The BG1 card’s expansion to off-campus locations is exceeding expectations and increasing students’ purchasing power.

According to BG1 Card Services Manager Jean Coffield, September 11 marked the initiation of the new off-campus expansion program, a partnership of BG1 Card and a subsidy of Blackboard that expanded the use of BG Bucks. In the last two months, the program has seen a significant growth in student users and interested merchants, she said.

‘There is a lot of growth. From the students we’ve talked to, we know they’re excited about the growth,’ she said. ‘We would like to give students a lot of different options and places to use their card.’

According to Coffield, Cinco de Mayo on Wooster Street and Easy Street Caf’eacute; on South Main Street have signed agreements and will be accepting BG1 cards within the next few weeks. Papa John’s Pizza on South Main Street is also now a confirmed acceptance location. She said one location, Big Boy on Wooster Street, opted out of the new program.

The ultimate goal of the BG1 Card is to have it accepted citywide at locations like grocery stores and automotive stores, Coffield said.

‘The information that we’re using is coming from a student survey we did this past spring where students were able to respond ‘here is where I want to use my card,” Coffield said. ‘Those are the type of merchants we would like to target because students have asked for that. We want a nice variety.’

Freshman Olivia Wilson said several of her friends use their BG Bucks off-campus at least once or twice a week at Domino’s or Chipotle Mexican Grill, a location Coffield said was a favorite among students.

‘An advantage of using your BG1 Card is you don’t have to carry cash or your credit card around as much,’ Wilson said.

Despite that advantage, Wilson said the execution of the off-campus expansion by the University was confusing because of the BG1 card’s multiple fund accounts. She said she prefers to use her meal plan on campus and her credit card off-campus with her friends.

‘This would be a good program if the locations accepted meal plans, since we already spend so much on those,’ Wilson said. ‘Also, a lot of the time the places have trouble getting the cards to work, even where there is plenty of money on them.’

Julia Gold, a financial analyst at Chipotle’s corporate office, addressed concerns similar to Wilson’s.

‘The terminal can sometimes be slow, so that frustrates the customer as well as the cashier,’ Gold said.

Gold said this problem is being addressed by Blackboard, the equipment provider, and the confusion of the BG1 card’s three separate fund accounts will work itself out in time through advertising. She said it does not appear these minor problems are keeping University students from Chipotle.

‘We have a great relationship with college students in general, and because we have a store right by BGSU, we thought it would be good to allow them to use their BG1 card at Chipotle when they are cash-strapped,’ Gold said. ‘I think it’s going really well. It’s a great partnership, and we want to continue it for years to come.’

Freshman Tyler Buchanan said students using BG1 cards off-campus have the benefit of flexibility. He said he uses his BG Bucks off-campus about once a week and has a heard nothing but positive reactions concerning the off-campus expansion.

‘The convenience of using the pre-paid card instead of cash out of your pocket is immense,’ Buchanan said. ‘I guarantee businesses have gained an exceptional amount of business from students accepting the cards. Hopefully, in years to come, many more businesses will follow suit.’

Coffield urges students to visit the BG1 Card Services section of the University’s Web site for up-to-date listings of off-campus BG Bucks acceptance locations. Students can also visit the BG1 Card Services Facebook fan page for limited-time specials merchants may pass on in the future, she said.

Coffield said she expects the list of acceptance locations will grow as marketing increases.

‘We’ve had few merchants call us and ask for more information,’ she said. ‘Through using the BG1 Card, it’s an added bonus to get their name out there. It’s a win for us, the merchants and the students.”