Officials this semester implemented GWorld “tap” payment scanners at dining halls and University dining partners, which students and local restaurant employees say expedites transactions.

Officials installed new payment readers at GW Dining locations and local dining vendors that accept GWorld cards this summer as part of “ongoing efforts” to upgrade dining technology, a University spokesperson said. More than a dozen students said the GWorld tap scanners help lines move more quickly, and local vendors say payments process quicker on their end.

A University spokesperson said officials installed new payment readers at dining halls, the University Student Center and District House. GW also distributed the new readers to all of GW’s on- and off-campus dining partners, the spokesperson said.

“These new readers allow GW community members using their meal plans to tap instead of swiping their GWorld card,” a University spokesperson said in an email.

GWorld cards grant students access to academic buildings and residence halls and act as currency for students to “swipe” or “tap” for meal credit at Shenkman and Thurston dining halls and the Eatery at Pelham Commons in addition to more than 50 Dining Partners. Participating vendors include South Block Juice Co., Carvings and CVS.

Prior to the switch this semester, students handed their cards to dining employees to scan. For vendors who accept GWorld — like CVS — students would also need to sign a printed receipt certifying the charge and including whether or not they wanted to leave a tip.

Grace Suter, a junior and barista at Peet’s Coffee, said the tap feature speeds up lines, except when Peet’s gets really busy and students rush through the transaction.

Suter said the new system offers multiple interface screens — including options to add a tip and enter students’ GWorld card numbers — and students often tap their card before the correct screen is loaded. She said this causes the tip amount to populate as an eight-digit GW identification number, and the employee then has to restart the transaction process.

“Because we get so busy, people try to go too quick,” she said.

She said Peet’s has since moved the tap machine to the employee’s side of the counter to prevent issues caused by students tapping too soon.

Iridiam Solano, an employee at Bullfrog Bagels, said students’ ability to tap GWorld has improved wait times because the transaction moves more quickly when employees don’t need to physically take and scan the card.

“It’s better because the students can tap and it’s more easy for us,” Solano said. “I think it’s pretty cool.”

Latoya Morris, a shift supervisor at CVS, said she found out officials were implementing the tap GWorld payment at CVS in May or June. She said the tap system is working well at CVS, speeding up the lines and minimizing a point of physical contact between employees and students during the transaction.

“When I say great, it’s perfect for us,” Morris said. “It’s much faster, like I said, easier, and especially with a lot of stuff that’s going around with the seasons changing and everyone getting sick, it kind of helps us out a lot.”

Emma Milchunes, a junior majoring in international affairs and former Flower Child employee, said the previous system was more time consuming because it required employees to enter the price, requiring more “manual work” to process the transaction. She said she wishes Flower Child, which closed in May, had the tap-based system because the process appears more seamless.

“I’m sure it’s much easier in terms of it saves them a lot less time and probably causes less mistakes,” Milchunes said.

Kassidy Corey, a first-year studying journalism and dance, said she noticed the switch from swipe to tap at Thurston dining hall this year. She said when students carry their GWorld card on a lanyard — which is often closed with a Ziplock-like seal — it is inconvenient to pull it out to swipe, so the tap system makes the process more efficient.

“You have to stand there and take it out and put it back in,” Corey said. “So really it’s more convenient: I can just leave it in the lanyard.”

Trinity Vo, a junior majoring in marketing, said the tapping process reminds her of Apple Pay, which she said is a “super efficient” payment method. She said she prefers the tap system to the previous swipe system because it is faster.

“It’s 100 percent easier for sure,” Vo said. “You would see sometimes when they had to manually input your GWorld stuff, and I feel bad for them. I’m happy that they have something new where it’s faster for them and faster for us.”

Reese Tolchin, a junior majoring in sociology and political science and an opinions writer for The Hatchet, said tapping her GWorld is more convenient because her swiping magnet was worn down. She said taking agency over the purchasing method — by tapping instead of handing the GWorld card over to be swiped — makes the process feel quicker.

“Tapping it definitely makes it a lot easier,” she said.