UPDATE 6/20/14: Do not use OVGCs or VGCs at Walmart. Use other gift cards from other banks.
No Vanilla Reload Cards? No Problem! One Vanilla Gift Cards to the Rescue
I don’t know about you, but my local CVS store(s) are getting a bit low on Valentine’s Day chocolate Vanilla Reload Cards. Instead of walking out empty handed, take a look at the One Vanilla Gift Cards.
They have a slightly higher activation fee ($4.95 instead of $3.95), but they are a great Vanilla Reload Card alternative/replacement.
The great thing about this gift card is you can load it onto your Bluebird Card at Walmart (link) and you DO NOT need to register a PIN before using it. Yes, you read that correctly, all you do is swipe the gift card and enter any 4 digits you like (I like 1234 or 1127 (for my birthday)), but you may like another set of 4 digit numbers. It really is as simple as it sounds. Plus, I’ve seen literally 100 One Vanilla gift cards at every CVS store I have ever been to. You should be able to buy these cards at CVS or any grocery store, gas station, or other store.
If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.
Thank you Grant.
Thank you Jerry.
I am in Northern NJ. I don’t think that Mr. Simon has made it out here.
orrin
Orrin,
Check out this link
http://m.simon.com/malllist.aspx
I saw at least 10 Simon Mall in NJ,
By the way is there any Giant Food store or Shop and Stop in your area, they have promotion to by Visa Gift Card, your earn $2 off per gallon, I have earned $24 off per gallon so far. I can fill up almost 7 times for free
I have ordered the Simon mall card online twice now and it’s really $3.95 per $500 after your first order. It appears you will receive $2 off shipping with each purchase (if used within like 2 weeks). If you cannot make it to the mall this is not a bad alternative.
Thanks for sharing Brad. I haven’t bought any Simon GCs yet. Maybe someday…
Hi Brad…how do you receive the $2 shipping credit?
Also…is there a way to purchase more than one card at a time?
Thanks!
When you purchase one gift card you get a confirmation email that contains a promo code for $2 off shipping of your next purchase. And from the little searching I’ve done on there I have not found a way to buy more than 1 card at a time unless you sign up as a business and purchase more than 5 cards at a time
Tested OVs and VVs (Vanilla Visas) at WM. Both work with hitting our friend the yellow button.
Glad to hear that you were successful. I bought 2 more OVGCs this morning. Loading at Walmart tomorrow.
In addition to malls, look for Simon outlet centers. Again, my cards cost me $2 each.
You got a great deal going in TX.
Again—Search Simon for nearby malls and outlets.
If you purchase one of these can you add money to the same card instead of buying a new one????
You can only load and unload the VRCs once per card. The name reload is a bit of a lie.
No reload on One Vanilla or any gift card I ever heard about.
Hi Jerry,
I just have an ideas for you. Since you only pay $2 per $500 GC and $1 MO so why don’t you find a CC earn 2% back and earn some extra bucks. I use Arrival CC and play around with it.
With a 2% cashback card, you would earn $10 on the gift card purchase minus the $3 fee, with a $7 profit per gift card.
Yep. Buy 2 for every trip to the Mall earn $14 tax free
Not too shabby.
I only use gift-to-debit cards for min spend for the big new card bonus miles/points. Then, I go on to more new cards. My Simon is now $2 per $250 loaded card. So, $8 per $1,000 MO. Those cash back cards have too many restrictions on getting the cash back.
is the one vanilla site down ? I get an error message that reads” The connection was reset. The connection to the server was reset while the page was loading. I was trying to check the balance on the card and I cant log in.
Yes, it seems down to me as well. Can you call the number on the back of the gift card and check the balance that way?
The site is back up. I did find another site that you can put in the CC info to check the balance. But yes I could of called as that was my last option. thanks
What do you do with the OVGCs?
Buy money orders at Walmart, USPS, drug and grocery stores with One Vanilla.
Jerry, I thought you can’t buy MO with OVGC anymore.
Walmart completed its fraud investigation and is open for business again.
Does this also mean OVGC can be used at WM kiosk again?
Victor-No idea. I only buy money orders at the money center counter for deposit.
I assume that you still need to do “Change Payment” button thing in order to get the OV to work again?
Or is WM in the clear where you don’t even need to hit the “Change Payment” button in order to get OV’s again like any other debit card.
If they are Visa One Vanilla Gift Cards, then you probably don’t need to do the change payment work around.
Jerry: Thank you for keeping us up to date on purchasing MOs at WalMart. However, on three occasions, I have been denied using the OV card. I pushed the ‘cancel’ button a split second after I ran the card, but it still was refused as “not being a debit card.”
Can you please remind the readership of the technique that works for you? Thanks, Orrin
Orrin-I don’t understand “not being a debit card”. I only buy money orders for deposit at the money center counter. Anyway, I switched to cheaper cards at a Simon mall.
Jerry: After I run the card through the reader, tHe lady behind the money center tells me that the card is a credit type gift card, not a debit card…..even though I pushed ‘cancel’ as others have written.
How do you activate their device, to make the WM software recognize the OV card as a debit card, and enter your PIN? thank you.
I had the samething with an OV. The cashier did not code the the transaction properly for $500. I went to a different cashier and worked fine. Make sure that you remind the cashier only to deduct $500 and the remainder you will pay in cash.
I’m puzzled. I never heard of that. You should have asked for a supervisor. I guess some clerks don’t know the difference between credit and debit cards. Anyway, you can also use VISA and MC gift cards converted into debit cards with PINs from grocery stores. again, Simon mall and outlet cards are cheaper.
Thank you. COuld you please enumerate how you perform the transaction?
After you swipe your card, do you do anything other than stand there?
thank you,
orrin
Orrin and Jerry, as I understand the OVGC is dead at WM, it only had a short live with the trick to hit the cancel button. I believe so far the credit card issued by USBank which you can get it cheap at Simon Mall and Metabank which you can get at grocery stores.
My friend just bought MO from WM with Simon GC and I loaded them to BB with 3 ways at WM: Kate, Cashier and at Money Center. All 3 are easy to do just follow the instructions. My friend said MO is very easy and it is his first time. Therefore I believe your problem is using OVG. I stopped by CVS many times, there are tons of OVG since nobody in MS buy it.
Grant do you have any ideas?
OVGCs no longer work at Walmart for reloads or MOs. You can still use OVGCs at other places that issue MOs. For loading to Bluebird/Serve, use other Visa gift cards from grocery stores and office supply stores.
Cash Back-NO Enter PIN and hit ENTER button. I haven’t used OV in a while but last time no problem in Walmart. Have you tried USPS and drug and grocery stores for MOs? Besides Simon malls and outlets, plenty of US Bank and Metabank cards in grocery stores. Money orders for deposit for min spend is the fastest and easiest for me.
What is the max amount a money order can be? Can you use multiple gift cards for 1 money order?
Max in WM is $1,000 per MO. I don’t know about USPS and drug and grocery stores. It always takes multiple cards per MO. The money center clerk will coach you. When max allowable cards per transaction, simply do more than one transaction.
Grant – I have never bought any other than the OVGCs. What GCs are eligible that I could buy that could be reloaded into BlueBirds at Walmart?
Any gift card not issued by Vanilla will work. So any Visa GC from grocery stores or office supply stores will work to load to Bluebird/Serve.
JP, if you can buy Simon Visa GC it is the cheap one and it works fine both Kate and cashier.
Thank you. Obviously, I misunderstood. I thought you wrote that OVGCs were working again at WalMart. I have been purchasing MOs at local groceries. I was not able to do it at the USPS.
Thanks again for clarifying this.
Confirmed today: OV is working at WM for BP at MC counter and MO at Kiosk. HT to Jerry!
Any word on loading to Serve or Bluebird?
Spgbus, what is BP and you can get MO at Kiosk? how much for the fee and how pay for the fees?
Thinking of trying the MO. Anybody know if I can deposit MO through ATM or phone app?
Thanks in advance.
loaded BB successfully today with OV at WM
Wow that is amazing. Did it work just like it did before? This is great news to hear. My friends at CVS will be glad to see me again.
Spgbus- how did you load your bb with ov at wm today? I was just there and received the “tender not available” error and was told it was a credit card. Any help is awesome
Hi guys, i wonder why CVS checks my card number when i purchase one vanilla at CVS?
I asked today, but he said ” just security purpose”… i am really curious and wonder.
Please answer anyone.
Thanks
Most stores check your ID when you use a credit card to buy anything over $50-$100. It cuts down on the credit card fraud.
Hay~ Thanks grant,, so they are not saving my informaiton for the further investigation right?
since credit card is not supposed to be used for buying one vanilla?
No I doubt that. You have always been able to buy One Vanilla Gift Cards with credit cards.
I can no longer buy One Vanilla Gift Cards with credit cards at my local CVS. For a while it was possible to do so, but then they put up signs that said “ALL gift cards cash only”.
That’s a bummer. I was told cash only for PayPal My Cash Cards even though I know you can pay with credit cards.
CVS sent a list to every store manager regarding what cards could and could not be purchased with credit cards. About 6 months ago, that list was published on the Internet….perhaps this blog, also. OneVanilla cards were NOT on the list that required cash….one can stil purchase them at CVS if you ask the manager to find the list.
Yes, you are right. Here is the memo from my local CVS: http://travelwithgrant.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/20140402-082250.jpg
I’m aware of that. After the original memo came out, this same CVS allowed purchases of One Vanilla (and ONLY One Vanilla) for a few months. And then their policy changed, and they stopped accepting credit cards for any gift cards, including One Vanilla. I appreciate the advice, but this store is not just confused about the original policy.
Can you buy OVGCs from any other store with a credit card?
After my two nearest CVSs stopped taking credit cards for OV, I was able to buy them at Rite Aid. Then I read some posts that Rite Aid had stopped accepting credit cards. I took a break from MS for a while, so I haven’t verified if the Rite Aid’s near me allow cc purchases or not. I’m getting ready to apply for another Citi Exec card, so I’ll check Rite Aid and use Simon Mall as a backup.
it happens to me too, there is only one place that works with credit card in my town all other saying only cash!. and they said that is not every list. just they haven’t listed on that yet so you can’t purchase with gift card” this is what they told me. and is there a limit for one vanilla purchase with credit card per month?… is it going to be regards as cash advance if i purchase like over $3000 / month?
I don’t think there is a limit to the amount of OVGCs you can buy per month. You can buy as many as you want, with respect to the store’s daily purchase limit.
LWT, Simon Visa is a wonderful GC for MS. In addition, the Visa GC issued by Metabank which you may get at the grocery stores and I got them at Giant Food Stores and others get from Stop & Shop. The one I got has visa.gowallet.com, I like it since the initial pin is the last 4 digit of the card so you can go straight to Wally and load it or buy MO. It cost $5,95 but it worth it if you do MS. I bought a lot of them during promotion for gas discount but now I buy Simon Mall Visa GC due to the cost $2.95. I want to collect miles/points beyond the bonus since for every 1000 points/miles (5000 points for Carlson and 2000 points for Arrival) it only cost me $6 or 6 cents per point/mile. I am retired so I have time and Simon Mall & Wally not too far from my home.
I think you mean 0.6 cents per miles/point. Thank you for sharing Hoang.
yes what I mean thanks for correction.
Thanks, Hoang.
Ok time for a stupid question The only Simon mall in my state is an outdoor strip mall. Where do they have the cards? Do you go to the main office? What denominations do they come in.
thanks
I have no idea. Is there a lost and found / customer service area of the strip mall? Just ask around and you should be able to find it.
I think it’s possible to order Simon mall cards online and have them mailed to you.
I bought Gift Card Mall GCs only. 3 x $500 GCs came out to $1,522.88 or something.
Just call the mall and ask if they have them. They will tell you if the do or do not and where to get them if they do.
I spoke with a Manager at my local mall recently and they love that we are buying cards there. They do not care whatsoever they are for MS.
I wish I got that feeling everywhere I bought gift cards.
Yes, people there remember me and very helpful.
Yes you can have them mail the gift cards to you.
Yes, you can order them on their website and have them delivered, but it costs more, because of shipping.
At my particular mall they only keep so many cards at the kiosk. So, if you go during regular business hours M-F they will get more from the office depending on how many you want, however if you go on the weekend they run out regularly.
So, what they asked me to do is call/email (manager gave me her email) and let them know how many I want and when I want to pick them up. Then they have them ready to go for me.
Excellent, thank you for sharing. How many gift cards do you typically go per visit?
At this point I have only purchased 5 at once, but that was because I went on the weekend and that was all they had.
The manager said she would be happy to sell me up to $10,000 a visit. I asked her to put 10 aside for me and I am going to pick them up tomorrow.
On a sidenote…she advised that the current stock of VGC are limited, because they are rebranding the card as of August 1st. She said nothing is changing except the image on the card, but they might run out before they get the new cards in.
Dang, that makes it very tempting to buy those gift cards.
I hear ya…It’s 48 miles rountrip to the closest mall for me, but the load fee is so cheap it’s actually worth it (taking into account gas).
I thought at one point you mentioned you were in Irvine. I grew up in Orange County…looks like there is one in Mission Viejo (www.simon.com/mall/the-shops-at-mission-viejo). Might be worth checking out.
Yes I think The Block of Orange and Shops of Mission Viejo are both Simon malls. I’ll have to crunch the numbers and calculate the savings.
I don’t think you can buy gift cards for email delivery. As for cash advances, just call your credit card company and tell them to lower the cash advance limit to $0 or as low as possible.
It looks like you answered all of your own questions.
Yes, that is correct. If you can liquidate the gift cards, then you have earned miles for free.
You will need to go to Walmart to load your Serve card with gift cards. Almost all Visa gift cards will work, it just depends on the bank that issues your Visa gift card.
The folders om VISA and MC $500 gift cards tell how to get a PIN.
Simon Mall here in Dallas, TX now limits to only $250 max on a card. @ $2 per card, it takes $8 in fees per $1,000 money order. Still, not bad for a big bonus. Kroger here also charges 68c per $1,000 money order. Why pay shipping fees by mail?
I think it will be very difficult to MS without a car. Anyway to get to Walmart by bus or bike?
I think mine is only 5-6 minutes away.
Jerry,
Is it the new one? In Philadelphia sub the customer service lady told me they will have new design that’s why I just wonder the new design only going to $250.
By the way, anyone try to buy MO at Wally with Simon GC lately? My friend tried this morning and the cashier refused to accept the GC.
I spoke with the manager at my mall yesterday. She stated the only change was gonna be cosmetic and you can still load $500 at a time.
Thanks for the update Racerboy.
In grocery stores, the gift cards sometimes come in a folder. If no folder, instructions are on the cards to call or go online.
There is really no point to pay for the expensive shipping unless you wanted it sooner for some reason. The $5.95 is what I have done and as mentioned before you will receive a promo code for $2 off shipping of your next order so future orders will come out to $3.95 shipping. The standard shipping takes 2 days to go out and then it seems like I’ve been getting them 2-3 days after they ship.
I bought 3 $500 GCs from GCM but I don’t see a discount code for future orders in my confirmation email or shipping email. I went through a cash back portal, so maybe that killed my coupon.
I take it GCM is gift card mall? I’ve only ordered from Simon directly, never from GCM
Yes, correct. They are the company that issues Visa gift cards from the Staples.com store.
Oh okay. I’ve never ordered from them. The $2 discount comes from Simon
Oh gotcha. Sorry for the confusion. Thanks for clarifying Brad.
I did it on Thursday 7/31 and had no problem
No activation fee
I’ve only used chase and worked fine
Yes I’ve loaded on serve at walmart within the past week
Thank you for the data point Brad.
I have never had a Citi credit card count a VISA or MC gift card in a grocery store as a cash advance. But I never bought an AMEX gift card.
If you buy GCs in grocery stores, convenience stores, drug stores, or gas stations, the purchase always shows up as a credit card purchase.
GCM counts as purchases and can be used at Walmart.
I have not used giftcards.com. Gift Card Mall uses Metabank. And OVGCs are issued by Bancorp. They both load to Serve at Walmart fine. OVGCs take a few extra steps to get to the PIN screen though.
I think you can only load cash to Serve Card at CVS.
You can load up to $2,500 per day at Walmart and up to $5,000 per month at Walmart to your Serve Card.
There is no such thing as safe or unsafe amounts to load. I loaded $2300 on August 1 just because that is what the total gift cards were. Serve doesn’t care how you load the card as long as you stay under the $2500 daily limit and $5000 monthly limit.
Just to reassure everyone, that yesterday, I went to WalMart, and loaded several
OneVanilla Cards (each was loaded with $500 from CVS) onto my Bluebird account (yes, I’m a dinosaur…..you should see my flip phone and my AOL account!) I loaded three $500 cards and waited 10 minutes. I then loaded five $200 Visa Cards that I bought at Staples….I just love the miles from my Ink cards.
The 10 minute interlude seems to prevent the “Red Alert” light from blinking. (I hate to have to find a knowledgeable manager-person at WalMart…..it’s often an arduous task.)
I am curious if anyone has found that they can load all $2500 in one uninterrupted session, without making the machine go “tilt.” ? If so, what cards and denominations do you use?
Thanks to all.
Orrin
The Kiosk won’t let you load the full $2,500 at one time, but most people do $1500 then take a break and another $1000 load. Good to hear that OVGCs are working at your Walmart.
If you want to load the full $2,500, go to any cashier. Works like a charm
Agreed. I’ve done that a few times.
Grant,
The Simon GC issued by US Bank in my area.
Excellent. Good to know Hoang.
Yes that is how to get around the Kiosk’s $2,000 limit.
That is exactly how I thought it worked. Granted you should be lucky you have a kiosk that works.
Hey Grant! Most of the WMs near me don’t have kiosks. I’ve had no problems topping off $2,500 at any cashier. They usually ask me what the limit for my card. Today, the cashier asked me if I want to buy MOs as well. Left WM, went 1 mile to CVS, bought $5,000 in OVs and came right back.
Glad to hear. What is the expiration date of the OVGCs.
Grant…let us know how your trip to WM tomorrow goes.
I’ve already successfully loaded OVGCs. Loads like MC GCs and change payment work around.
So let me make sure I understand. One Vanilla gift cards were dead completely at Walmart for a while . . . and now they are working again?
Yes, there are mixed reports, but I have successfully loaded a few OVGCs. Start small and make sure you can unload them before hitting it harder.
Yes, I tried it yesterday by unloading $500 and it worked.
Great to hear. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Grant,
Another data point with Visa GC, you can buy MO at Bottom Dollar, however the stores are limited in few states. I was told Lion Food is the parent company of Bottom Dollar so it may work there. My friend went to Walmart to buy MO with Simon Visa GC, the cashiers refused and said the card has to be issue by the bank, my friend yest it is LOL, they still refused it even one of them did sell him MO few days before. He went to BD and bought MO no problem and a little bit cheaper.
For anyone looking for Simon Mall, just Google Simon Mall, you will get the list of Simon Mall, there are a lot of them.
Hi Grant,
I have unrelated questions, do you know which card give 5% back at Grocery stores?
Regarding the Avios, what do you think about the chance using it for Hawaii in September?
Thank you,
The only card I know that pays 5% cash back at grocery stores is the old AMEX Blue. There is info on FT about this card. I’m sure you can find award space if you look.
Hoang-Your friend should have asked for a supervisor. Some WM clerks are not up to date. In fact, I once had to get a supervisor to call up and get straightened out. In turn, she told the clerks it is OK. I have already used Simon cards *** with a PIN*** more than once.