New student cards cost £1.31 to make, we pay £10

A freedom of information request submitted by The Tab Newcastle found that the cost of a new blank card was £1.31 per printed and encoded card.

If you’ve lost your card, or need a replacement you’re asked to pay £10 at the Robinson Library, though the request did spell out ways to avoid paying the £10 fee.

In response to the request the university said: “All smartcard holders (including staff) pay a £10 admin charge to replace lost cards  where there has been a failure to take proper care by the owner.

“There is no admin charge for cards that need to be replaced due to a change in status of the card owner, (e.g. Undergraduate to Postgraduate), or if the card stops working or where a police crime number is presented to show the card was stolen.”

The response went on to say the charge is there not only to cover the costs of printing a new card, including staff time, but also to encourage card holders to take care of their smartcard.

In January this year it was revealed the Robinson Library has collected over £350K since 2010 in library fines.