(The following info is from LunchPrepay.com)
LunchPrePay.com
Lunchprepay.com is a convenient, secure way that parents can pre-pay for their child(ren)’s meals in the cafeteria from the privacy of their own home using a credit/debit card*! With Basic service make payments for meals on-line.
Parents can also sign up for the Premium service**, and have 24-7 access to their child(ren)’s account balances and even view their meal history!
Lunchprepay Premium service offers great convenience and the following benefits:
- You get quick and easy access to your student's meal account 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- The ability to pay for multiple students' accounts with one single payment.
- The ability to look-up your students' account balance, any time, any place the internet is available.
- The ability to see 90 calendar days of purchases and payments.
- Automated notification, via e-mail, when your student's account balance falls below an amount you have set.
* 5% service charge applies for Basic service
** $10.00 annual fee applies plus 5% service charge for Premiumservice
Visit www.LunchPrepay.com and sign up!
To sign up for this new service offered by Darlington County School Food Services, simply go to www.lunchprepay.com and click on “New User”.
(You will need to have the child(ren)’s student number(s), which can befound on their report cards, or which can be obtained by calling their school)
Need more information . . . . Contact Darlington County School Food Services at 398-2318
www.lunchprepay.com
Frequently Asked Questions
What is my student’s Student Number?
The Student Number is a unique number assigned by your school district office. (It is usually not the same as the 3 or 4-digit lunch number that is used in the cafeteria.) It is usually printed on report cards and correspondence that you receive from the school.
Why are there fees for this service?
The fees cover the costs of maintaining the secure web site and the fees that are charged to us for processing credit card payments. School districts usually do not have funds available for this type of expense.
Most web sites use revenue from advertising and sales to maintain the web site. Since there is no advertising on LunchPrepay.com, and we never sell your information to anyone,fees are necessary to allow you the convenience of online payments.
How long from the time I register as a New User can I make a lunch payment?
This process usually takes less than a day. Students must be “verified” before we can accept payments. This can usually be done instantly; however, in some cases it can take up to 24 hours. Once this process has completed,you can make payments directly to your student's account from www.LunchPrepay.com.
Why is the verification process necessary for lunch payments?
This is how we make sure that your payment is credited to the correct student’s cafeteria account. We check for a match on the student’s last and first name,school, and student Number. This can usually be done instantly;however, in some cases it may take up to 24 hours. Once a student has been verified, lunch payments are processed by a service that runs automatically throughout the day.
More than 24 hours has gone by and my student has not been verified yet.
If it has been more than 24 hours, please contact your District School Food Services Office at 398-2318. They will be able to assist you.
How long does it take for the payment to show at my student’s school?
Generally,all lunch payments are applied within 24 hours.
How do I know it is safe to enter my credit card information on www.LunchPrepay.com?
LunchPrepay.com has 128 Bit Encryption provided by Thawte. Thawte is the most trusted name in online shopping. All information submitted is protected by our secure server,which automatically encrypts your personal information so that it cannot be read while traveling over the Internet.
What do I do if I do not see all my students listed on the payment screen?
If all the students you have entered do not show up on the payment screen, it is possible the information you supplied could have been typed incorrectly. Please go to the Manage Student page and check the student’s first and last name, school, and student Number. Correct any errors and save your changes. This student's account will be available as soon it is verified with the school’s information.
WHAT DOES THE SERVICE COST?
The cost depends on the level of service (Premium or Basic) that you choose and the school district that your students are in. When you select your school district during registration, it will show the fees that apply in that district. You will always be provided with the cost information before any payment is processed. Our district’s processing fee is 5%.
- For Premium service, there is a yearly registration fee in addition to the processing fee ($10.00). This gives you access to your student’s lunchroom balance and meal history, and offers e-mail notification when the account balance drops below a limit you have set. The year begins on the day that you register. The fee depends on your school district.
- With Basic service, you can still make payments for meals, but you will not be able to look up your student’s balance or meal history, and you will not receive “low balance” notifications. The regular payment fees will apply but there is no registration fee. You can upgrade to premium service at any time if the service is available in your district.
- When you make Payments, a percentage will be added to cover the cost of processing the credit card transaction. One online payment can be split among all of the students attached to your account, with no additional cost.
What does the registration fee include?
The registration fee gives you access to your student’s lunchroom balance and meal history, and offers e-mail notification when the account balance drops below a limit you have set. The year begins on the day that you register. It includes all the students in your family who attend school in the same district.
What does the processing fee cover?
The payment fee covers the fees that the credit card company charges for processing the transaction.
Do I have to pay a separate registration fee for each student?
No, one registration fee covers all the students in your family who attend school in the same district for a full calendar year.
How do I set up a low balance notification?
Go to Manage Profile and enter the Low Balance amount. Check Send Notifications. You will receive an e-mail when the balance drops below the amount you set. (You must have Premium service to use this feature.)
How do I find out what my student has been buying for lunch?
On your home page, click on Meal History next to the student's name. (You must have premium service to use this feature.)
What if I forget my user name or password?
Click on“Forgot Login Info?” on the Login screen. Send us your registered e-mail address and we will send you a return e-mail with your information.
What if I can’t remember what e-mail address I used or it is no longer available?
Contact your District School Food Services Office at 398-2318.
During the summer, why does my student's account show up as “Not Verified”?
- Over the summer months, the link between our website, LunchPrePay.com, and the school’s cafeteria server is down. Most schools are out for summer break and the cafeteria staff and teachers have the summer off. We take this opportunity to update the website and add features.
- Usually about a week before school starts, the cafeteria staff returns to work and LunchPrepay.com reconnects to the cafeteria servers. When this happens, you will need to log in to your account, go to Manage Students and update your student’s school. At that point your students will automatically be re-verified, as long as the Student Number still matches your district’s records.
- If your student’s Student Number changed over the summer, please go to the Manage Students page and update the Student Number and school accordingly.
I know that my student should have meal history or money in their account, so why does the balance show "N/A"?
There area couple of reasons that LunchPrePay.com displays balance as “N/A”. The most likely reason is the link between our website and the school’s cafeteria server was broken during a nightly upload. When this occurs, we display “N/A” to avoid showing inaccurate information or because no information is available.
I see that my membership will expire soon. How can I renew my membership?
If your expiration date is coming up within the next month, you will be prompted to renew your membership when you sign into LunchPrepay.com. You will not lose any days if you renew early; the renewal will extend your membership for a full year from your original subscription date. If you do not renew before the actual day your membership expires, your account will still be available as a basic membership and you can upgrade at any time.
What if I am currently using LunchPrepay.com and am transferring to/from another district that also uses LunchPrepay.com?
- Please send an email to [email protected], requesting your school district to be changed. Please provide your username and email address when contacting us. The change will be made within 24 hours. PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS NOT THE SAME AS CLICKING ON "CONTACT US" ON THE WEBSITE.
- Also, any money left in your student’s account cannot be transferred between districts. You must withdraw any outstanding balance from the school cafeteria you are leaving. Contact your student’s cafeteria for more information.
I'm getting some sort of error while trying to make a payment. What do I do?
Chances are your credit card information that you've entered on the website does not exactly match the information on file with your credit card company. Delete and re-enter your credit card information, paying particular attention to your address and name. If that does not work, send an email to [email protected]. PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS NOT THE SAME AS CLICKING ON "CONTACT US" ON THE WEBSITE.
If I make payments in the cafeteria, will they show up on LunchPrepay.com?
When you view "Payment History", the page only shows the payments you have made through our website. Any payments made in the cafeteria will be shown on the “Meal History” page for each student.
May I use a checking account?
Yes,www.lunchprepay.com does accept electronic checks and you can even add"checking accounts" to your electronic "wallet". However,the terms of use do provide for collection fees in the event that the funds prove to be uncollectable.