Action Card contact information, location and hours:
Campus Drive Parking Deck (aka “Bus Hub”)
315 Hackberry Lane
Box 870355/Tuscaloosa, AL 35401
Phone: 205-348-2288 Fax: 205-348-7900 actcard.ua.edu
Email: action.card@ua.edu
Hours of operation: Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. (all University holidays are observed)
- How do I have my first Action Card made?
Once you have registered for a Bama Bound Freshman or Transfer orientation session
http://orientation.ua.edu/ , you may access the online UA Action Card Photo Submission Application with your myBama user name and password.
Details about photo submission. After your photo is submitted, if approved you will receive an approval email to your crimson email with instructions on how to
download your mobile card. Once your mobile card is set up in the Apple Wallet/Google Wallet your card is ready. UA is a mobile-first campus, meaning the official ID for UA is the mobile card.
Faculty/Staff can also access the Online Photo Submission Application and download the mobile ACT Card. Faculty/staff wishing to receive a physical Action Card will need to visit the Action Card Office during business hours. The Payroll Action form must have been completed in Banner prior to receiving your Action Card.
- My Action Card device is lost/stolen, what do I do?
If your ACT Card device is lost, stolen or damaged, please contact the ACT Card Office at 205-348-2288 during business hours, Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-5p.m., or The University of Alabama Police Department at 205-348-5454 if after business hours and a temporary ACT Card can be issued. Temporary Action Cards cannot be used for athletic events or UA Recreation Center(s) entry.
- How do I get a replacement Action Card during regular business or Gameday hours?
The mobile ACT Card is the official ID for the The University of Alabama, and physical cards are no longer issued for students.
Replacement cards are produced at 315 Hackberry Lane (Campus Drive Parking Deck/ Bus Hub) For students, the $35 replacement fee is billed directly to your student account or, for faculty and staff, cash, check or Visa, MasterCard or Discover is accepted.
Temporary cards are available and allow you access to your card services, including debit accounts, for one week from issuance to allow you time to locate your Action Card. Cardholders are requested to bring their driver’s license, or another form of ID, when requesting temporary Action Cards. Cardholders with NO PICTURE ID available will be verified against their picture in the Action Card Transact system.The Action Card Office is not open during Gamedays, but office staff is available at the Action Card trailer inside the student gates at Bryant-Denny for assistance. TEMPORARY cards cannot be used for Gameday entrance!
- How do I get a replacement Action Card after regular business hours or holidays?
The mobile ACT Card is the official ID for the The University of Alabama, and physical cards are no longer issued for students.
Temporary cards are available at UAPD (University of Alabama Police Department) located at 1110 Jackson Avenue Tuscaloosa, AL 35487.The contact number for their Dispatch Operator is 205-348-5454. A temporary card allows you access to your card services, including debit accounts, for one week from issuance to allow you time to locate your Action Card. Cardholders are requested to bring their driver’s license, or another form of ID, when requesting temporary Action Cards. Cardholders with NO PICTURE ID available will be verified against their picture in the Action Card Transact system.
- Can I punch a hole in the card?
No, Action Cards contain internal components. Please handle with care. Damage to your card other than normal wear and tear (holes, water, pet damage, etc.) will result in a $35 Replacement Fee.
- Can you carry your plastic Action Card in a smart wallet or case attached to your phone and use a wireless cell phone charger?
The mobile ACT Card is the official ID for the The University of Alabama, and physical cards are no longer issued for students. If you do have a physical card and choose to use a phone wallet/case and use a wireless charger, make sure you remove your plastic card prior to using the wireless cell phone charger. The heat from the wireless charger can break the antenna inside the card which will render your card unable to be read at a reader. There is a $35 replacement charge for damaged plastic cards.
Reminder that ACTCard in Apple Wallet is available. Details on adding your Action Card to Apple Wallet for your iPhone and/or Apple Watch may be found at
https://actcard.ua.edu/actioncardinapplewallet/.
Don’t….wear hats, sunglasses or other items that obscure the face including hands on/near face; glare on glasses; shadows; other visible people or objects in the photo; inappropriate expressions.
All photos are subject to approval.
- Do I need to notify UA once I upload my photo?
The application will automatically notify Action Card that a photo has been received so you do not need to take any additional action to notify us. All communications regarding the status of your Action Card will be sent to your UA crimson email account so be sure to check to verify the status of your Action Card.
- How will I know if my photo was accepted?
All communications regarding the status of your Action Card will be sent to your UA crimson email account. Be sure to check to verify the status of your Action Card.
If accepted, you will receive a verification email. Once you’ve received your approval email, you can
download the card to your mobile device and experience convenience of a mobile student ID!
If your photo was not accepted, you will receive an email that includes the reason the photo could not be accepted. You can then submit a new photo, which meets all requirements, at the same web address. The new photo will upload over the current photo posted and the Action Card Office will receive automatic notification a new photo has been submitted. Once the new photo is reviewed, you will receive email communications verifying the status for that photo.
- Why do I need an Action Card?
When you arrive on campus to start your first semester, you will need your Act card from Day 1 to access facilities, such as your residence hall or the Student Recreation Center, meal plans, football tickets and your account funds for Dining Dollars and Bama Cash.
- Can I change my picture later?
Photos can be updated once per calendar year. To do this, contact the Action Card Office during business hours at 205-348-2288 or action.card@ua.edu for assistance. Replacement photos cannot be submitted through Online Photo Submission.
Chosen or Preferred Name
- How do I change my name to a chosen or preferred name that will show on my ACT Card?
• If a student, faculty or staff member opted into using a chosen or preferred name when submitting their photo for approval online while setting up their ACT Card, their chosen or preferred name will automatically show.
• If a student, faculty or staff member did not opt into chosen or preferred name when submitting their photo for approval online while setting up their ACT Card but would like to do so now will need to first update their chosen or preferred name under
View/Update Personal Information in myBama, then confirm the change to a chosen or preferred name under
Action Card Number + Chosen or Preferred Name in myBama.
• Anyone who was not required to submit their photo for approval online and had their photo taken at the Action Card Office instead, will need to follow the same protocols.
• Students, faculty and staff joining UA after this implementation will see the feature of chosen or preferred name carried over to the mobile ACT Card automatically so long as a chosen or preferred name is set through myBama and the chosen or preferred name option is checked during the online photo submission process.
- Can I change my chosen or preferred name back to a legal name?
- Will having a chosen or preferred name affect my ACT Card?
By selecting the chosen or preferred name option you could be limiting your Action Card usage. State of Alabama voting sites, for example, may not accept your Action Card as proof of identification when voter registration rolls contain your legal name. It is advisable to carry a government-issued form of ID such as a driver’s license or passport with you in order to access resources that are not on The University of Alabama campus or to assist law enforcement in public safety matters.
If intending to use the mobile card for instances where legal name is required, such as voting, picking up legal documents, etc., the chosen or preferred name can be reverted to legal name by unchecking the chosen or preferred name box under
Action Card Number + Chosen or Preferred Name in myBama. After use, a chosen or preferred name can be selected again by rechecking this box.
Visit the
Chosen or Preferred Name Impact Statement for more details.
- Can I choose any name for my chosen or preferred name on my ACT Card?
Yes, but the University reserves the right to remove a chosen or preferred name if it contains inappropriate or offensive language.
Bama Cash, Dining Dollars and Meal Plans
- How do I open a Bama Cash account on my Action Card?
- How can I, my parents or a guest add funds to my Bama Cash debit account?
Students, faculty or staff can make immediate deposits online using their myBama login through the Action Card website or through the eAccounts mobile app using Apple Pay. Parents or guests of students may use the Guest Deposit module. You will need to know is the student’s campuswide ID # (CWID) and their last name as it appears on their Action Card. UA accepts Visa, Master Card and American Express.
- How can I check my Bama Cash, Dining Dollars or meal plan account balance?
Cardholders may verify their Action Card debit account balance(s) and meal plan balance(s) online through
eAccounts using their MyBama login or with the eAccounts app.
- How can I review transaction history for Bama Cash and/or Dining Dollars?
Cardholders may verify 4 months of their Action Card debit account transaction activity online through
eAccounts using their myBama login or with the eAccounts app.
- What is the difference between Dining Dollars and Bama Cash debit accounts on the Action Card?
Bama Cash accounts are optional. With a prepaid
deposit of funds, you can then use your
Action Card to make purchases at participating locations at over 100 on- and off-campus locations. Bama Cash is available to students, faculty and staff.
All undergraduate students with 9 or more hours will join UA’s Dining Dollars program. A balance of $350 per fall and spring semester ($100 per summer) is automatically billed to your student account. These funds are available via your Action Card for use at all campus Bama Dining locations, including on-campus vending and select
off-campus locations.
- Can I withdraw money from my Action Card debit account(s)?
Withdrawal of cash funds is not permitted.
- Where may I find information concerning Dining Dollars?
- Where may I find information concerning meal plan options?
- What happens to Bama Cash funds remaining in my debit account at the end of the year?
For students, Bama Cash account funds automatically carry over from year-to-year ready for use at any time. Requests for refunds are accepted each year between starting one month prior to Spring commencement. Refund requests are processed after Spring commencement has concluded with the refunds applied to the student account at the Office of Student Receivables. For students who have graduated or withdrawn, requests for refunds are accepted at any time with refunds applied to the student’s account at the Office of Student Receivables.
Credit Request form. Once processed and sent to Student Account Services, funds are returned to the account on file with SAS. To verify which account this is, contact SAS at 205-348-5350. The processing time for refunds is 4-8 week minimum. For faculty and staff, please contact the Action Card Office directly at 205-348-2288 for questions concerning Bama Cash refunds.
- What happens to Dining Dollars funds remaining in my debit account at the end of the year?
Dining Dollars account funds remaining on the last day of exams for Spring term will automatically be applied to the student’s
Bama Cash debit account.
Requests for refunds are accepted each year starting one month prior to Spring commencement. Refund requests are processed after Spring commencement has concluded, with the refund applied to the student’s account at the Office of Student Account Services. Once processed and sent to Student Account Services, funds are returned to the account on file with SAS. To verify which account this is, contact SAS at 205-348-5350. The processing time for refunds is 4-8 week minimum.
Credit Request form.