Many have reported seeing Incomm roll out a change on the fee on their Visa and Mastercard gift cards from $5.95 to $7.95. This includes the prevalent Vanilla Visa gift card and others.
It’s been many years with the fee on Visa gift cards hold steady at either $4.95 or $5.95, and it’s sad to see this large price hike.
In CVS , Visa issued by Sutton has 8.95 fees and the one issued by pathward has 7.95 fees
For a 34% fee hike, they should increase the $500 limit by 34% too.
Went to Sam’s Club today still see $4.94 (not a typo) for Vanilla Visa.
Walmart today had maybe 5x of the blue wrapped gift ones @ $4.94 left, but right next to it was several pegs of the new Christmas themed ones @ $5.94 😢
wow I’ve only ever seen 5.95
I’m sure the people who are in the IYKYK groups will find some way to still make MS-ing these profitable.
I mean the ones at OD/OM went up to $7.95 in January in my area, they end up sold out every promo even though at that fee you’re not making $ on the card even with the $15 off.
Many manufacturing senders have been requesting replacement cards since last Christamas as the card locks up due to tight fruad algorithm they put last year. Due to this, their costs have gone up and hence might be increasing the fee.
I’ve had 3 Vanilla Cards locked up due to potential fraud, and had 3 other Target Incomm (non-Vanilla) Visa cards used fraudulently in Los Angeles within a couple days of purchase…Incomm said they wouldn’t help, Target said they wouldn’t help. Had to contact my state’s Attorney General to get legal action started to get assistance with the 3 from Target. All 3 were used at Ralph’s grocery store for curbside pick up sadly.
I had 1 lock up in a 4 order purchase at Giant
I literally bought cars on the 30th and they were the 5.95 fee and then on the 31st they had done a soft reset of the area and only 7.95 fee were in the store. In socal.
There’s also a sticker on the 7.95 card now that says activate your card online at xyz site. It takes you to the normal site and pulls up what looks to be the balance screen, but there is a pop up window that your card is “activated” when you enter the info and the screen comes up for the first time.
FYI, I see a 8.95 fee at cvs with the lastest batch.
Genuine question, why are people buying cards with fee?
Completing spending goals usually. SUBs, SYW GGR offers. Mild MS. Sometimes rent (cheaper, 60 day float, +business card balance doesn’t hurt credit score). Base 1% on most cards generally covered most of the fee at 4.95/5.95 so if it was a 5% category or had a special offer you end up ahead.
To meet spending goals I see Giftcards.com selling them with no fees from time to time better to wait for those. Alternatively, go to a Simon Mall where you can buy them in $1,000 per card and a much lower fee.
I would only do that if the store was in a category that paid a lot of points…This is a bit random, but I went to vote in my old city today and as I was driving by a few grocery stores and a Simon mall, I just kept remembering all of the times that I went into the stores to MS. 🤣 I was tempted to go to the mall or grocery store to buy a gc and then head to the money center for a MO, but I decided not to.
with a 5% card the old fee for a VGC at 500.00 (505.95)= 25.29 cash back. With 507.95, the cash back is 25.39. With a 3% card you still get about $15.00 CB. Probably best to do volume as long as you can liquidate the cards. BTW the VG.com site is 6.95 fee w/o a code they give for “no fee”.
ugh, need to go max out my blue cash preferred before this is done where I am
Over the last few days I’ve noticed Safeways in the greater Seattle area switched over from Secure Spend VGCs to Secure Spend MCGCs, with the fee hike.
Same in Portland. The only VGC being stocked is the Pathward/Incomm with the green bow wrapped present.
Had 3 Pathward VGC’s get hacked before I even opened the packaging I don’t trust them at all, purchased from Target all 3 were sealed, then used 2,000 miles away.
Hi MickeyMouse, 3 x $500 hacked? Did they say the cards were drained online or in-store? I assume they sent you new cards?
Can you use Secure Spend MCGCs to buy MOs at grocery stores the same way as VGCs?
hat tip to
Eric 🔗 🤓
Bunch of people sent this in. Thanks all