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“Charge it” is not a phrase you’ll hear from students paying for classes at the University of Calgary this semester. Students will have to find alternative methods of paying tuition and general fees after the university stopped accepting credit cards on July 7.

Students blasted the decision when it was announced last March and since then the U of C Students’ Union has lobbied unsuccessfully to reverse the policy, with one student going to the extent of paying his full spring session in nickels and dimes in a show of protest.

Despite this, David Johnston, acting associate vice-provost of enrolment and registrar, says the U of C stands by its policy — in the works since 2004 — and the money used to pay fees to Visa, Master Card and others could be better spent elsewhere.

“The decision was made as the fees we pay to the credit card companies come out of the university’s general budget, so are a net drain on the institution,” Johnston says.

Scrapping credit card payments is intended to save the U of C upwards of $750,000, which Johnston says will be funneled into student aid — an estimated $500,000 for undergraduates and $250,000 for graduate students in the first year.

“We are returning the money saved to student financial assistance in the form of scholarships and awards.”

The U of C joins the ranks of a long list of Canadian post-secondary institutions that don’t allow credit card payments. The University of Alberta also cancelled the option this past summer, and a quick poll across the country revealed that U of C was one of the exceptions to the rule — most never have accepted plastic payments. In Calgary, however, both Mount Royal College and SAIT do accept credit cards.

The university also says the new policy gives them the chance to work with students in financial difficulty to help them find a better way to fund their education than using a high-interest credit card. “We are committed to work with our students who need help in transitioning from paying with credit cards to other options,” Johnston says.

But by eliminating the use of credit cards, some students say the university is pushing the transaction fees onto students who must now pay bank fees to process the cash and don’t get the convenience and added bonus of loyalty points — such as Air Miles — with the transaction.

“I relied, perhaps too heavily, on my Visa in the past,” says Jen Cameron, a third year engineering student. “I may have paid some interest but it meant that I didn’t have to rely on hard-to-obtain grants and loans. Now there is yet another barrier for students to wrestle with in trying to obtain a degree.”

Students are still able to pay online through most major banks and drop-off boxes will be posted around campus to accept cheques. The U of C says it will be adding extra staff to help at Service Stop for those looking to pay in-person in peak periods like September and January.

Tuition for a full-time undergraduate student at U of C is $4,740, which is being hiked by 4.6 per cent, or about $200 per student, in the next academic year.