Tis the Refund Season

With refunds around the corner, students are anxious to receive their monies to spend on who knows what this weekend. Before that occurs, here's a couple of suggested actions students should take before the "big day " in order to assure that their money gets to them on time.

First off, make sure you pay off any pending balances at the Business Office over in the Texas A&M International University Success Center (USC) Room 137, so that there are no holds placed on your account. If you have an overdue balance, this will keep your money from being transferred to your TAMIU Debit card.

Secondly, make sure you have a TAMIU Debit card! This one is different from your student One Card ID because you can actually load this card with currency, unlike your student ID that only permits loading "Dusty Dollars" for use around the university.  If you are missing your TAMIU Debit card, make sure to visit the TAMIU Debit card website and click on "Where's my card?" in the "Get Started" box. The TAMIU Debit Card arrives to your address as soon as you register for classes in the Fall or Spring. If in case your card gets lost or stolen, you can request a new card on the website under your account settings.

Lastly, you have to make sure you know the amount of money you're receiving! What you should do is go online to uconnect.tamiu.edu and under business tab you can not only check how much you owe, but also how much you may receive from scholarships or financial aid. You can also check your balance on the TAMIUDebitCard website. You want to make sure that you know how much you're receiving more or less to avoid any overdraft charges because they can charge you a hefty amount per transaction.

Now that you've made sure your business has been taken care of, you can splurge on whatever it is you want or need! Remember to always research the items you're going to purchase to affirm that you are getting your monies worth. You can usually find something cheaper online rather than at an actual retail store and it usually includes an incentive from the websites be it a free item, or a discount on the products. Make sure to always track where and what it is you're buying and keep receipts just in case, they come very handy when your product has a warranty or you need to make an exchange. Most importantly, if you're going to withdraw any money from your account, make sure to visit the ATM machines at the Village Club House or the one in the USC to avoid being charged a processing fee. The ATMs there charge no processing fee for TAMIU Debit Cards, but for other major credit or debit cards there's a small charge to withdraw. Also make sure to arrive early after refunds have been distributed to avoid long lines, and cash outage at the machines.

Refunds are scheduled to be distributed on Friday, February 10th 2012, and should appear on accounts after mid day. You can customize your personal settings on how you'd like refunds to be distributed to your TAMIU Debit Card, and you can also adjust the settings to text you when your refund has arrived. Remember to visit the Business Office at the University Success Center Room 137 for more information on refunds and payments needed on your accounts. Happy Shopping!!!

Respective Links:

www.TAMIUDebitCard.com (TAMIU Debit Card Website)

http://www.tamiu.edu/adminis/comptroler/cashiers.shtml (TAMIU Business Office)

(Cesar Sanchez may be reached at cesar.sanchez@dusty.tamiu.edu)