The University of Arizona, Tucson, has rolled out a new campus card that includes contactless functionality. The new CatCard will be given to incoming students during student orientation and will be able to do the same things current CatCards can. However, existing students, if they want to upgrade, will have to fork over $25.

“The new chip (in the card) is a more powerful platform and will have a lot more possibilities than a regular ID card,” said Mark Barton, director of CatCard Services.

The card, like the current one, enables building access, contains money for meal plans and stores student information. The new card, though, will incorporate more university functions, such as student voting and E-ticketing.

None of the new services has been implemented yet because the school is waiting until more students have the new cards. This is why current students shouldn’t feel obligated to upgrade, said Barton.

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