholders using a Virtual Card, some additional information is recorded to identify the device to transaction devices. The app requires a small amount of local storage but does not access any other files.

• Appendix A: OneCard Procedure
• Campus Meal Plans webpage

• Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Policy

• Acts and regulations of Ontario
• Acts and regulations of Canada
• Canadian Revenue Agency
• Income Tax Act

1. Cardholders must first attempt to settle any OneCard purchase disputes directly with the service provider at the point of purchase before approaching Seneca to resolve the dispute.
2. Cardholders must notify the OneCard office in person within 30 calendar days of the date of a disputed charge if they are unable to successfully resolve with a dispute the service provider.
3. Cardholders must provide the OneCard Office with the date, location and amount of the transaction, along with any other information that may help employees resolve their claim.
4. Charge disputes are dealt with on a case-by-case basis and disputing a charge does not guarantee a credit to the cardholder’s account.

1. Depending on the circumstances, and subject to this policy, the OneCard Office may provide a refund upon receipt of a written request, submitted in-person by the account holder.
2. A refund on a cardholder’s OneCard account will be subject to applicable Meal Plan, Declining Balance and Parking Plan account regulations.
3. Refunds may be reduced by the amount of any Harmonized Sales Tax, any other applicable taxes or any discount offered by a service provider through a cardholder’s OneCard account.
4. Refunds under $25 will not be issued except at graduation or at the time of a student’s withdrawal from Seneca.
5. Refunds over $25 are subject to a $25 administration fee. This fee is waived at graduation or withdrawal from Seneca.
6. Seneca reserves the right to deduct any outstanding balances on a cardholder’s student account from their refund.
7. Refunds will be returned to the original credit card or in the original method of payment used by the cardholder.
8. Funds in promotional accounts are non-refundable and non-transferable and are subject to expiry as determined by the OneCard Office.

1. Cardholders are responsible for:
   • safeguarding their OneCard against loss or theft
   • maintaining it in proper working condition
   • keeping their online account password and PIN confidential
   • keeping their device locked and secured with a password or pattern when using the virtual OneCard
2. Cardholders must change their password or PIN online immediately if they suspect another individual has obtained it.

1. If a OneCard is lost or stolen, the cardholder must immediately deactivate their OneCard online, in person or by phone through the OneCard office; an email or voice message does not constitute proper notification to the OneCard Office of a lost or stolen OneCard.
2. A replacement fee of $20 (taxes included) will be charged for a replacement physical OneCard. A cardholder’s client accounts will be reactivated only after the replacement fee is paid, their student or employee status has been verified and a new OneCard has been issued.
3. Cardholders will be responsible for all transactions made on their OneCard until it is reported lost or stolen.
4. Seneca will not be responsible for funds or services obtained using a lost or stolen OneCard.
5. Cardholders will not be responsible for unauthorized use of a OneCard after it is deactivated.
6. When a physical OneCard is deactivated, it cannot be reactivated. The user must have a new OneCard printed and/or use the Virtual OneCard.
7. When a new physical OneCard is issued, any previous physical OneCards will be permanently deactivated.

1. All OneCard declining balance and Meal Plan account funds are in Canadian dollars.
2. All deposits in a OneCard account must be received by Seneca in Canadian funds.
3. The intended amount of deposits made using a debit or credit card outside of Canada may not be equivalent to the amount actually deposited due to currency exchange rates.

1. Meal Plan account: For more information on residual funds related to a Meal Plan account, refer to section 13 of this procedure.
2. Inactive account: If a cardholder’s OneCard remains inactive for a period of one calendar year, all funds remaining in their OneCard accounts as of the final day of the next term after the one-year mark shall become property of Seneca and will no longer be available to the cardholder.

1. Any employee or OneCard service provider may confiscate a physical OneCard if the cardholder is using it fraudulently, without authorization or for improper purposes. In the case of the virtual OneCard, the app will be remotely deactivated.
2. Confiscated OneCards are sent to the OneCard office.
3. A cardholder whose OneCard has been confiscated will be required to use another payment method to complete transactions previously conducted using their OneCard.

1. If a OneCard transaction reader is operating in offline mode, a limited number of transactions may be accepted. In such cases, the transaction will be processed on the cardholder’s OneCard account once the reader is back online.
2. A cardholder is responsible for all transactions made while a transaction reader is offline. If the balance on their OneCard account goes into a negative balance, they must bring the balance to zero by reloading their OneCard before using the card again.

1. Seneca is not liable to cardholders for:
   • any loss
   • inconvenience to them or to others if a OneCard is not accepted or the cardholder does not have sufficient funds in their account
   • damages, including, but not limited to, special, indirect, consequential or expenses of any kind that may result from the use or misuse of the OneCard
2. Seneca is not accountable for any claims related to losses, damages, injuries, fees, expenses, charges or debts made by any party arising out of the use or misuse of a OneCard, including any meal plan claims related to tax benefits and tax savings.

1. OneCard is the sole method of payment accepted for meals purchased under a meal plan. If a cardholder does not present their OneCard to pay for a meal purchase, they must use another method of payment and cannot deduct the amount from the prepaid balance on their account.
2. Once a cardholder’s meal plan payment has been confirmed, the funds will be made available on their OneCard.
3. Seneca offers two-month, one-semester or two-semester meal plans. A one-semester meal plan is valid from September to December or from January to April. Two-semester meal plans are valid from the first day of service in September, to the last day of service in April. For more information on Seneca’s various meal plan offerings, refer to the Campus Meal Plans webpage. Two-month plans are valid for 60 days from the date of purchase and cannot be extended beyond the last day of service in April.
4. Meal plan service is not provided during the December holiday period or during statutory holidays when Seneca is closed.
5. Some meal plans are only available at specific food areas as designated by Seneca’s Campus Services.
6. Seneca does not guarantee that a given meal plan will fulfill a cardholder’s meal requirements for the chosen length (two months, one semester or two semesters).
7. Cardholders are responsible for budgeting their daily food purchases and managing their personal account.
8. Items that cannot be purchased with a meal plan include:
   • non-food purchases, such as books, clothing, printing services, etc.
   • pop or juice, when purchased alone or with a confectionary item
   • candy, gum, chocolate and chips
   • granola products and snack mixtures
   • popsicles, pre-packaged ice cream, sherbet and frozen yogurt
   • canned goods and pre-packaged groceries
   • If a cardholder does not use their OneCard to purchase a meal (including in the case of a lost or stolen card) and uses another payment method instead, the amount of the payment shall not be credited to their meal plan.
9. If a cardholder loses or deactivates their OneCard, they will be required to use another payment method until they obtain a replacement OneCard from the OneCard office. All meal purchases are final once a transaction is approved.
10. When withdrawing from the Meal Plan, the unused tax-exempt portion of a cardholder’s meal plan will be refunded, provided the withdrawal complies with Canada Revenue Agency regulations governing the tax savings program for meal plans at postsecondary institutions.
11. A written request to withdraw from the meal plan must be delivered to the OneCard office in person by the cardholder. Each request will be handled on a case-by-case basis, and may be subject to an administration fee.
12. One-semester meal plans expire the last day of meal service in December and April for the fall and winter terms respectively. Two-term meal plans expire on the last day of meal service in April.
13. Any unused balance will be carried over to the cardholder’s Meal Plan account for the next academic term, but will become taxable as the funds will have exceeded their tax-free status.
14. The amount of a Meal Plan refund will be reduced by any expenditures from a bonus account associated to the purchase of that plan.

1. Meal plans are tax exempt when used within the duration of their tax-free status. The tax-free status shall expire once the duration of the purchased meal plan is over.
2. Some one- and two-term meal plans offer a base amount for tax-exempt meals, representing savings on the HST of 13 per cent.

1. A cardholder’s Declining Balance account may be used to purchase books, school supplies, library or printing services or food items that are not associated with a meal plan.
2. If a cardholder does not have enough funds in their Declining Balance account, they must use another payment method to make eligible purchases.

Approval Date: November 2013

Last Revision:  November 2023