Quick weekend news about Walmart, the three letter drug store, and the numerically named convenience store…
The numerically named convenience store
While I haven’t had a chance recently to revisit my local convenience store, I’ve heard report after report from readers that these stores are no longer allowing Vanilla Reload purchases with credit cards. Apparently there was a memo. Also, even when cashiers are willing to let people use a credit card, they have found that the rule is hard coded into the register. I don’t know if this change is localized or across the nation. What has your experience been (and in what town/city)?
Walmart
Numerous reports have come in of people being turned away when they try to reload Bluebird with a debit gift card. Apparently Walmart issued a memo (I’m beginning to hate memos). Luckily, if a cashier is willing to try it anyway, it still works. Also, so far the automated kiosks appear to be a still-working alternative.
The three letter drug store
CVS stores received a very different type of memo. Now, instead of allowing each person to purchase only $1000 in reload cards at a time, they allow up to $5000 per day. When you purchase over $1000, though, they will scan your drivers license. No word on what exactly they’ll do with that info. If you’re the type to worry about a big corporation’s sinister intentions, you might want to avoid that.
Reader experiences
Have your recent experiences matched the experiences reported above? If not, what has your experience been?
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I just happen on 09/18/13 to be at a 3 lettred drug store here in IL to buy vanilla reload, and all have disappeared from the rack.
Asked the manager and she said seems they were not working so they took it off. Asked if they gonna comeback and she said not sure.
Are others seeing the same around in their area too?
Are they taking them off the shelves.
For months my Charlie Victor Sierra store in multiple NoCal locations didn’t have them EVER……..I carried a color photo and showed a couple of managers who swore they had never seen them…….they said if I had an old one they could get the UPC? code and search in the system and let me know when they were coming……….then one day SHAZAM they had thirty cards and have had a good supply ever since……I honestly don’t think they have a plan one way or the other………..
Vish: Yes, I’ve heard similar stories from others. As far as I can tell they seem to be backed up on deliveries.
JustSaying: Great!
[…] Lastest buzz about buying Vanilla Reloads – Read more here […]
3 Walmarts in my area (Northern California). Had been doing BB loads with GCs with no problem. Did one on Tuesday, no issues, but went in today and got refused. Employee said they were not accepting gift cards for the last two weeks, wouldn’t even attempt it. (Seems like WM will be very YMMV). Went to another and loaded BB and GoBank with kiosk, no issues.
I guess it me back to Vanilla Prepaid if I run out of beans in the area. If it looks like a debit card instead of a gift card they’ll probably accept it if you are forced to use the Money Center.
david: There are only a few cards that offer bonus points at drug stores (see: https://frequentmiler.com/2012/11/09/best-category-bonuses/). If you don’t have one of those, best bet is to use a card that offers great everyday rewards or great big-spend bonuses. See:
Big spend bonuses: https://frequentmiler.com/2012/12/10/best-big-spend-bonuses/
Best everyday rewards: https://frequentmiler.com/2013/06/04/best-rewards-for-everyday-spend/
my CVS nw has reload cards for the first time in months. 5000 limit per day, swipe drivers license if you go over 500. they said this is new corp policy. no other issues than they do fly off the shelf.
myu question is i have quite a few cards , which is the best for use at CVS, I do not need to use reload csrds to meet minimum spends as i charge quite a bit each month.
Negative four is declining credit cards at the register in Southern California.
Call me paranoid but if WM is rejecting BB load w/gc in person (CSR’s) our precious kiosk maybe found reprogrammed pretty soon. Lucky for churners, this isnt like HIGC, as these gc are still liquid (via M.O. or by buying reloads at an additional cost).
haven’t been able to use a cc at 7-11 to buy Vr for a rew weeks. Always declined.
Denied this morning at SF Bay Area Walmart MoneyCenter when trying to get MOs. The scanner accepted them, but after the second gift debit card the suspicious clerk asked to see the card, which had a small gift card reference in addition to debit. She voided the transaction, telling me they’d been told not to accept gift cards because Walmart isn’t making any money on them.
No problems today at WM, SE MI for $10k in MO’s at customer service desk. Purchased $5k of bean reloads at three letter drug store, no issues. Though I Did have a 711 register deny a specific card, other three cards I used for bean GC’s worked ok. Called the card and they said they said the transaction never made it to them. This is a card I have used to purchase ~$6k from 711, so maybe they are starting to tag cards? will try tomorrow. CArd deined at 711 worked for $7k of other transaction 30 minutes later.
Just went to two reliable 3 letter stores and the first one told me cash only and the register wouldn’t allow her run the transaction anyway…Ah, OK thanks. Next store, two cards, had to scan DL, but no problem with cc…..
Slurpee store DENIED which used to work. VISA beans still okay though, same card.
Makes sense that pharmacy would swipe DL. Seems stolen credit cards are the reason for their squeamishness. Also, when I told wm CUST Svc to swipe one $500 at a time, her boss said, That’s because she doesn’t want to be tracked. What?
I believe credit card fraud is the only reason we see places taking cash only or requiring ID swipes. I have talked to numerous people at numerous merchants and each state stolen credit cards are why they no longer take credit cards. I also had an interesting call from Capital One, they didn’t care that I wash buying gift cards, what they were worried about was that I was being scammed by someone and buying gift cards for someone else expecting to be paid via a money transfer from someone in Jamaica or Nigeria. I even had one clerk tell me that the owner of a 711 was seeing someone come in every day, buying some cards and immediately going to the back of the store and using the ATM to cash out the cards. He said he never had a fraud complaint but even so just thought something odd must be going on so move to a cash only policy
No VII-XI here, so can’t comment, and also haven’t purchased any beans in quite awhile. Visited WM yesterday for BB load. Kiosk STILL down but no problem at service desk, other than a wait in line.
Once tried to load BB at register with cashier, but she had no clue. Are others having any success with this?
Interesting to hear that others have had trouble at WM kiosk after adding $1500 to BB also. I generally load my card and my husband’s in the same trip (duh) and starting having this issue 4-6 weeks ago.
Lately, however, the kiosk has been out of service and I’ve gone to the customer service counter. They process all four without any issue.
One numerical convenience store did not have them and another refused to sell them with a CC. On the other hand, the 3 letter drugstore sold me $1k worth with no problem after a DL scan.