Last week I stepped into my local Office Depot and saw a scary sight. A sign on the gift card rack declared that prepaid cards can be purchased with cash or debit only.
Uh oh…
I had, of course, gone to the store with the intent of buying more Vanilla Reload Network cards. By buying these with my Ink Bold I would earn 5 points per dollar. I would then (at home) load each card’s value onto my American Express Prepaid cards. At that point, all purchases made with the Amex cards (as well as ATM withdrawals) would be roughly equivalent to getting 5 points per dollar. If you’re not yet familiar with this idea, please read “One card to rule them all”.
I took a few cards to the register, just in case. The cashier immediately reiterated the rule listed on the sign: “cash or debit only”. I reminded her that I’ve been buying these for a while with a credit card, and she quickly offered to seek a manager’s override.
The manager came over and the sale went through (using my Ink Bold) without any further issue. I asked the manager why the policy had changed and he told me that there has been a lot of fraud. People have been essentially stealing these cards.
After the manager walked away, the cashier described to me one of the schemes thieves have used to steal these cards. She gave me so much information that if I were dishonest I could do it myself. It only occurred to me after I left that I should have warned her not to tell the story so readily.
Thieves are stealing our points
Thanks to criminals ripping off Office Depot stores, our ability to leverage these cards for points is getting harder every day. I’ve heard reports from San Francisco that stores there also require cash or debit. In New York City, some readers were told that they were sold out and were not planning to restock.
Is it just a matter of time before this deal is dead for everyone?
Reader experiences
What has your experience been at your local Office Depot stores? Have the cards been in-stock? Have you been able to pay with a credit card? Please comment below. Let us know what state or major city you looked in and what happened. Have you seen reload cards at any other stores? If so, do those stores allow credit card purchases? Thanks in advance.
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Asking for ID and now refuse CC purchase of prepaid cards at my local OD in SF east bay. Game is over.
OD in Niles, IL just stopped carrying the AmEx reload cards. I knew it couldn’t last. At least they still have the Visa cards.
Just made might lates Vanilla reload for my AMEX at OD. Had a sign that said ID required when purchasing gift cards using C.C. or checks. Other than that, everything was normal.
[…] Vanilla Reload: Another key to success here is the ability to buy Vanilla Reload cards at Office Depot using your credit card. Some Office Depot stores have stopped selling the cards and some others have posted signs saying “cash or debit only” for buying prepaid cards. Fortunately, most stores still allow these purchases. Many readers have reported ongoing success in the comments of the post “When thieves steal our points”. […]
…great info, thanks. I thought debit transactions always require a PIN, no?
Atxtravel comment 73. I used Netspend last week to pay estimated quarterly taxes of $4500. Processed as debit to avoid large credit card fee. So far no action adverse consequences. Didn’t use pin, just selected pay as a debit card.
I went to my neighborhood OD store in the suburb of Houston and was informed that the reload cards can only be purchased by cash or debit card. The cashier said something about cc fraud.
I went to another OD store down the road and get the reload cards without hassle at all.
No issue at OD in Buffalo area. Bought two more cards on Thurs and didn’t have to show any ID………….
BTW, is 4K Vanilla a month still what you would call the upper limit?? Dont be a hog…………..
Update: My trip to NJ was a success (minus the traffic!) Seems like NJ stores don’t carry the AmEx Prepaid / Vanilla Reload Cards due to some state law, but they had plenty of regular Visa $20-$500 in stock! Of course this has been a 3 hour adventure for me and added $45 to my costs (gas/tolls) but at least I can plan a monthly visit out here and still get some Visa gift cards!
I went to a different store today in the Dallas Ft Worth area. Each time I go to OD I purchase 2500.00 of Vanilla Reload cards. Each time my Drivers License is surveyed carefully and matched against my appearance and my credit card. Each time my purchase is allowed without further delays. I thought I would try a different OD than I normally visit just to see how things were in a wider area from where I live. There were no signs posted that only cash could be used or that sales were being discontinued. I does seem that when such a large sale is run up on their registers it causes a prompt to appear on the screen requiring that the sales clerk require a manager’s second opinion before the sale can go through.
Thanks for sharing, everyone! It is comforting to see that most people have had no problems buying the reload cards. FYI, I returned to the same OD in Ann Arbor and again had no problem requesting and getting a manager’s override. Even better, they had fully restocked!
Roger: good to know. Still worth it for a one-time deal to help clear a minimum spend for a bonus.
I wonder what frequency / amount triggers this closing and if paying taxes using a PIN transaction (or buying money orders) would cause a closing of account as well.
I used the vanilla reload / netspend / cash advance at my bank process. Worked fine for 4 X 500 – then netspend closed my account. I called customer service and he said the only note on the account was “closed. corporate decision”. And I am not eligible for another netspend account.
anyone can tell me which OD still have vanilla card on sale around bay area?
I went to the Chicago Ashland store and the manager had to make a call to Chase to clear purchase. This was for 3 reload purchases. I have since purchased 2 reloads with no problem.
CodeAdam10: Let us know what you find in NJ. I was under the impression that they weren’t sold in NJ at all, but comment 12 suggests otherwise.