Community Chat

[VaBelle35]

I use these for work all the time as giveaways and no one has had any issues.

For some gift cards, I've had to scratch off the silver part on the back to reveal the pin and then it goes through.

Does yours have some silver on the back that you scratch off?

[Snooky60]

I usually have trouble using a Visa gift card so have learned which stores will take and use them there. 💗

[NYC Susan]

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@gidgetgh wrote:

@Jordan2 - I still don't really understand.  I mean I understand the basic issue and I know you want to buy yourself something fun with it.

So, take the gift card (still don't understand the term Vanilla gift card) and buy groceries with it.

Then take the $$ you saved from using the gift card for groceries and buy yourself an Amazon gift card (or anything else) with that money.

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I was just about to suggest the same thing.  Seems like the best (and least aggravating) solution to me!

[Jordan2]

I'm the OP and finally went to the mall yesterday to use my gift card. Bath & Bodyworks was having a sale on their hand soaps so I bought 15 ( the limit). The cashier was able to process the card with no problem, I still have $9 left. I was talking to someone at the mall while waiting for the stores to open, she knew someone who also had a problem with the card. I don't get how you can't use the card online and must use it in a brick and mortar store.

[Sooner]

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@Jordan2 wrote:

I'm the OP and was in CVS this morning. Looking at the gift cards, every Visa gift card is issued by Vanilla. I was speaking to a worker in the store, I was telling her about my problem using the card, she said she also can never use one online. Also I asked about using a gift card to purchase a gift card and the answer is no ( I knew she would say this, but I had to ask). I asked why you can't use it on gift cards, she said you just can't. I don't why you can't, it is a form of currency, the funds are there, why does it matter if you want to buy a gift card? Also what good is a gift card you can't use online, I have to schelp to a brick and mortar store to buy something.

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@Jordan2 Surely you do buy stuff in stores, get gasoline, etc.  Just use it for that and use what you would have spent for the gas, groceries whatever on yourself.  It's a gift.  You can use it.  Why the big deal? It's all your money.

[bonnie f]

i just bought 2 of these... and the person has to call the number on the back of it to activate it??... i didnt know that..

[Spurt]

@Jordan2 

The reason a lot of online retailers wont accept gift cards is the criminals have targeted them and there are a lot of frauds and scams out there regarding gift cards...

Stolen Card Number

HOW THE SCAM WORKS: In this scam, a thief removes a gift card from a display, records the number and then puts the gift card back in the display. Then the scammer waits for a customer to buy the compromised gift card, checking the balance online until a dollar amount is loaded onto the card. As soon as a balance appears, the thief uses the gift card number online or makes a duplicate plastic gift card that can be used in stores.

This gift card scam works best when there is a controlled number of gift cards available such as a small merchant with a stack of 10 gift cards on the counter. At a larger store, the gift cards near the cash register or on the ends of the rack would most likely be the ones affected.

HOW THE SCAM WORKS: To protect consumers from the swiped gift card fraud described above, some gift card manufacturers have added special packaging or scratch-off personal identification numbers (PINs) to their cards to prevent thieves from being able to simply look at the cards to steal the gift card numbers. Though a deterrent, the packaging and PINs haven’t fully stopped scammers. Some thieves will still take the packaged cards, open them to get the numbers, and then tidy the envelope back up in hopes no one will notice. Some also scratch off the PIN and re-cover it with a sticker or just leave it entirely exposed. Once the scammer has access to the gift card number, he or she will use it as soon as an unsuspecting customer activates the card.

BOT Steals the Gift Card Balance

HOW THE SCAM WORKS: Hackers use a bot called GiftGhostBot to run through a store’s online gift card balance check system looking for a match–meaning a valid gift card number with an activated balance. Once the bot finds a match, hackers use the gift card themselves or sell it on the “dark web.”

[stevieb]

I've heard several times from people who have expressed how hard it was to activate and use prepaid Visa and Mastercards. I've tended to avoid them for that reason, though would think they're a great idea.

[Sooner]

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@SunSprite wrote:

@gidgetgh 

Good morning,

from what I understand "Vanilla" is the name of the company that sells the gift card.....it's a name like "Amazon" or "Whole Foods". 

hope that helps! 

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It's the brand my bank carries.  They seem to work.  I have had no complaints and I always buy gift cards from the bank, not off the racks in the stores.