Message sent to Gopher GOLD Merchants on July 28, 2026 at 1 p.m.
Dear Gopher GOLD Merchant,
Since its inception in the late 1990s, the Gopher GOLD program has been a vehicle for conducting business across the Twin Cities campus. Due to changing operational needs, shifting payment practices and user feedback, the Gopher GOLD program will be decommissioned at the end of the Fall 2026 semester.
We recognize that this represents a transition for your operations, and we are committed to partnering with you to make this shift as seamless as possible.
A broad public announcement will be sent to all Gopher GOLD balance holders later today. Ahead of that announcement, we want to share a few initial details regarding what this means for you:
- Gopher GOLD will remain fully active and accepted at your location through the end of the Fall 2026 semester.
- Gopher GOLD will be replaced by U Card Pay at the beginning of the Spring 2027 semester. This new account will route transactions to a student’s University billing account.
- At its initial launch, the new account will be functional exclusively at campus printing and departmental labs.
- To ensure a smooth wind-down, all existing cardholders will receive full refunds of their remaining balances after decommissioning. Similarly, guest card holders will be able to request a refund via an online form.
Additional information will be shared with you in the coming weeks.
Thank you for your partnership. If you have immediate questions, please reach out to [email protected].