I read recently that the university I attended has put a system like this in the dining halls. Back when I went there 20 years ago, they’d sell a reusable cup

I read recently that the university I attended has put a system like this in the dining halls. Back when I went there 20 years ago, they’d sell a reusable cup for around $40 that got you 50 cent sodas all academic year long (it was otherwise maybe $2.50-$3 for a soda). You were on your honor to show your reusable cup at the cashier to be charged for a soda. As with the paper cups, you’d get free refills once you paid for a drink with your meal. Now they sell a prepaid RFID cup that has a certain number of fills programmed into it. If you use them all, you can add more to your cup account. Because you still need a chip to authorize the fountain either way, the disposable cups are also chipped and programmed to allow two fills before deactivating. It seems like a wasteful money grab at a place where it costs north of $50K/year to get in the door.