Subsidy FAQs

1) Where is the subsidy? I don’t see it!

If you pay for food with your student card, you should receive a mail with a receipt after every purchase. Now, if you squint really hard, then you will see that under where the discounted sum is written, there are two more lines:

The first line means “my workplace’s contribution” and the second means “my contribution”, which is what the cost actually was for you. So, the discount and subsidy are written separately, with the latter being much less obvious.

2) I checked my fellowship slip for July 2023 and haven’t noticed a reduced meals deduction. Why is that?

The meals deduction in the fellowship slip covers the meals purchased between the 16th of the previous fellowship month and the 15th of the current fellowship month. So, the meals deduction on the July 2023 slip covers 16th May to 15th July, a day before the subsidy kicked in. That means you’ll only receive the benefits of the subsidy in your August 2023 fellowship slip!

3) If I buy food under 15 NIS, is it free now?

No, only the 15 NIS above 10 NIS are covered. So, if you buy a sandwich for 12 NIS, you will pay 10 NIS and the institute will pay 2 NIS. In fact, it makes no sense for you to buy anything between 10 and 25 NIS now (if you buy it once per day) - throw in another sandwich or a yogurt in the same purchase up to 25 NIS, and you’ll still end up paying the same amount.

4) Does the subsidy apply for deliveries from off-campus restaurants?

Yes! If you order food from a restaurant via the Cibus website/app from 8:00-16:30 Sunday to Thursday (excluding holiday evenings, holidays and public holidays), then you should get the same subsidy. Please see our guide about how to do this. Note however that not every restaurant works with Cibus and allows ordering this way - the website/app will show you a list of places where it is possible.

5) What about takeaway or sitting in off-campus restaurants?

Yup! If you download the Cibus phone app and sign in (see step 6 in the Cibus guide) then when it's time to pay, you can do so via the "לשלם בנייד" (pay by phone) code and will receive the discount.

6) Does it work for group orders?

Yes. If you do a group order from Cibus (see step 6 in the Cibus guide), then the subsidies of all people in the order will be collectively applied. E.g. if you order pizza for 4 people and they're all Weizmann employees, then if it normally costs 100 NIS it will instead cost 100-4*15 = 40 NIS. Note that the payment will then also automatically be divided between you so no need to pay the person who makes the order :)

7) Does the subsidy work for the Madam Perez vending machines?

Yes, but only for new or updated student cards that work with the machine! Try it - when it's time to pay, pass your card in the magnetic reader. If it doesn't work, then the card needs to be updated. To update your student card, bring it to the card office on the first floor of De Piccioto during the day.

8) Does it work on weekends (Fridays and Saturdays)?

In general no, with two exceptions: Cafe Mada is open on campus on Friday mornings to noon, and the subsidy applies there at that time. Also, if your card works for the Madam Perez machines (see above), you can also get the subsidy for them on Fridays and Saturdays at any time.

9) Does it apply for visiting students?

Unfortunately, no. The subsidy only applies for students receiving a monthly fellowship from Feinberg.