Update: Readers clarify in the comments that this increase is from the issuer, MetaBank, and that the fee increase is being found at Office Depot, Shoprite, etc, as well. Presumably Visa gift cards will get the fee increase soon as well.
Original Post:
Staples raised the activation fees on the $200 Mastercard gift cards in stores from $6.95 to $7.95. The change has no bearing the fee-free promos that Staples runs (though it could matter if they ever bring back the $5-off Mastercard deals). Visa gift cards are still $6.95 for the time being.
On a separate note, the MetaBank issued cards are now showing the name change of Pathward, a change that was announced earlier this year.
Does it impact variable 20-500 gcs?
Why can’t they issue $1000 vgc at 7.95?
Bought two Everywhere cards at OD today. The package price is now $5.95 so increased $1. But at check out they rang up $7.95 per card. Manager reimbursed the $2 per card difference from package price. Just watch out at register.
Is there a promotion at OD this week?
The fee issue was reported 3 weeks ago, they still have not fixed it?
Been out of country a month and missed the fee thing. Haven’t been following things closely.
No promo at OD. I just don’t have a Staples nearby and needed to use my $11 Chase offer on two cards.
You didn’t miss anything… only me.
I bought 2 GEs at local OM yesterday. Both rang up at expected $4.95 each.
Shouldn’t they have waited until April Fools to make this change? Who buys these and actually pays the fee?
This is going to suck for OD offers since that $15 off will be overwritten when you buy 2 x $200 MCGCs. However if Staples still does the waiving of the activation fees for both VGCs and MCGCs even if it is $7.95 that is ok.
Office Depot too
Shoprite is also showing the new 7.95 fee.
Staples didn’t raise the price, MetaBank did. The new price is printed on the new card packaging.
Weird that they didn’t do it at the same time as changing the security tabs then. I bought 2 MetaBank cards at Office Depot on 10/13 with the new hologram and the packaging is 6.95.
Is that true? I’ve seen $4.95, $5.95 $6.95, $7.95 depending on the store. I thought the store can choose the fee they want.
No, the different fees are for the different denominations $25, $50, $100, $200.
Not true in my area of the country. I’ve seen same denomination, same type metabanks with different fees.
Yes, I’ve also seen different denominations at the same price, like a $10 and $25, but I don’t recall seeing the same denomination at different prices *in the same store*, unless the prices were changing and some of the older cheaper cards were still on the shelf.
My experience is that if the fees differ it’s almost always a different denomination. If you find that’s usually not the case where you live, that’s news to me. Can you give an instance?
Sorry, different stores with different denomations as standard, especially on the usual silver gift cards.
Ok, I see.
It’s MetaBank that raised it rather than Staples. The old cards still have $6.95 activation fee that are still being sold as long as they are in stock.
OD/OM cards already have the new security features so I sure they’ll be changing it too. Their $15 off $300 will end up pretty much the same as no fee. Hopefully they will have fixed the Everywhere fee issue before then.