The Office of Research and Innovation manages the research prepaid card program, which allows studies to pay participants quickly and easily using a reloadable debit card. Once a project is approved for the program and participants are registered, they are issued a card and receive payments shortly after each visit (as quickly as within 24 hours of submission). This program provides a fast, streamlined way to pay research participants.
The following requirements must be met to use this program:
- Project has a banner index and is ready to enroll
- Multiple participants will be paid by the project multiple times
- The project timeline is longer than six months
- Principal investigator must approve enrollment of the project
Learn more about how to use the Office of Research and Innovation prepaid card program on their website.
Rybbon/BHN Rewards is a contracted university vendor providing e-gift cards for approved university business purposes including research participant payments, awards, prizes, and recognition. Rybbon/BHN Rewards is a Virginia-based digital rewards management platform that allows users to send, track, and manage e-gift card incentives and rewards. Rybbon/BHN Rewards offers over 65 different U.S-based e-gift card options, including Amazon, Apple, Best Buy, Kroger, Starbucks, Target, and Uber, as well as Visa and Mastercard pre-paid cards.
| Capabilities: |
|---|
| - Great Digital Rewards |
| - Hassle-free Workflows |
| - Robust Reporting Tools |
| - Superior Recipient Experience |
Fees:
VCU maintains an enterprise subscription model with Rybbon/BHN Rewards . Each order will be billed a 10% transaction fee at the time of purchase. Departments will create separate itemized line items in their RealSource purchase orders. For example: If a department was purchasing 50 x $50 gift cards. Creating the purchase order (PO) would align with the example below:
| Line Item # | Description | Unit Price | Quantity | Ext. Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BHN Gift Card Funding | $50 | 50 | $2500 |
| 2 | 10% Fee | $250 | 1 | $250 |
Instructions:
Account Creation: To get started, create a free account. Setup instructions, step-by-step guides, additional information, and how to purchase gift cards can be found in Rybbon/BHN Rewards' Customer Help Center. If you require additional help, please reach out to our current sales rep listed below. VCU's sales rep can provide more detailed instructions regarding establishing a new account and ensuring your account number is associated with VCU's contract. Once your account is set up, you will be able to find this unique account number again in the future when you log in to Rybbon/BHN Rewards . Your account number can be found in the top right corner of the platform when logged in. To receive gift cards, you must first fund your account with Rybbon/BHN Rewards . Departments must use purchase orders (PO) and may not use P-Cards. To fund your Rybbon/BHN Rewards account, you'll need to create a purchase order (PO) that references your specific Rybbon/BHN Rewards account number. When creating a purchase order (PO) in RealSource to fund your BHN account, departments must select the following vendor information.
- Vendor Name: Rybbon Inc
- Vendor Number: V00969927
Be sure to include your account number on the PO so funds can be applied correctly after receiving.
Once the PO is created, account funding will occur after the receiving process is completed promptly.
Payment: After creating a PO in RealSource, departments should receive an invoice from Rybbon/BHN Rewards. This vendor is set up to be paid Net 5 versus our standard Net 35. Invoices should be sent to VCU.Invoices@trustflowds.com. If receiving is complete and the invoices have been uploaded to RealSource via VCU.Invoices@trustflowds.com, AP will ensure payment to the vendor the next check run, thus funding your account..
Questions:
If you need direct assistance from Rybbon/BHN Rewards, please contact our sales rep for more information. If you have general questions, please contact purchasing@vcu.edu.
Rybbon/BHN Rewards Sales Rep:
Ashley Le Ashley.Le@bhn.com
Gift cards, both from Barnes and Noble itself as well as from many other vendors and businesses, may be purchased from the VCU Barnes and Noble Book Store either:
By placing a Purchase Order in RealSource - Visit the VCU Bookstore at 1111 West Broad Street and select the cards you wish to purchase. Alternatively, gift card purchases can be coordinated through email by contacting the VCU Bookstore at sm620@bncollege.com. Once selected, gift cards are available for pick up immediately. The VCU Bookstore will collect the name and email address of a VCU staff member responsible for payment, and will submit an invoice to that person via email. Department staff should complete a Purchase Order in RealSource to Barnes and Noble (V00808229) for the invoice amount, complete receiving in RealSource, and submit the invoice to Accounts Payable at deptinvoices@vcu.edu within 35 days.
By using a department's index code - Visit the VCU Bookstore at 1111 West Broad Street and select the cards you wish to purchase. Alternatively, gift card purchases can be coordinated through email by contacting the VCU Bookstore at sm620@bncollege.com. Once selected, gift cards are available for pick up immediately. The VCU Bookstore will collect the index of the department making the purchase, and will charge that index for the cost of the cards.
If the vendor accepts them, department users may purchase gift cards directly from specific vendors via RealSource Purchase Orders.
General purchasing information, including instructions on ensuring your vendor is established in RealSource, are available under the "Make a Purchase" section of this site.
Gift cards may be purchased via P-Card only when they are used to compensate research or survey participants AND when no other form of payment is reasonably feasible. Using a P-Card to purchase gift cards requires prior approval.
Email corpcard@vcu.edu to request approval prior to purchasing gift cards via P-Card.
How do I ensure my Rybbon/BHN account is properly funded?
To fund your account, create a PO in RealSource that references your specific Rybbon account number. Receiving must be completed promptly for funding to occur.
For the invoice to be processed:
- Vendor: Rybbon Inc (Vendor #V00969927)
- Invoice must be emailed to VCU.Invoices@trustflowds.com
- Invoice must reference your PO number and line items that match your PO
- Receiving must be completed in RealSource
- Once those steps are met, Accounts Payable will process payment on the next check run (Net 5 terms), and your BHN account will be funded
👉 Invoice submission requirements
Why are invoices sometimes delayed?
Invoices will not be paid until:
- The PO has been created in RealSource with the correct vendor and account details
- Receiving is complete in RealSource
- The invoice has been properly submitted to VCU.Invoices@trustflowds.com in the correct format and passed to your RealSource PO.
If any of these are missing (e.g., invoice sent to the wrong inbox, missing PO number, or receiving not done), payment may be delayed.
👉 See: Vendor Invoicing & Payment Guidance
How do I request a refund from BHN/Rybbon?
- Initiate the request via the platform or contact our Rybbon/BHN sales rep.
- No additional banking details should be needed — VCU Treasury has already provided Rybbon/BHN our ACH information.
- Provide unused gift card details in your request.
- Refunds will be deposited directly into VCU’s designated bank account.
- For help, contact VCU Treasury (treasacctg@vcu.edu).
👉 See: Receive a Refund