Den Points Replace Den Dollars

With a new name, Marist Dining aims to bring clarity to its food payment system. Photo by Owen Whelan ‘27

Marist Dining quietly announced a shift away from the terminology of “Den Dollars” to “Den Points” when announcing its annual meal plan prices on June 18, 2026. Existing alongside Marist Money, the new currency can be obtained through a meal plan or by manually adding funds from a credit card.

“The change was made to avoid confusion among meal plan holders given that there are two tenders,” said Michael Eggert, resident district manager for Marist University Dining Services. “Marist Money rolls over semester to semester while Den Points do not, so there is a big distinction there. We found there was confusion between the two tenders and decided to make the change.”

Despite the name change, one Den Point will have the same value as one Den Dollar, and Marist Dining assures students no price changes will take effect. Like Den Dollars, prices of items will be the same Den Point value throughout the semester. One Den Point will equal $1, as it was with Den Dollars.

“Pricing is set, so there will be no fluctuation in pricing throughout the semester,” Eggert said. “That said, like anything else, pricing for food items increases year over year.”

Even though the value is set, the connotation of “points” may change student spending habits. Studies show that consumer spending habits change when currency is labeled as “points,” even when it has the same purchasing power as something labeled “dollars.” 

“Meal plan holders should know that Den Points are pre-loaded and ready to go upon initiation of class, purchased through the school via their meal plans, used at every location, refunded as deemed necessary, but not carried over,” Eggert said.  “Additional Den Points can be added via the MyMarist portal and any additionally purchased Den Points which go unused can be carried over as long as students maintain an active meal plan.”

The change to Den Points does not change the existing terminology of “Marist Money” or how the overall dining system works.