Mountaineer Card Terms and Conditions (Public)
- Jessica Steele
- Cassandra Rinker
West Virginia University issues an official photo identification card to students, faculty, staff and other affiliated individuals to verify identity and manage access to various services and facilities. You are expected to maintain control of your card at all times and have it in your possession when on University premises. These terms and conditions apply to all individuals who use University services and facilities and are affiliated with the institution. This includes but is not limited to enrolled students, faculty, staff, retired faculty and staff, emeritus faculty, and visitors. View the Mountie Bounty article for specific information regarding deposits, refunds, and missing cards.
Official Photo Identification Card
The official identification card of WVU is known as the Mountaineer Card. The University issues one Mountaineer Card to individuals officially recognized as being affiliated with the institution. These include but are not limited to:
Students – all students enrolled and in attendance at the University
Faculty/Staff – all faculty and staff members with a full or part-time appointment, retired faculty and staff and emeritus faculty with an active appointment
Visitors – visiting consultants, vendors, contractors, and other affiliated personnel who are authorized to be on university premises unescorted and authorized to use the services and facilities of the university under sponsorship of a department
The Mountaineer Card contains a photograph and electronic identification, authentication and access credentials intended to provide the University with a mechanism for identity verification, electronic validation, authentication and verification of authorized access to services. In the interest of public safety and security, no person will be issued a Mountaineer Card without a recognizable photograph or digital image. Identification information collected for production of the card may be used by the University to support the safety and security of campus resources and to support the mission of the University.
The Mountaineer Card is the property of West Virginia University and as such, it can be confiscated, deactivated and invalidated upon expiration of its intended use, or upon any misuse, forgery or alteration. Faculty and staff must turn in their Mountaineer Card to Human Resources, Mountaineer Card Services or their supervisor upon termination of employment. Visitor cards must be turned in to the supervisor or other appropriate administrative contact person upon conclusion or termination of the affiliation necessitating the Mountaineer Card.
Upon request of a member of the West Virginia University Police Department or any officer of the University, an individual on University premises may be required to provide information and documentation to establish their identification and affiliation. The Mountaineer Card is an official identity document used to verify the identity of the bearer of the card.
Issuance of Photo Identification Card
New faculty, staff, and students will be issued a Mountaineer Card upon appointment or enrollment at the University at no cost.
Other individuals may be issued a Mountaineer Card upon proper verification of identity and sponsorship of a University department. Vice presidents, deans, directors, and department chairs are responsible for sponsoring visiting consultants, vendors, contractors, and other non-University personnel who are authorized to be on University premises or require electronic credentials to use University services.
No person will be issued a Mountaineer Card until the identity of the individual can be verified. Identification documents presented must be issued by an appropriate governmental agency and contain a photographic or digital image.
Replacement of Photo Identification Card
Lost/Stolen Cards: Lost or stolen Mountaineer Cards should be immediately reported to Mountaineer Card Services. Replacement costs are the responsibility of the cardholder. The cost to replace a lost or stolen card is $20, and must be paid at an ITS Service Center location by cash, credit card, or Mountie Bounty.
Broken/Damaged Cards: Mountaineer Cards must be replaced if they are broken or damaged. Damaged cards must be turned in to an ITS Service Center to be replaced for free.
Status Change: Mountaineer Cards must be replaced if the relationship of a cardholder to the University changes, such as their primary affiliation or their hiring department. No fee will be charged if a replacement card is required.
Name Change: Mountaineer Cards must be replaced if a cardholder has a legal name change. If a faculty or staff member has a legal name change, that individual must report the change to WVU Human Resources. If a student has a legal name change, that individual must report the change to the Office of the University Registrar. Replacement cards are free.
Appearance Changes: The Mountaineer Card must be replaced if the University determines that a cardholder’s appearance has changed significantly so that the Mountaineer Card is no longer effective to verify the person’s identity. Replacement cards are free.
Personal Changes: If a cardholder requests a new Mountaineer Card for personal reasons, the $20 replacement cost is the responsibility of the cardholder and must be paid at an ITS Service Center location by cash, credit card, or Mountie Bounty. If a replacement Mountaineer Card is necessary for any reason, the original card, if in the possession of the cardholder, must be returned to Mountaineer Card Services.
Unauthorized Use of Photo Identification Card
The Mountaineer Card is not transferrable. Only the person to whom the Mountaineer Card has been issued is eligible to use the Mountaineer Card. Any transfer, alteration, falsification or forgery of a Mountaineer Card may result in appropriate disciplinary action. In addition, fraudulent or illegal use of the Mountaineer Card may result in criminal charges. If a lost Mountaineer Card is found, it should be returned to Mountaineer Card Services.
The Mountaineer Card shall not be defaced, modified, altered, changed, tampered with or deliberately damaged. The Mountaineer Card may only be used by the person to whom it was issued and may only be used for authorized purposes.
Cardholder Responsibilities
The cardholder is responsible for all spending on his/her Mountie Bounty account. ITS reserves the right to assess a recovery charge against any account that produces a returned item for Mountie Bounty purchases the university deems valid, whether as the result of insufficient funds or customer dispute. The recovery charge amount may not exceed the amount of the returned item. The recovery charge also may be assessed against the cardholder’s WVU billing account and may result in a financial hold if not paid when due.
The cardholder agrees to abide by all rules, regulations, policies, and procedures specified by the Mountaineer Card debit program. Card use may be suspended if the cardholder violates any rules, regulations, policies, and/or procedures or breaches, in any way, any term or condition of this agreement. Future changes in terms and conditions regulating use of this card will apply to all cards in circulation and in-use at that time and will supersede the terms and conditions in effect at the time the card was acquired.
Mountie Bounty Debit Regulations
Upon your initial deposit, Mountaineer Card Services will establish an electronic account balance in your name and validate your Mountaineer Card for use in electronic readers. You may then use these funds (known as Mountie Bounty) for purchases wherever the Mountaineer Card is honored. Damaged or broken cards will prohibit purchases.
The cardholder is responsible for safeguarding his/her card. Should the card become lost or misplaced accidentally, by theft, or for any other reason, log on to MyMountaineerCard to deactivate your card. The cardholder assumes responsibility for purchases made against his/her account prior to notifying Mountaineer Card Services or deactivating their card. Only the balance at the time the card is reported missing and invalidated can be protected.
Once Mountaineer Card Services has been notified about a lost or stolen card, the account will be deactivated until the rightful owner has the card reactivated. Mountaineer Card Services can reactivate a card once it is reported as lost or stolen, or the cardholder can reactivate it via MyMountaineerCard.
Refunds are available only to students who graduate, officially withdraw, or are no longer enrolled at WVU. Request a refund using the Mountaineer Card Charges and Refunds form. Please allow up to 30 days for the refund to be initiated, at which time the balance will be verified and your request forwarded to the cashier’s office to process. The refund will be processed via ACH if you have set up your electronic refund account with Nelnet. Refunds by check will be sent to the local mailing address you have on file. Cash withdrawals and cash refunds are not permitted.
A $30.00 account processing fee will be assessed if your Mountie Bounty balance is greater than $30.00 and has been inactive for one year. Any balances of $30.00 or less will be reduced to $0.00. To ensure you don’t lose access to your remaining Mountie Bounty, check your balance and either spend those funds or request a refund:
Sign in to MyMountaineerCard with your WVU username and password.
View your balance from the main page.
If you have a balance, you can either spend it at participating locations or request a refund.
The cardholder is responsible for all spending on their Mountie Bounty account. ITS reserves the right to assess a recovery charge against any account that produces a returned item for Mountie Bounty purchases the university deems valid, whether as the result of insufficient funds or customer dispute. The recovery charge amount may not exceed the amount of the returned item. The recovery charge also may be assessed against the cardholder’s WVU billing account and may result in a financial hold if not paid when due. The cardholder agrees to abide by all rules, regulations, policies, and procedures specified by the Mountaineer Card debit program. Card use may be suspended if the cardholder violates any rules, regulations, policies, and/or procedures or breaches, in any way, any term or condition of this agreement. Future changes in terms and conditions regulating use of this card will apply to all cards in circulation and in-use at that time and will supersede the terms and conditions in effect at the time the card was acquired.