Metro students can easily identify a way to get their financial aid a little faster — the U.S. Bank OneCard.

The Metro OneCard and OneCard Maxx were unveiled Oct. 13, 2009. Metro partnered with U.S. Bank to offer the cards to the student population.

The OneCard combines the traditional student ID with VISA debit card capabilities. The OneCard Maxx, has the same features as the OneCard, but also functions like a traditional VISA and can be used virtually anywhere. Students must open a checking account to use the cards.

George Middlemist, associate vice president of administration and finance, said so far 1,200 students have signed up for the OneCard and OneCard Maxx combined.

“Before school started, there were 100 new accounts opened each day,” Middlemist said.

This semester marked the largest financial aid distribution for Metro.

Middlemist said with the new cards, there were 820 direct deposits made, accounting for $3 million of the first day disbursement. Metro issued 8,500 financial aid checks, totaling $24 million in aid. He said the record disbursement could be attributed to the increase in enrollment.

Middlemist said Metro’s administrative cost of distributing financial aid has not dropped since the implementation of the cards, but hopes to one day see a reduction.

With the partnership with U.S. Bank, students can have their financial aid money directly deposited into their accounts. Middlemist said using one of the U.S. Bank card options would get students their money faster. Financial aid checks are mailed two weeks before the start of a semester on a Saturday. He said with the direct deposit option with the cards, financial aid monies should be available the Monday following the mailing of checks.

“There have been a few glitches so far, but U.S. Bank has been good at solving any problems and the students have been patient,” Middlemist said.

One glitch students have experienced with the cards is having an account closed due to inactivity. Middlemist said due to banking regulations, any account that is opened and has no activity may be closed by the bank as a security measure to prevent fraud.

Students interested in obtaining a OneCard or OneCard Maxx can go to the student identification center in the Tivoli. The cards are $10 and need to be activated by visiting a U.S. Bank branch or an ATM. There are U.S. Bank ATMs in the PE Events center and Central Classroom.