My Allowance Q&A

How to use your Intellicard

Do I need a separate card to use Intellicard?

Intellicard is either incorporated into your student card or provided as a separate care (depends of the university or institution) and is remotely activated. If your student card is stolen or lost, and you need a new one, this will not affect your Intellicard account.

How do I know if I am registered for Intellicard?

Your university or institution will inform you of this when your allowances are loaded onto the Intellicard system. You will also receive an SMS with your student PIN, and a welcome email from us. If you are unsure about whether or not you’re currently registered as an Intellicard user, please feel free to give us a call or send us an email.

 Can I apply for an Intellicard account?

If you receive an allowance through a loan or bursary award, your institution will apply for an Intellicard account for you. If you have a private sponsor you may apply directly to Intellicard for allowance management.

What are the  differences between the allowance types?

The important thing to be aware of is that sometimes portions of your bursary are transferred directly into your bank account, while others are divided into food, book, stationery, or any other allowance categories.

In some cases Intellicard does facilitate the transfer of cash payments, but our system is primarily focused on these other allowance categories. These categories don’t require a transfer to your bank account; they are accessed with your student card, by swiping your card at an Intellicard merchant. If you are unsure whether you have a cash payment coming to you, or an Intellicard allowance, please ask somebody at your financial aid office. You can also view your available allowances on this student portal.

How long will it take to receive my cash allowance?

Your funds should be available to you within a maximum of 7 working days from the time that we receive an instruction to pay it from the institution. For students receiving cash on a monthly basis, funds will be transferred on the 1st of each month and you can expect to have the funds available in your account within 24 hours.

What might cause my cash allowance to be delayed?

There are a number of possible causes for a delayed payment. Firstly, speak to someone at your financial aid office and make sure they have sent us an instruction for your payment. We can only begin processing a student’s payment once the tertiary institution has sent us this instruction. If this is not the problem, make absolutely sure that you have given us your banking details, and that they are correct. Lastly, it could be that we’ve received your payment notification from the institution, but it is still being processed, as there is a maximum turnaround time of 7 working days from the time of this notification.

How do I add or update my banking details?

From inside this student portal, click on the “Update details” link. Fill in your banking details, and click “Update”. You will then receive an email with a link which you need to click in order to verify these changes. Please make sure you have entered the correct details, otherwise someone else might end up with your cash allowance.

Where can I use my Intellicard?

Allowances can only be used for their stated purposes. So a book allowance for example, can only be spent on books. In most cases there are designated merchants, so your book allowance may be limited to a few book stores selected by your institution. You will be informed by your institution where you can use your Intellicard or check the merchant list below.

What should I do if my card has been lost or stolen?

If your card has been lost or stolen it is important to disable it as quickly as possible. It can be re-enabled at a later stage after the problem has been resolved.

How do I disable my card?

You can do this either by calling or emailing us, or by disabling it via the student portal. Disabling your Intellicard will not disable your student card; you will still be able to use your card for things like entering a lab. You will also still be able to log on to the student portal and view your account details. It does however mean that you will not be able to make purchases with your student card until the card has been re-enabled.

How do I re-enable my card?

To re-enable your card, please contact us via email or telephone.

How do I perform a transaction?

You perform a transaction in almost exactly the same way you would a debit card transaction. Choose what you want to buy, and hand your student card to the merchant, who will swipe it through a point of sale machine. Then you will need to enter your student PIN (the 5-digit code sent to you when you were added to our system). Lastly, you will need to sign the slip printed by the machine, and the transaction will be complete.

Is it possible to get a refund on purchased goods?

Yes – if the merchant agrees to the refund they simply swipe your card and issue you with a refund, and your allowance will immediately be credited with the refunded amount. For partial refunds, the merchant will refund the full amount of the original transaction and process a new transaction for the corrected amount.

How do I find out how much money I have left?

There are several ways to do this. Firstly, you can go to any Intellicard merchant and ask them to perform an enquiry. As with a transaction, you will be required to swipe your student card and enter your student PIN. The point-of-sale machine will print out a receipt displaying your available balances. Another way to see your balances is to log in to the student portal (see below). Another way is to dial *120*44431*student number# and follow the prompts to view your balances.

How much will Intellicard cost me?

As a student user the Intellicard is absolutely free: You get the card for free, it’s activated at no cost and purchases, refunds and enquiries you make using Intellicard will cost you nothing.

What is my student PIN? How do I get it?

Your student PIN is a five-digit numeric code that you enter when you make a purchase, and when you log in to your student portal. It will be sent to you via SMS when your information is loaded onto our system. It is, therefore, very important that we have your correct cellphone number.

What if somebody discovers my PIN?

If your PIN is discovered, you should disable your card as quickly as possible. You should never tell anyone your PIN.

I’ve forgotten my student PIN, what can I do?

If you have forgotten your PIN, click on the “I’ve forgotten my student PIN” link below the login form or from the “Students” dropdown menu.

My allowances appear to be wrong, who should I talk to?

If you are expecting but haven’t yet received an allowance, either in the form of a cash deposit paid into your account or an Intellicard allowance (ie. Books, Food, Stationery, etc), your first stop should be your Financial Aid Office. The institution will send us payment instructions for students, and only once we have these instructions can we update your allowance amounts, so it’s a good idea to speak to them to see if your payment instruction still needs to be sent to us. If you are having any other problems with your allowances, please contact us.

I want to change my cash allowance into an Intellicard allowance, or vice versa. Is this possible?

You will need to speak with somebody at your financial aid office. Unfortunately, we cannot decide how bursary or loan funding is allocated – we receive this information from the institution. If they agree to transfer one or more of your allowances, they will let us know and we will transfer the allowance.

Does my Intellicard need to be renewed?

Your Intellicard account will be automatically maintained while your bursary or student loan is active.

When can I use my Intellicard?

Your Institution will determine a start and end date during the academic year during which your Intellicard will be active. If you are unsure of these dates, check with your Institution.

How do I get a voucher number if I’m using a cell phone?

Using your cell phone, dial *120*44431*student number*pin#. For example, if your student number is “2015031234” and your PIN is “23436”, dial *120*44431*2015031234*23436#. This will give you a voucher number that is valid for 5 minutes. You may save this number as a contact on your cell phone for quick access.