The perks of being a VCUCard holder

By Elinor Frisa

You swipe it at Market 810. You tap it to enter your residence hall or use the printers at Cabell Library. Whether it's in your wallet or your pocket, your VCUCard is with you nearly every step of the way during your Virginia Commonwealth University experience. But what else can your card do for you on and off campus?

Your college ID is your ticket to discounts and perks on everything from Rams games and tech needs to local museums and online shopping. Below are just some of the services and places at which your VCUCard can serve you, but the list is by no means comprehensive. And wherever you are, whether in person or online, check for student discounts before you make any purchase.

Campus perks

RamBikes: Students, faculty and staff with a valid VCUCard can rent a bike for free (along with a U-Lock, helmet and lights) for 48 hours from RamBikes, located at 1106 W. Broad St. For more information, visit the RamBikes website. (The program also offers free services such as bike assembly and tune-ups.)

Audiovisual equipment: Students, faculty and staff can check out equipment from The Workshop, located in the basement of Cabell Library. Loans, which last for one week, include items such as cameras, projectors and projector screens, microphones, tablets and even metal detectors.

VCU Athletics: Students can attend any VCU home game for free. Some sports are nonticketed: cross country, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, tennis, and track and field. For the rest, with the exception of men's basketball, students can simply show their VCUCard at the gate. For men's basketball games, full-time students can claim their free ticket online in advance. Part-time students can attend via the student stand-by line (but admission is dependent on availability in the student section).

Free groceries, clothes, etc.: On the Monroe Park Campus, at 930 W. Grace St., students can visit the Ram Pantry, which battles food insecurity by offering nonperishable and fresh foods, as well as the Free Store, which offers housewares, art supplies, electronics and more to students, faculty and staff. Ram Pantry also stocks Little Ram Pantries and Ram Fridges at locations on both campuses. When it comes time for job interviews, or when students simply need items for their work wardrobe, the Suit Yourself Closets (one on each campus) offer free gently used professional clothing and styling services. Students can take up to six items from the closet per visit and visit twice a month. Career Services, which runs the closets, also offers students free professional headshots.

RamTech/fixIT: At RamTech, located on the Monroe Park Campus in the Barnes & Noble store at 1111 W. Broad St., members of the VCU community (and the public) can purchase computers, tablets, speakers, headphones and other tech gear (including MacBooks, iMacs and iPads at discounted education pricing). Also at RamTech, fixIT offers students, faculty and staff a free diagnosis for computer hardware and software issues. Labor and parts fees may apply depending on the device and any warranty - and fixIT offers free loaner laptops (when available) to students whose computers are being repaired, so they don't have to miss a beat when it comes to their academics.

Aids for schoolwork

Access to publications: While students, faculty and staff can access many newspapers, magazines, journals and other publications through VCU Libraries, they also can sign up for free online accounts to the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and Financial Times. VCU Libraries provides detailed guidance for creating accounts for these publications at guides.library.vcu.edu/find-news/personal-accounts.

Adobe Creative Cloud: The student subscription is now included in the software bundle for all students currently enrolled in at least one credit-bearing class. This means access to apps/tools such as After Effects, Fonts Pro, InDesign, Photoshop and many more. Learn how to get started at adobe.vcu.edu.

Nearby attractions

Tickets to arts venues: For select performances, Altria Theater and Dominion Energy Center, which host comedians, Broadway in Richmond productions, concerts and more, offer discounted student rush tickets, which typically have to be purchased in person. At Virginia Repertory Theatre, VCU Theatre students get two free tickets per play, and for other students, tickets cost $20 for musicals and $15 for plays. Richmond Ballet and Richmond Symphony offer discounted student tickets for most performances. And at the University of Richmond's Modlin Center for the Arts, tickets for VCU students cost $10.

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden: The historic property, with more than 50 acres of gardens to explore and an on-site café, offers full-time students an annual student membership for $25.

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts: An annual student membership for $10 includes access to all ticketed exhibits (the main collection of the museum is always free), as well as free parking, a 10% discount at the museum shop and dining venues, and more.

Virginia Museum of History and Culture: The museum has a collection of more than 9 million items, special exhibits, a research library and a café. Admission is $10 for students.

Busch Gardens: Located near Williamsburg about an hour's drive from VCU, the amusement park offers a College Pass for $99 that gives students unlimited entry between mid-August and the end of May, along with free parking and other perks.

Shopping, dining and more

Apple: Its Education Store offers discounts to students and educators on Macs, iPads and other products. Free engraving is available on many products.

J.Crew: Students and educators get 15% off in store and online.

H&M: Students get 10% off but must go through third-party organization Student Beans, a free student discount program.

Nike: Students get 10% off most items.

Amazon Prime for Young Adults: This membership level is available to college students, and all people ages 18-24, at about half the regular price of Amazon Prime.

Grubhub: VCU has a partnership with Grubhub that offers students, faculty and staff a free Grubhub+ membership. Its benefits include no delivery fees on orders over $18, lower service fees and 5% back on pickup orders. Students also can use Grubhub to order ahead at on-campus dining facilities and can pay with RamBucks at any of the 300,000-plus Grubhub locations nationwide, including more than 400 in Richmond.

Spotify: Spotify Premium for students is available at about half the standard price.

Amtrak: Students ages 17-24 can save 15% on train tickets if purchased at least one day in advance.

The list could go on and on, and discounts come and go. Our advice? Regularly check college student discount websites such as Student Beans and UNiDAYS for the latest offers from retailers across the U.S. And check the VCU Campus Card Services website for the latest in card-specific perks.

Faculty and staff perks