What are dinocoins?

Dinocoins are pre-paid credits that you can purchase and use over time to submit sequencing orders, both for regular orders through your Dashboard and for Custom projects that are coordinated by email with our Support Team.

Once purchased, the dinocoin credits are added to your account balance and can be assigned to be used either by an individual account or to be shared among a lab group. The balance of dinocoins is always visible in your account.

Dinocoins are especially useful if you want to prepay for future services, such as before a grant expires. They also allow you and your lab members to share the same pool of dinocoins without the need for a new quote or PO each time an order is placed.

How do I purchase dinocoins and add them to my balance?

Log in to your account, navigate to your Dashboard, scroll to the bottom of the service table, and select “Dinocoins.”
Select your method of payment for the purchase of dinocoins:
- Credit Card payment: Direct payment at the time of order. You will be directed to a secure portal.
- Credit Card link: You will receive a secure credit card payment link in your email.
- PO (Purchase Order) Number: You can enter a PO number when you order. If you are using a new PO that is not already in our system, please also email your PO documentation to our Finance Team at ar@plasmidsaurus.com.
Upon order submission, you will receive a 6-digit code that confirms your dinocoin purchase.
You should immediately see your dinocoin balance listed at the top of your Dashboard.

How do I submit a sequencing order using my dinocoin balance?

When submitting a regular sequencing order through your Dashboard, just select “Dinocoins” as your payment method.
When submitting a custom sequencing order by email with our Support Team, just let us know you plan to pay for your custom project with dinocoins.

In either case, you must have already purchased the dinocoins in order to have a balance available on your account that can be used to place sequencing orders.

How do I share dinocoins among members of my lab or group?

By default, dinocoins are added to the account balance of the user who submitted the payment.

If you’d like to share the purchased dinocoins between members of your lab or group, please contact our Finance Team at ar@plasmidsaurus.com.

If I don’t end up needing to use all the dinocoins I purchased, can I transfer them to another user?

Yes, you can contact our Finance Team at ar@plasmidsaurus.com to get your dinocoins transferred to another user (such as a labmate).

Can I pay for a sequencing order using both dinocoins AND a credit card or PO, or must an order be made with one payment method?

Orders can only use one payment method.

When I cancel an order or sample (or when it is marked empty upon receipt by the lab), will its value be refunded in dinocoins?

If you originally paid for your sequencing order with dinocoins or with a credit card, you will receive dinocoins refunded to your account balance.
If you originally paid for your sequencing order with PO, you will receive a refund to the balance of your PO (no dinocoins are refunded).

What discounts or credits do you offer for bulk purchases?

We offer the following pricing incentives for bulk sequencing purchases:

Orders of 96 or more samples through your Dashboard (for any service type) will automatically receive a 5% direct discount on the total price of that order.
If you purchase >$1,500 in dinocoins, we will credit an extra 5% free credit of dinocoins to your account.
If you purchase >$10,000 in dinocoins, we will credit an extra 10% free credit of dinocoins to your account.
To apply dinocoins to a Custom project, please purchase dinocoins on your account, with the same minimums as listed above to qualify for free credits. During project set-up via email, let us know you want to pay with your dinocoin balance and we will manually deduct the cost of your Custom project.

How do I obtain my credit for a bulk dinocoin purchase?

Your account is automatically credited when you purchase $1,500 or more Dinocoins in one transaction. You will be able to see the credit in your account.

Do dinocoins expire?

Yes, dinocoins expire 5 years after purchase.

Are dinocoins refundable?

No, dinocoins are not refundable, and they cannot be exchanged for cash value. Any balance of dinocoins that is not used before the 5-year expiration period will be forfeited. If you’re coming up on the expiration date but have no planned orders, you can contact our Finance Team at ar@plasmidsaurus.com to get your dinocoins transferred to another user (such as a labmate).