Chartwells in Pilot With Mobile Payment Service LevelUp on Two Campuses

Chartwells Higher Education Dining Services is piloting a partnership with mobile technology payment provider LevelUp at Buffalo State University and at the Curry Student Center retail dining venue at Northeastern University. The platform allows students to use their smartphone or tablet to pay for meals using a mobile payment application.

Once the LevelUp app is downloaded, students can register a personal credit card to generate a dedicated QR code that can be used at any merchant or retail dining venue that has a scanning device. At check-out, the student pulls up the personal QR code on the smart device to initiate the scanning and the payment process. After the transaction, a receipt is emailed to the student.

LevelUp's website provides an interactive map showing different locations where its mobile payment is accepted on or off campus. Students and parents can also track how much money is being spent at mealtime.

"Chartwells chose to pilot the new payment system at Buffalo State and Northeastern because we thought it was a perfect fit for our partners," says Patti Girardi, Chartwells' Vice President of Marketing and Creative Services. "What's great for Chartwells is that LevelUp can provide analytics about meal purchases, site visits and return visits. This information can be used to gauge which promotions or limited time offers were popular among students and any sales fluctuations at retail locations based on student purchasing behaviors. LevelUp provides a greater opportunity for campus dining operations to focus on guest interaction as well as convenience."