Kingston University canteen introduces new method of pay ‘YoYo Wallet’

Catering outlets across the University introduced a new method in a bid to prevent queues and save students money.

The app, called YoYo wallet, was introduced by KU catering company Elior and features a reward system where students earn points with every purchase, which can be redeemed to receive free products.

Kirsty Robinson, Elior student experience and marketing manager, said: “We believe the introduction of the app wallet will allow us to respond better to demand, as we can see what products are more popular and focus offers in those areas. It should also help ease the flow of queueing, especially during the busy lunch periods.”

The idea is that you download the app and add your card details to it, and it creates a unique barcode specifically for your card to be scanned.

Once you have chosen your food and are ready to make a purchase, Elior have said there will be a till point especially for users of Yoyo wallet in order to minimise queues.

Robinson said: “The app only launched a few weeks ago, but we are already seeing queues move faster due to the speed of payment with the tap of a phone. A wide range of transactions have been made across different catering outlets and campuses since launch which shows it is proving popular right across the University.”

There are also exclusive daily offers for app users at the different KU campuses to help students with the expenses of food – such as 10 per cent off orders and 20 per cent off when you buy a jacket potato.

“In the long term, it should help students save money as more loyalty schemes will be available to all YoYo users, with plans for personalised offers further down the line,” said Robinson.

The app, which the company has high hopes will make the canteen experience more hassle-free for students, is available to download from the App Store on both Apple and Android devices.