Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The 2024 BeWell incentive year starts on Jan. 4, 2024 and closes on Nov. 30, 2024.

You can earn incentives by completing wellness activities and tracking your Healthy Habits in your BeWell account from Jan. 4 through Nov. 30.

Your first step is to sign in to your BeWell account. From there, you can complete your user profile to customize your experience within the platform.  You may also complete various wellness activities that are meaningful to your well-being to earn points toward your incentive. For every point milestone you complete, you will receive a taxable $140 incentive in your paycheck. You can achieve up to 30,000 points for a maximum incentive of $560 per program year.

Nov. 30 is the deadline to complete wellness activities to earn points for a payout. For other key program deadlines, visit the Deadlines page.

Yes, you must fully complete and log your Healthy Habits and wellness activities in your BeWell account by Nov. 30 to earn points.

Incentives are paid out within two pay periods after completing each reward increment.  You must still be a benefits-eligible Stanford University employee at the time of payout to receive the incentive.

Dozens of free activities are available throughout the year to help you focus on your well-being and earn your incentive. Example activities include tracking sleep, physical activity, and water intake, attending BeWell events, registering for free Healthy Living classes and on-demand webinars, taking advantage of free personal training and fitness assessments, becoming a BeWell Champion, and more. See the Wellness Activities page for more ideas.

Sign in to your BeWell account on your browser or mobile device and select Stats on the home screen to see everything you can track on the platform. You can track manually by entering in your information, or you can connect a device or app to track some things automatically. For instructions on how to sync your device, visit the Getting Started Guide or watch this brief video on syncing your BeWell account with the mobile app. 

If you choose to track your activities manually, you can track your current day or past activity; however, you will only receive points for activities tracked within the last 14 days.

Sign in to your BeWell account, and you’ll see a rewards progress bar at the top of the page. For a detailed view of your rewards, go to the Rewards page. You’ll see your earning progress and how much you need to earn to get to the next payout level. Scroll down for a detailed breakdown of points earned for each wellness activity and opportunities for more earning.

Navigate to Rewards and select My Earnings to see a list of redeemed voucher codes, the day they were redeemed, and the points associated with each.

In the BeWell platform, click Health in the top navigation bar, and you’ll see a link to the survey. If you haven’t registered in the BeWell platform yet, you’ll be prompted to do so.

Once you complete your Health Assessment, you can view or edit your results anytime. Click Health in the top menu bar, then click the button to view your results or re-take the survey.

Click Programs in the top menu bar, then select BeWell Check-in & Follow-up and choose Start Now. You will be taken to the registration page where you can choose your coach, select your date and time, and confirm your appointment. You can revisit this page any time to view your appointment details, access your Zoom link, or cancel/reschedule your appointment. You will also receive a confirmation email with all your appointment details and a link to cancel/reschedule.

There’s a 24-hour cancellation policy and participants can cancel/reschedule through our appointment scheduling system. If you need to cancel your appointment within the 24-hour window prior to your appointment, submit a ServiceNow ticket to forfeit your session.

This is not something you can change. The timeout is a necessary security feature to keep your personal health information secure.

Yes, there is a mobile app!  But before using it, you must sign into the BeWell platform via SSO from your computer – or an internet browser on your phone – and set up your profile. Then, you can download the Virgin Pulse app from the Apple Store or Google Play.  You’ll also earn 1,000 points toward your incentive the first time you  download the mobile app (you don’t have to do this each year). Get more tips in the Getting Started Guide.

Yes, the Virgin Pulse platform, which manages the BeWell Program meets the highest standards for managing security risks and  protecting health information, and meets Stanford’s rigorous security standards. For more information, visit the BeWell Privacy Notice.

You may begin participating by signing into the platform and setting up your profile two weeks after your start date.

The BeWell incentive program is available to all benefits-eligible Stanford University employees.

No, it is not required that you be enrolled in medical benefits through the university to participate in BeWell.

You must still be a Stanford University employee at the time of payout to receive your incentive. Please contact BeWell by submitting a ServiceNow ticket before your last day for further assistance.

Spouses are not eligible to participate in the BeWell program. However, spouses are welcome to participate in events, workshops and all  Healthy Living offerings.

Retirees are not eligible to participate in the BeWell program. However, they are welcome to participate in Healthy Living.

Unfortunately, BeWell is not included in your Stanford benefits package. Although you are not eligible to participate in the BeWell incentive program, you are welcome to register for all Healthy Living offerings.

Hospital employees have a separate wellness program. Please visit the HealthySteps to Wellness website to learn more.

Once you are signed into the platform or mobile app, navigate to Program then select Healthy Living. To start earning rewards, select Start Now to go to the Healthy Living registration page to explore and register.

You can earn the full 30,000 points required for your BeWell incentive through Healthy Living offerings. The point breakdown can be found on the Wellness Activities page.

Yes! Your points for Healthy Living and Stanford Recreation and Wellness offerings are automatically added once attendance has been uploaded. You do not need to join through the wellness platform to receive your points. It can take between two and four weeks after the completion of the activity for your points to be awarded.

Attendance is required to receive points for all Healthy Living classes. Specific attendance requirements vary by class and are communicated in the class description and confirmation email.

Some Healthy Living classes are recorded, and the class descriptions state which classes are available for recording. If the class is recorded, a temporary link to the recording is active for one week, is provided to all registered participants following the class. You can earn points by either attending the live class or watching the recording.

Select Healthy Living on-demand webinars are also available as a free resource through Healthy Living. These specific archived webinar recordings are eligible for incentive points.  You must log in with your SUNet and watch at least 80% of the webinar recording to receive points.

Classes with a date range are held weekly unless specifically stated otherwise in the class description.

The costs of all Healthy Living classes are listed on the Healthy Living registration site. You can find free Healthy Living classes by typing “free” in the search field at the top of the registration site.

There is currently no way to search or sort by cost, but the cost of each Healthy Living class is clearly listed on the Healthy Living registration site.

The points for each type of Healthy Living offering are listed on the Wellness Activities page of the BeWell website and the Healthy Living program card on the BeWell platform. Once you’ve found a class that meets the points value you’re looking for, you can search for it on the Healthy Living registration site, or select Offerings by Type to see all the classes that correspond to the point value you’re looking for.

The Staff Training Assistance Program (STAP) provides reimbursement for any training activity directly related to your job or a career development effort. Stanford Healthy Living offerings are also eligible for STAP funds. Regular or fixed-term employees working 50% time or greater are eligible for STAP. Faculty, students, temporary employees, retirees and other non-staff university affiliates are not eligible for STAP funds.

All Healthy Living offerings can be paid using STAP funds or a credit card. If you are not eligible for STAP or do not have enough STAP to cover a class, you may complete your registration with a credit card. Please note that you must register for Healthy Living offerings by 5 p.m. on Aug. 30 to apply your STAP funds from the current fiscal year.

All Healthy Living offerings are available to postdocs and faculty.

The At-A-Glance is a one-page document of all Healthy Living classes for the current quarter.

Visit the Healthy Living registration site and click Login with SUNet in the upper right corner, then click My Classes. You will see a list of all the Healthy Living offerings you have registered for during the current year.

Yes, Healthy Living offers evidence-based wellness apps, including Headspace, Sleepio, WW – Weight Watchers, and more. To view the full list of wellness apps, go to the Healthy Living registration site, choose Offerings by Type, and select Wellness Apps.

Links to cancel or reschedule are located in a participant’s appointment confirmation and reminder email(s). There’s a 24-hour cancellation policy and participants can cancel/reschedule through our appointment scheduling system. Please notify your coach if you need to cancel your appointment within the 24-hour window prior to your appointment. That session may be considered a forfeit and may impact your ability to receive points. Email healthyliving@stanford.edu if you have any questions.

To cancel a Healthy Living class, please email healthyliving@stanford.edu. You must contact Healthy Living at least 24 hours before your first class or coaching appointment to receive a refund or credit. All app purchases are final – there are no credits or refunds for apps. A $10 processing fee will be charged for all credit card refunds.

You can earn points for all physical activity by tracking it on the BeWell platform. Click on Stats on your BeWell platform and add steps, workouts, and more. You can enter information manually or sync your device to earn points automatically through your daily movement.

You can earn the full 30,000 points required for your BeWell incentive by participating in activities through Stanford Recreation and Wellness. The point breakdown is listed on the Wellness Activities page.

Earn points daily by tracking your physical activity and sleep using a device synced to your BeWell account. BeWell’s mobile app, powered by Virgin Pulse, makes tracking easy. For instructions on how to sync your device and apps, visit the Getting Started Guide or watch this brief video on syncing your BeWell account with the mobile app.

Login to the BeWell platform, select Program then click on Recreation and Wellness Offerings. Click on the links in the description to go to the offering you are interested in, or select Start Now to visit the Stanford Recreation and Wellness website to explore and register.

You can earn 5,000 points for each Cardinal or Platinum Group Fitness Pass or Virtual Fitness Membership you sign up for, for a maximum of 20,000 points per year. Please allow up to four weeks after the end of the quarter for this activity to show as completed.

Free fitness assessments for BeWell-eligible faculty and staff are available at Arrillaga Center for Sports and Recreation (ACSR), 341 Galvez Street, and Stanford Redwood City Recreation and Wellness Center, 900 Warrington Ave, Redwood City, CA. BeWell participants are eligible to participate in two fitness assessments per calendar year. To register, visit the website, sign the waiver, and then select Register for an in-person fitness assessment session on the left.

To cancel a personal training or fitness assessment appointment, please refer to the online instructions and tutorials on the Stanford Recreation and Wellness website.

Stanford Recreation and Wellness offerings are available to all Stanford employees at the same price, regardless of BeWell participation. Find more information on group fitness options for faculty and staff.

You can only earn points for personal training through the free BeWell-eligible personal training with Stanford Recreation and Wellness. However, you can earn points toward your incentive for any physical activity as long as you track it in the BeWell platform, either manually or automatically by syncing your device.

Please submit a ServiceNow ticket for any questions about Stanford Recreation and Wellness.

Points for any activity completed through Stanford Recreation and Wellness will show up in your BeWell account four weeks after the end of the quarter.

Submit a ServiceNow ticket for BeWell, Healthy Living, or Lifestyle Coaching assistance.

If you have questions about the BeWell platform and/or mobile app powered by Virgin Pulse, get help at support.virginpulse.com. You can also call the Virgin Pulse help desk at 1-888-671-9395 Monday through Friday, 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT, or email support@virginpulse.com.

You can also register for an appointment to get support setting up the BeWell platform from a BeWell team member.

For questions about Stanford Recreation and Wellness offerings, please submit a ServiceNow ticket.