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sQuid brings ePayments to LSE
21 Sep 2010

Electronic money specialist sQuid has announced the launch of its contactless smart cards for ePayments at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

sQuid worked with smart card bureau Euclid to create a multi-function contactless card that can be used by students and faculty members for identification, access control, eMoney, loyalty schemes and library membership.

Both students and staff will be able to use the card to make convenient payments across the campus without the need for cash. And unlike a credit or debit card, they can pre-determine a spending limit by loading up a defined amount of money onto the smart card.

eMoney funds can be spent at restaurants, cafes and bars, as well as on school services such as the library. LSE's student bar will also accept payments from the sQuid card, which comes with a loyalty purse attached that allows users to earn rewards and benefits by using it around campus.

LSE students can register on the sQuid website, then top up their accounts online using bank transfers, credit cards or debit cards. They will also be able to register the balance of their accounts, protecting it in the event that a card is lost or stolen and making it easy to transfer it to a new card.

Among the locations on the campus already accepting sQuid payments are the Bankside Restaurant, the Carr-Saunders Restaurant, the Mezzanine Café, Café 54, Garrick, SDR coffee bar and 4th Floor. Bankside Bar, Rosebery Bar and the George public house will be equipped with sQuid card readers shortly.

Andy Farrell, director of finance and facilities at LSE, said: "sQuid is an innovative way of making everyday purchases, which should be quicker and more convenient for the customer.

"We hope students and staff will find it simple to use their LSE sQuid card to buy food, drink and other items at LSE."

The sQuid card will be introduced to LSE staff and students over the rest of the year.

New students starting at the university this term have already been issued with their contactless smart cards; existing students and staff will be able to swap their existing cards for those featuring sQuid technology by the end of the year.

Janine Eagling, senior project manager of IT services at LSE, said that the university had chosen sQuid to implement its ePayment system because of the wide experience the company has in running similar schemes.

sQuid provides a similar service to students and staff at the University of Bolton and the University of Abertay in Dundee.

Ms Eagling said: "It's an exciting scheme that we think will prove popular with both students and staff by making their lives a little easier in many ways."

As well as universities, sQuid is available at a growing number of schools in the UK, allowing students to make cashless payments for their lunch, while also cutting down on the queuing time that comes from slow transactions with coins and notes.