What is ShastaBUCKS?
ShastaBUCKS is a University of Houston (UH) debit account and is an easy-to-use, cashless form of payment. This account functions just like a traditional debit card but can only be used at on-campus locations and participating off-campus merchants. All UH students, faculty, and staff have a ShastaBUCKS account on their Cougar Card. However, the account only becomes active when money is deposited.
ShastaBUCKS is a convenient option for any cardholder to preload funds to make purchases at any participating on and off-campus merchants.
Activating your ShastaBUCKS account with a deposit gives you buying power across the entire UH campus as well as our UH Sugar Land UH Katy location.
Benefits of ShastaBUCKS
- Dollar-to-Dollar declining balance account
- No credit card fees
- Provides security and convenience
- No need to carry cash on campus
- On Campus Food Purchases (Residential & Retail Locations)
- On Campus Non-Food Purchases (Textbooks, Apparel, Supplies, & Accessories)
- On Campus Printing
- On Campus Vending Machines – snack and beverage
- Continuous Roll Over (until graduation or departure from University)
- UH Farmer's Market
ShastaBUCKS can be used at all residential and retail food locations, campus bookstores, printing labs, and beverage & snack vending machines. Once predetermined print allocations in your printing accounts are depleted, adding funds to your ShastaBUCKS account will ensure on-going printing privileges. ShastaBUCKS funds are available from deposits you make either online or at the Cougar Card Office. Remember ShastaBUCKS does roll over from semester to semester and, any balance remaining in the ShastaBUCKS account after one year of inactivity will be forfeit.
You may close your ShastaBUCKS account at any time. There is a $5 processing fee for closing an account with a balance of $5 or more; balances less than $5 are nonrefundable. Cash withdrawals are not permitted. All refunds from closed ShastaBUCKS accounts will be credited against any debts owed by cardholder to the University of Houston.
How Does It Work?
First, activate your ShastaBUCKS by depositing to your account. You have two convenient options to make a deposit.
- You can conveniently add ShastaBucks on the UH Go appby selecting the "Cougar Card" icon, clicking on "Account Info", and then choosing the "Add Cash" option.
- You can also make a deposit online at AccessUH. Once you log in to AccessUH, click on the “Cougar Card Connect” icon and select "Make a ShastaBUCKS Deposit" on the side menu.
Once you've made a deposit, you're ready to start spending your ShastaBUCKS at any participating location!