The revamped Pony Express Card system will make it easier for students to use their student charge account, using new online features. (John Schreiber)

The new and improved Pony Express Cash system is arriving soon. Soon to be available are a series of new functions like an automatic low balance e-mail alert, designed to make Pony easier to keep track of and use on and around campus. When the Web site for Pony Express recently received an overhaul, a number of new functions were added to make things easier for students and faculty alike. The upgrades are akin to online banking services available with most major banks. Specifically, the new Web site will offer a new low balance alert, a special system to request funds from friends and family to be deposited into your account. Guest access is available to make that easier for them to do so. Users can also make automatic deposits, either at times preset by the user or after the balance falls below a certain amount.

There are a few hiccups to the new system, namely that if anyone who is registered on the last Pony Express Web site, will need to re-register. Aside from that, the new appearance and functionality of the revamped Web site should be an attractive draw to any who use Pony Express.

“It’s more user-friendly… like Access,” says Mark Rhodes, director of Parking and ID Card Services in the Park ‘N Pony office. “It operates much the same way as your online banking system… it gives you the tools to keep track of your campus account and stay on top of things.”

The Web site’s new abilities make it much easier to keep track of the user’s Pony finances and budgeting. Now any registered user can set up e-mail alerts for when the account balance falls below a set point, and those e-mails can go out to not just the student, but anyone else the student specifies, automatically informing parents, for example, when their son or daughter needs some extra cash. The Web site now also allows for guest access to accounts without compromising security, so online deposits are even easier. The Web site is the only way to deposit into Pony with a debit or credit card. The Park ‘N Pony office accepts only cash and checks and though it is closed at night, the ability to deposit or manage funds online is 24/7.

Rhodes championed the improvements as a way to help with debt regulation and give students and faculty alike the chance to budget far more closely than in the past. The other functions of the Web site include a past transactions register with a range of up to six months to see exactly when and where money was spent. Some of the other changes are more cosmetic, like the addition of an FAQ section and site-exclusive news updates and offers. It also includes plan descriptions so that users can pick and choose the plan they prefer. The new Web site promises to provide more control to its users than had previously been available. These upgrades will soon become a welcome improvement to the Pony express system.