Here we've answered some of the most common questions we get asked by Kent staff, students and their families about the KentOne Card.

If you have logged into your KentOne account, you can also visit the online Help Centre from the account menu for more information. 

General FAQs

Students: You will be advised where you can collect your KentOne card in your registration confirmation email. If you need to collect it at any other time of the year, please visit Nexus in the Templeman Library (Canterbury campus) or the Medway Student Administration reception in the Gillingham building.

Staff: your school/department administrator should have ordered your card prior to your first day. After arrival, if you do not have a KentOne card it can be requested online (you will need to obtain authorisation from your department).

Visit our Where to Use page for information on all the catering outlets which offer a KentOne card discount.

Please note that if there is insufficient credit on the KentOne card to pay in full you will not receive the 10% discount. In this instance you can either put your credit towards the transaction cost and pay the rest via your normal payment method card or pay for the whole transaction via your usual payment method.

The simplest way is to top up online.  Read below for more or visit our 'How to use' page for a step by step guide.

Login at the top of the page using your Kent email address. If you have not topped up online before you will need to set up a password and create an account. Remember your password and login details as you will need these each time you top up online. 

Once you have logged in select your cashless purchase and then 'add funds' and follow the on screen instructions.

If you wish to top up someone else's KentOne card you will need to create a 'parent linked account'. Instructions on how to set up a linked account. 


As soon as you have topped up online your credit will be available to use instantly.

Due to an error on the supplier's website there are intermittent issues when trying to top up online using Microsoft Edge or Internet Explorer browsers. While they are working to fix the problem we recommend using an alternative internet browser to top up. We apologise for the inconvenience.  

Log onto the online portal and click on ‘Recent Activity’ to see your recent KentOne card transactions. From your account portal you will also be able to see your remaining balance and top up online if you wish. 

If you still have funds on your cashless purse once you leave the University, then please email kentone@kent.ac.uk to arrange for a refund. 

Please note, all compensation and bursary funds are non-refundable.

You will have 12 months from the time you leave the University to claim any unused funds for money you have put on your card itself.  After this period, we will put any unused money towards a hardship bursary fund set up by Kent Hospitality.  

If your card has been working fine and suddenly stops, it may have become damaged and will need replacing at Nexus in the Templeman Library (Canterbury campus) or the Medway Student Administration reception in Gillingham building.

If your card has never worked for catered meals or cashless payments, your card may need to be set up again. In this case email kentone@kent.ac.uk so a member of the team can investigate.

If you lose your KentOne card you should log into you account online and mark the card as lost to prevent it being used by anyone else.

Once you have done this you will need to email lostcards@kent.ac.uk so that it can be deactivated and a replacement can be produced. Charges may be incurred for a replacement card to be reproduced.  

Any credit on your card will be transferred over to your replacement card.

Students: your replacement KentOne card will need to be collected from Nexus in the Templeman Library (Canterbury campus) or the Medway Student Administration reception in the Gillingham building.

Staff: If you are a staff member requiring a replacement card, you will need to see your Departmental Administrator or complete the online form here.

Once a new card has been produced this can be sent via internal mail to you. 

For Medway staff please email medwaycardaccess@kent.ac.uk

Depending on the circumstances, yes:

  • For damaged cards - a first replacement card will be issued for free but any subsequent replacements will be charged.
  • For lost cards - there is a replacement charge fee.
  • For stolen cards - there is no charge for a replacement card, providing you have a crime reference number (given to you by the police when you report a theft to them). If you have no crime reference number then a replacement charge will apply.

Please note any replacement fee charges cannot be paid in cash.

If a card has been marked as lost there is no way of undoing this. This is for security reasons to ensure your card cannot be re-activated by another person. Contact kentone@kent.ac.uk to get your card re-activated, although this will not be possible if you have already requested a replacement card. You should destroy your old card if you already have a replacement card.

Your cashless purse is what is available for you to spend.  This will be what you or your family and friends have topped up for you to use.

Other purses such as ‘compensation’ or ‘bursary’ exist, but funds are added to these by the University of Kent and are non-refundable.

When using your KentOne card to pay, any credit in bursary or compensation purses on your account will automatically be used first before using any credit in your cashless purse as these funds are non-refundable.  

Non-refundable purses (such as bursary or compensation funds) will automatically be used first before deducting anything from your cashless purse.

Change your email address. To change your email address registered to your KentOne card account, and the one you log in with, simply go to your 'Account Details' screen and expand the 'Contact' panel. Within this panel you will find a section titled ‘Change your Email Address’; fill out your new Email address and confirmation of Email address and click the ‘Save’ button. A verification Email will then be sent to your new Email address which will contain a reset link. Follow the steps shown on screen from this point. 

To reset your password. Go to your Account Details screen, scroll down to the Password section where you will find three fields; Current Password, New Password and Confirm New Password. Fill each of these fields with their required values and hit the 'Reset Password' button. If you have forgotten your password and cannot login you can reset your password using the Forgotten Password page found on the Login screen. 

Access to bicycle sheds will be added by Campus Security, please visit the Security and Transport Centre to arrange for access to be added.

Certain buildings require permission for you to gain access. This will need to be requested from you/your department to Estates via the online 'Building Access Request'

Depending on what access is required some office door access can be added in the college reception following confirmation from your department. 

You can't put money onto another student's card as a student. However, a parent/supporter can add money to a student's account if they wish. First, they would need to set up a linked account by contacting the KentOne team, and then they can add funds themselves. Check out our HelpCentre for full instructions.

It is also possible for staff to put money onto student or other staff cards as rewards etc. Please contact the KentOne team who can facilitate this for you.

Unfortunately at the current time you cannot use your KentOne card to pay at any other Kent campus as this feature is only available on the Canterbury campus.

All other features of your KentOne card are still valid on other campuses.

Yes, as your KentOne Card will be used for identification there are certain guidelines in place that you should meet. You can read about these on our photo guidelines page.

Student FAQs

No, if you have the Bed and Flex meal plan included with your accommodation your vouchers will be added to your accommodation fob. 

Your vouchers will expire at the end of each day and do not carry over.  To read more about your meal plan visit the Part-Catered information page.

Any students who have purchased the Flex Catering Plan will have this added to their KentOne card.

Visit our Catering website for more information on our Flex Catering Plan.

Please note the Flex Catering Package is separate from the Bed and Flex part-catered accommodation meal plan. If you live in part-catered accommodation you do not need to purchase the Flex Catering Plan as your meal plan is already included in your accommodation fees. 

You should submit your photo online as part of Kent's Online Enrolment pages. We cannot print a KentOne card until we have received a valid picture so to avoid any delays in accessing other Kent services we strongly advise submitting your picture before you arrive.

Parent/Supporter FAQs

You will first need to set up a linked account. To do this please contact the KentOne card team

Once an account has been set up, you can link to a student account from the 'Account details' menu. Full instructions for how to link accounts are available in the Help Centre

Yes, but only with the KentOne card/standard account owner's permission. For a linked account to see recent activity information, the card account owner will need to click the 'Enable' link next to 'Recent Activity Sharing' to display this information to the Link Account.  

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