Vanilla Prepaid Cards Reviews

I received a Vanilla Visa Gift Card as a wedding gift. I logged on to their web page Monday 8-15-2017 to see what the gift amount was. On 8-15 I had $100.00 on the card. By Tuesday the balance was gone. A company named Meezeee & G Inc had charged $100.00 to my card. I called the company to file a dispute and the woman on the phone tells me she can't help me and I am out the money. Her suggestion is that I Google the company and have them refund the money.

Somehow this company is still around and ripping customers off left and right. Card is literally the most frustrating thing I've encountered in years and I'm a well educated woman. I called customer service where I was told they need me to send them utility bill copies, DL and receipts. No. It's going in the trash. $20 isn't worth it, I will replace my children's money myself. Shame on you, Visa. Get your system straightened out!

I'm in a cash crunch for a few weeks so I put some money on a Vanilla Card in case a charge hit my account. Several hundred dollars. Immediately there was a problem registering the card. It didn't believe I was me. So I had to call. I called several times and waited on hold. The lady asked stupid questions. Then after a while she said it was ready. I think by ready she meant I should go ** myself. Didn't work. Tried ATM nope. I deemed the Card a colossal waste and will wait for the balance to escheat. Everyone is good at something and Vanilla does have a particular use so it's not a total waste. Which it is.

I purchased 2 Vanilla Visa gift cards as a gift on May 3, 2017; one for $500, one for $100. They were mailed to Ohio (from Las Vegas) in one envelope but stolen before being delivered to addressee. $100 gift card was never used and that amount was refunded. However, the $500 gift card was activated by Vanilla Visa when 'the thief' called in. Despite having a phone number associated with the call to activate the $500.00 gift card and despite having information on all vendors where the $500.00 card was used (5/6-5/14), Vanilla Visa refused to investigate the matter or help me track 'the thief' down.

On 8-3-17 I received a $100 prepaid Vanilla gift card from my co-workers as I was moving, it was a gift. On 8-4-17 I spent $27.27 without issue, on 8-5-17 I tried to use it once again and the card was denied due to insufficient funds, I tried once more and still it was declined. I looked up my account online and it did state I had indeed made a purchase of $27.27 but then there was a charge for the full $100 from LX processing who works with the Vanilla One Card company. I have read many reviews from people who have not been refunded their money at all or people who were not refunded all of their money. Since they took the whole $100 from me I am now a negative $27.27 on a prepaid card which is ludicrous!!

Purchased and it's already activated - I will never in my life purchase of my Vanilla Visa card again, it's been 2 whole weeks and they still have failed to resolve my claim. After calling 3 times they are still processing it and to call back 24-48 hours. It may be a hundred and something dollars but it's my money and I need it all back. How do have these cards at stores and they're not legit? To me you're a big scam.

After purchasing card I went online to check the balance, but after I entered required info and hit enter the entered info would disappear. I then went online to and made a purchase from Pep Boys in the amount of $23.81. When I went to pick up the item the next morning 7/28/17 I was told the card was declined. I then went to Rite Aid where I purchased the card, and the clerk who helped me called OneVanilla and was told that the card was activated but there was no available balance. I then called OneVanilla customer assistance and was told about the above transaction per LX Processing. I had no idea who or what LX Processing was, and I did not authorize this transaction. However when I went on the internet to research LX Processing it inferred that LX Processing is connected with OneVanilla.

I received a card as a gift but apparently it was lost in the mail. I finally received the $100 gift card only to find out $80 of the value had been taken back by the company as fees. That is ridiculous, as they basically scammed the person out of $100. Customer service was unhelpful and rude.

I purchased this card from a local Walgreens but once I went to use it, it was declined. I went online to check the balance and there was an issue with the card and I called the 800 number listed on the back. I was told that the card was saying that it wasn't activated and in order for them to fix the issue they needed some paperwork from me. I emailed a copy of my receipt and the card and they told me the problem would be fixed within 3 days. The fund's on the card the very next day. I believe the issue occurred during the validation at Walgreens.

My daughter who is underage wanted to buy a car; first time. She found a car on Craigslist. The ad stated it wanted her to contact them via email. Following these people making contact with her via email they stated that they would send her a link from Amazon to make the payment which she said seemed legitimate. Then they would ship the car to her. She then made the payment and contacted me following that payment for reasons she suspected fraud because the merchant contacted her a second time to ask her to pay another fee having to do with some sort of insurance for the car to be shipped. This amount was equal or greater than the amount of the car. I immediately called this card company to try to make a stop payment. The same hour in fact.

I've got a Visa gift card as present. However, it takes the maintenance fee 2 pounds per month after 7 months from purchase and transaction fee is very expensive. At the end, I lost more than 10 pounds for nothing. I won't recommend anyone to buy this card, because it is very disappointing and stressful although it meant a present.

My mother bought 6 of these for our Christmas presents. I had to call in to get them registered and one of them has never worked. The customer service can't help us because we have no idea how much was loaded onto the card since it has been 6 months. They refuse to help you! I urge everyone to never buy one of these cards.

So I just reloaded a One Vanilla card (Never had any issues in the past) but then suddenly when I get home from reloading the One Vanilla card with $100, (already have $39 on it), I gave it to my son that isn't yet 18. Well what happened from there is he realized it wasn't working so he took it upon himself to call customer service, which is usually alright. Well not really for this scam of a company. They instantly locked the account after the first call because he said that he was my son. So he went and told me what happened so I decided to contact One Vanilla myself. What do they do? They ask me to send a copy of me SSN, Proof of Address, and my Driver's License. The banks don't even ask for a copy of a Signed SSN. So after it all came through One Vanilla got left with $139 and I walk away empty handed. This company really should be put under investigation.

I purchased a $200 vanilla card, registered it and when I tried to use it they declined it. I waited a day to make sure the my registration went thru it. It still was declined. I call vanilla, explain the situation, they said the will look into it but it will take a while. Card was purchased on 3/3/17 On 5/18/17 I receive a letter saying they approved my request for a refund. A check has been requested in the amount of $200. Any questions call customer service. I call a few weeks after the letter came asking about the check but customer service referred me to their web site which was impossible to navigate. So I guess I'm out of $200 buck but I have the right to bad mouth them for the rest of my life on every social media site I visit until I receive the check. If that's all I get for my 200 I will take it. No choice.

Obviously there is an on going problem with this card. I won't bore anyone with my details as they are the same as so many others. I gave a OneVanilla Visa 30.00 to my daughter. It declined and I have no receipt. Customer service very rude would not let me speak to a supervisor. This is an ongoing problem, the activation problem. WHY HASN'T IT BEEN CORRECTED. The only one who benefits is OneVanilla, consumer ripped off again.

I purchased this card this after noon at Walmart. I only used it three times and now they tell me their systems are all down and they don't know when it will be up. I am done! After reading these reviews I got off cheap. However, I will be leading the class action lawsuit against this company. I am bored!

I have a Vanilla Visa prepaid card that is supposed to be able to make purchases online and yet every single merchant I have tried has declined the payment. There is absolutely nothing good about this card. The company is a complete fraud. I am now stuck with a prepaid card that I can only use for daily purchases like gas. Nothing on their site was even remotely true.

Apparently card was not activated properly at the store. No way to get help on the phone or online. Friend bought me this card while traveling and now unless he returns to California there is no way to use the $50. Embarrassing for both of us. TERRIBLE or really non-existent customer service!!!

What an embarrassment and a scam. I received a $100.00 gift card and verified the value prior to leaving my home. When using for a purchase of $78.00, it declined and could only obtain approval for $24.00. I was informed by Visa/Vanilla, after pressing 0, 0 repeatedly on the phone that I can't use the remaining $76.00 for 8 days. When I insisted should be available immediately he stated Management makes the rules. I would never, never purchase another one of these cards. 8 days on hold but they have received the cash. They should be investigated.

Ten months ago I was presented a $100 Vanilla Visa Debit Gift Card as a retirement gift, with an expiration date of 4/2025. However, it would not get accepted online when I tried to use it recently. After numerous attempts, I finally got through to someone at the company who said the card "had never been activated at the store at the time it was purchased." I see this is a similar story by others. I was also told to produce a receipt from the store so they could "figure out what went wrong." They said the store was supposed to activate the card and they could not do anything to help me without the receipt. Total scam. Of course I'm not going to try to figure out who purchased this for me from my company ten months ago.

As I was reading through the reviews I came across something interesting. InComm (incom) took someone else's money. That is who took the money off of my card as soon as I checked the balance. The company seems to be ripping off their own customers. I was told by Vanilla customer service that the money may go back on my account in 7 days. If not I will have to go through a long dispute process. Which they won't satisfy especially if they themselves are ripping off their own customers. Being told basically, "Too bad there is nothing you can do because you have no protection because it is a prepaid card and not a real debit or credit card".

I bought a $50 Vanilla Prepaid Visa card for a friend as a graduation gift. After much hassle - the card would not 'register' - which in itself is unreasonable. Online response was that her info was inaccurate - (despite her typing it several times), plus she was required to give Soc. Sec. #! That is extreme and unsafe - the $$ was already IN the card, I'd paid it. She couldn't ever get funds to show, phone number on card no help.

I purchased a card and put $500.00 on it for a vacation trip so I wont have to carry cash. I tried several times to use the card and it kept getting denied. I check the balance on the card and it shows $500.00 going in the account and $500.00 going right out. $0 balance. I called Vanilla and they told me I used the card at a place called LX Processing in San Francisco CA. (I live on the East coast) They investigated and told me my $500.00 is gone. I am still trying to get a hold of LX Processing, leaving messages to call me (per their voicemail) and not one call back for 2 months now. How can anyone steal this card information when I bought it at Walmart in a sealed package and brought it straight home. I'm pretty convinced someone is corrupt at Vanilla and LX Processing. Now I'm screwed out of $500.00. Thanks Vanilla One.

I just bought a Visa gift card from the pharmacy today to purchase some items online. I put in $38 and tried ordering something from an app, but it says the payment was declined. This problem happened to me three weeks ago as well. I put in $110 and ordered some things, luckily it went through, right? No. I lost all of my money and an Amazon customer service representative told me that they cannot give me my money back. I am very unsatisfied with the Vanilla gift card company and would like to talk a representative to sort this problem out.

So I bought a Vanilla Visa. I loaded it with 25 dollars. I come home, I try to use it and it doesn't work. I go to the website vanillavisa.com and I couldn't sign in until the next day. Then I bought something on eBay and I realized that it was the wrong item so I asked for a refund. They gave it to me and I went to look at my transactions and it says that I have 80 cents left. I would not recommend this to anyone. It is stealing your money.

First of all I am so infuriated with what happened to me today that it motivated me to jump on this website and sign up just to leave a review and hope that NOBODY ever makes this mistake. Let me first also say that part of this is my fault by not reading all the details in this scam to begin with but who would of think this would be such a pain. Here is my situation, father of 4 living in a home in southern California with my wife. Sole income of this home is me, I make about 26,000 a year. Not a lot and since my wife stopped working last year because of our recent baby I have been picking up the slack. Needless to say we have been behind on our bills. About 2 thousand dollars worth. Banks already wanting to repossess our vehicles. A God sent miracle comes from heaven and we come across some cash just enough to pay off our debts and keep our home.

I have received few of these cards for a gift and have also purchased 4 of them (each one worth 200$, therefore 800$ wasted!!) When people I gave these cards as gifts tried to use them, they were all declined. When they went through the activation process, it seemed as everything went well but unfortunately they were unable to use them. The cards I received were also not used for the same reasons mentioned above. When I called the company and provided them with all the information they requested in order to "resolve" the issue: receipts, place where the cards were purchased, activation codes as well card numbers and expiration dates, they said it would take up to ten business days to fix the "errors that occurred during activation".

Found out after many tries that you cannot use a Vanilla Prepaid MasterCard toward a purchase. Have to pay the difference first and then have merchant enter the exact amount remaining on your card. I'm sure other gift cards are the same, but this is the first I've had one in many years. Did not think I should need an owner's manual to use it. :)

Always told one is being sent and should receive in 7-14 days. By this time we should have received 10. The last two times I have called this month I was told "We are so sorry but one was not ordered when you called in but we are doing now." Nope, having received them either.

I purchased a prepaid Visa card on April 18th, 2017 in the amount of $107 and I didn't take it out of the package until April 20, 2017. However, I kept the receipt. By the time I went to use the card for the FIRST time at 3 p.m. that afternoon there was only a balance of $2.47 on the card. Apparently, someone else had used the card not more than 15 minutes before I had a chance too. There were 3 transactions from the same merchant, Bluebird, all within 2 minutes of verifying the amount on the card. I immediately called the number on the back of the card and explained the situation. The rep said that it looks like the transactions were done in New York. Guess what? I'm in Michigan. The dispute for was sent to my email address to complete and return. I'm hoping the fact that I have the original receipt, the card and the package is enough for them to refund my money plus the activation fee. Never again.

I bought 3 Vanilla card and putted $500 on all three to buy a car from eBay motors. The people said it didn't go through so I checked my card and it said 0.00 and I call Vanilla Customer service and they said wait 3-8 business days so I did. Next I checked it again... The money never got put back on at all. It's been a month and I haven't got my money ($1,500) back on the card. All of them got 06/25 for the expiration date. It's too much money to be wasted right now. They suppose to sent me some dispute papers but they haven't did it yet and they said they was going to email me but haven't received one yet. I really need the money back. My family is in need for this money. I don't know what else to do. I told the police and they said open a dispute. They don't know what to do neither. I really really need help with getting this money back!!!

I lost my Visa gift card and had purchase order number to recover the card and a 260 balance however the company said I needed the sixteen digit number for refund and card replacement. The card is active and online with another company who will only give me the last four digits of the card. I want a resolution to this matter, it appears if I don't recover the numbers the company will keep the money.

A Clear Warning should be presented when using a gift card if you do plan to pay the online bill for the turbo tax. Avoid using the OneVanilla Prepaid MasterCard and the OneVanilla Prepaid Visa Card When making a purchase because neither of them allow you to register your name and address directly on to the prepaid card so you can't use it to purchase turbo tax online directly. You need to purchase instead a MyVanilla prepaid card in order to be able to register an address to that card and in order to be able to pay the bill for your taxes online. You also can't load your previous prepaid cards into another brand new card to empty the card that way. I tried that it and it didn't work. It looked like was going to but didn't. The cashier wanted me to prepay directly with cash for that exact same amount instead.

First off don't tell me you have this credit card business and you can upload money in seconds to spend it but once something happens it take 7 business days to return my money. That's crazy. I called with an authorize number so they can return my money fast which in any situation with any other card you could basically do just so everything's in and everyone knows this isn't fraud and they still want to have 300 bucks just on hold. That's crazy. Just go out of business. This is **. The worst ever.

I have been trying to get a replacement card SINCE 12-15-2016. I have tried 7 [seven] times. Each time I am told my replacement card should arrive in 7-10 days, and it NEVER comes in the mail. I have spelled my name 7 & my address, and my Phone number, verified my name & address number by number, letter by letter each time. And as of 4-13-2017 have STILL NOT GOT A REPLACEMENT CARD. I HAVE NEVER HAD SO MUCH TROUBLE WITH CUSTOMER SERVICE. All the people are nice and take all the info each time, but STILL NO REPLACEMENT CARD.

I can definitely relate to other's bad experience with prepaid VISA card. I had the same problem. I was told the $200 fund was never loaded and to go back to the store to complaint. Guess what, the store said it was loaded, even the company overseeing this type of transaction for the store confirmed the same. I was told my next step would be to call VISA. I spent hours explaining the situation to a dozen of people at the call center. The phone reps were professional, helpful, nice & appeared to go out of their way to help but no one was able to help resolve the issue, including the manager. I'm still in the process of getting this issue resolve & crossing my fingers that I'll get to use whatever left of the balance since there's also a $2 monthly fee of inactivity. My advice to the consumer: never ever buy a prepaid VISA card. It's a scam!

I purchased two Vanilla Visa cards during the 2016 holidays. One card was lost so I contacted Vanilla Visa to get a replacement card. Needless to say I have submitted documentation of proof of purchase and address along with the assigned "ticket" number. Each time I call there is a different customer service person saying they didn't receive the email or fax. This company should have a class action lawsuit against them for fraud. Don't use this company. They are thieves.

Activated my gift card only to find out very limited merchants accept the card. Basically, the card is now worthless. I have $150 on it and nowhere to spend the money. The stores that do take it are an hour bus ride from me. Seems like the only places that take the card for transactions are the ones that sell them too.

One of the worse companies ever. Reported a gift card stolen months ago to be told the card is like cash. They don't refund you a stolen or lost card but they won't deny you to open a claim but they don't tell you ahead of time you're screwed. They lead you on to send in supporting documents and calling speaking to representatives or doing follow-ups and still nothing will be done. It's just to make it seem like they care. I will never again purchase a Visa Vanilla gift card and I will tell all my family and friends not to do so either.

I purchased two Visa Vanilla gift cards for Christmas. One was for $100 and the other for $25. When the recipients of the cards tried to use them, they were declined and were expired. The expiration date on each card was 06/25. I do not understand how they could be expired. I contacted the number on the card and began an endless process of being transferred from one person who spoke bad English to another, and round and round I went. No one could help me. I finally spoke with a lady who was a "rep" of the bank and she wanted a duplicate receipt. It is now March, everyone has their gift cards and I do not have the receipts.

Had a $25 gift card and with cash bought something for $47. Returned it to the store and the clerk accidentally put all $47 back on gift card. Vanilla froze the card saying it was more than $25 and after calling 10 or more times for 2 weeks they never unlocked the card and just outright stole our money!!! The worst company I have ever dealt with.

I got a $50 gift card maybe like 18 months ago. Tried to pay with the gift card and transaction declined. I called the number of the back of the card and they told me that I need the original receipt in order to activate it. I couldn't believe it!!! Who receipts with gift cards?? Purchased Gift Cards should have access to the money without asking for a receipt. I insisted that I can't go back to the people gave me the card and asked for the receipt. I think the Vanilla Gift are making very difficult for the activation so they can pocket the money. JUST SAD!!! Poor customer service. She hanged the phone to me. I told her I was going online and make a comment about the scam!!! Visa shouldn't let this company use their logo!!! Bad reputation.

I bought this gift card for my Grandson and mailed it to him, he never received it. I did make a copy of the back of the card. I called and was told even though I had the serial number and they confirmed that I had purchased it at Walmart and that it had not been used, they were unable to issue me a new card without the receipt and a photocopy of the front of the card as well as the back. Who does that? By the way, they also confirmed with me that the second card I had purchased for my other Grandson was used, one serial number apart. The card has been stolen twice, once by whomever has it and once by Vanilla.

Unknowingly I purchased a Vanilla Visa Gift card. I used it online to order Christmas presents. I ordered some items from Target, which two of the items were going to ship too late for Christmas. I cancelled these two items and Target issued credit to Vanilla Visa. I NEVER GOT THE CREDIT APPLIED TO MY CARD. Vanilla Visa denies getting the credit, but Target gave me the exact date they issued credit to them. I will never buy a Vanilla Visa again.

I won a Gift Card from work for employee of the month. Lost the card after making one small purchase. Reported the card lost and was told I could get a replacement just send in address and copy or receipt. I told my original phone operator I could get a copy but not the original as I didn't purchase the card. Calls went on for a week with them all ending in they needed more from me. Ultimately the money is lost, my boss can't get a refund and I can't get a new card and Vanilla has horrible, rude customer service.

I can't get my paycheck early. Everybody at my job got paid early besides me than making so I really need this time. I talk to customer services & let them know banks will be close February 20, 2017 for holiday. They tell me I won't get paid till Tuesday. I get paid on Monday. Full of bull.

I was given 2 gift cards for $500 each. I used one with no problem, went to use the other and was declined multiple times. Went online to check card balance and the website couldn't find the card, didn't exist. I called their customer service and they told me the same thing. It wasn't activated. In order to resolve this they asked for copy of card, receipt and photo ID (why would they need this since it's a cash card and they told me they have no way of tracking who bought it and where/when without receipt). Don't ever give personal information to this company, they don't need it.

I bought a Vanilla card and put $50 on it so my hotel I was checking into needed a card on file. The hotel told me they would release the money back on the card in 3-5 business days so I waited until the fifth business day and called the hotel they said they released the hold to call the card. I called she told me "if you use the card for hotel stays it takes 30 days to have your money released." I will never use one of these cards again and if I had known this I would have never used it in the first place. It took them five seconds to take my $50 and put it on the card but it's going to take 30 days to give it back, total and utter crap. Don't ever use one of these cards anybody. It's a joke.

Every time I ever get a Vanilla Gift Card there's always purchases made at stores I've never heard of, gone to, or even live near! It is always a gas station too!! AND I DON'T EVEN OWN A CAR!!!! It is ridiculous, I called today and told them what happened, they said that in 60 to 90 days I will get a brand new card. They also said that they would email me, THEY NEVER DID. It is handy to have but they honestly suck!!

I am very disappointed with this card. I received the rewards card from Time Warner. I was never told that fees would be taken out of the balance. When I looked up the balance and found the fees, I called. I spoke to nice lady who said that the back of my card says that a fee of $2.50 would be charged as of the 7th month of receipt. This is written so small on the back of the card that no one notices it. I couldn't even read the telephone number to call them to find the balance. Luckily, I could read vanillavisa.com. I then asked to speak to a supervisor when I noticed that I was charged in the 6th month or so I thought.

My boss got me a vanilla card for purpose of direct depositing my paycheck. I registered the card via telephone customer service rep and was told the card was ready for use. I went to Wal-Mart and attempted to use the card for purchase and was denied. I aborted the transaction and called vanilla card service who reset my card and I selected new pin. Was told I'm good to go. I went through line at Wal-Mart and was denied again. Called customer service again and was told that the rep who helped me register card initially had deactivated my temporary card and activated the permanent card that will be mailed to me in 2 weeks. So, instead of activating my card in the spot while I'm in the store, I have to wait 24 hrs for them to activate the card. DO NOT GET VANILLA CARD!!!

We were given these cards by family for xmas present, they were bought in the UK. We cannot spend them here in Spain, or online. Have spent hours trying to find their website. I went to the website written on back of card, registered my name and birth date, would not accept my address. But tried putting it in, then had brain wave. I logged into Paypal account, added it to my payment cards and bingo, was able to use them to send money to my son. Paypal has accepted the payment from card so let's hope there will not be a message later of failed payment. Anyway for those out there who cannot get the cash go to your Paypal account and add the card. Good luck.

Vanilla Gift Card offers no consumer protection regardless of the trusted VISA logo. Purchased a Vanilla gift card so I could order an item on-line without using my credit card. I did not want to provide my personal account information with all the scammers out there getting a hold of information too easily. I thought the Vanilla gift card would be a safer option. The merchant happily took my money from the gift card and never sent the merchandise I ordered. No reply to the several attempts I made to inquire about the item not received that I paid for so I disputed the transaction through InComm or Vanilla gift cards for Non-Receipt of merchandise.

My brother purchased a $100 Vanilla prepaid MasterCard for me for Xmas. I went to use it. Naturally it did not work. Called Customer Service. They said it had not been activated. Need the receipt. The receipt had a different card number on it than the card in the package had on it. So there's pretty much no way to recover the lost monies. MasterCard just gets to default and keep the $.

I received a Vanilla gift card over the holidays from a friend. She sent it to me via US Postal service. I opened the packing on the gift card and called the number to check how much I had on the card. To my dismay, I was told that the card had been purchased for $200 but, the whole amount had already been used by a Sam's Club member in Riverside, CA at around 12:00 midnight. I assume this would have been an online purchase.

Had a refund of 208.36 put on to my gift card. Vanilla Visa won't release the funds, even after my complying with their policy of providing proof of purchase, then proof of refund. Ask for a supervisor, and you'll just get another person that you can barely understand reading the same rehearsed lines as the first. The "bank" that supports Vanilla Visa is a scheme, and they are thieves. NEVER USE VANILLA VISA - I'm going to make sure of it in the future, and I am telling every family member and friend exactly how Vanilla Visa TOOK WHAT IS *MY* MONEY and won't give it back. As another person suggested, I, too, am going to go to the States attorney office and file a complaint.

I had to load a bunch of personal information just to "register" the card then I activated the card and I still can't use it. I have called the company, I have tried different stores etc. and everywhere I go the card is denied but I have money on the card. I have been fighting with this card for a month and I still can't buy anything with it. SO MAD!!!

I went to the dollar store to get me a prepaid Vanilla Visa debit card and I put $45 on it to shop online instead of using my bank card. So I set up the card on the website and it sent me to a login but I didn't have the login information. So I called the customer service and they told me my information was invalid and they were going to report my card as "lost or stolen". At this point I'm pissed the ** off , so the lady asks for my social security card (in color), the front and back of my card, a utility bill for my current address, and the receipt of purchase.

When I logged into www.vanillavisa.com the layout of the website was confusing and sloppy. I was trying to register a gift card I had received for Christmas. Finally after about 10 minutes I learned how to do so but it would not accept the ZIP code so I went and typed it at least 15 more times then I looked up a list on Google of my surrounding towns' ZIP codes. I made it to the 300th one when I gave up. I will be calling Customer Service tomorrow to see if they can retrieve my money.

On Dec. 14, 2016 I purchased 7 prepaid gift cards $500.00 each totaling over $3,500.00 for holiday gift at CVS in Manhattan for our corporate BOD members. However, once BOD members tried to use those cards, all 7 cards balance were 0 and actual card numbers inside the box did not match with the card number shown on the box which was scanned at the CVS. I made a claimed to both CVS and Vanilla but they did not take this fraudulent scheme as seriously. I made a claim on Dec. 17, 2016 to both CVS and Vanilla, and as of now, it is still not resolved and CVS is claiming that it is a VANILLA issue there is nothing they can do about it. I am still fighting for the refund and/or replacement card, but as of today, Jan. 11 almost a month... still don't have a refund and replacement card on my hand. Getting really tired of fighting and don't what I can do more to get all cards or refund back.

Additional transactions were posted as deductions from Aldo and I did not make the purchases. The girl put them in as credits two times because she made a mistake but Vanilla Gift Cards do not input credits only purchases. That is why so much money comes back to Vanilla Cards and the company gets rich. Retailers insist on putting refunds back on the cards but the gift card will not add back the refund to your balance. I just lost 42$ because the Aldo Girl rang a pair of earrings three times per her mistake and issued me a refund. Vanilla Posted them three times as purchases even though it should appear one time for 16$. We all need to report Vanilla Gift Cards to our States Attorney's Office in the State we reside in asap!

Well I bought my Vanilla card on the 24 of Dec. 2016. Today is 30th of Dec. My money still has not been put on yet. Problem Vanilla card turned off the card for no reason. Then they tell me I have to go back where I bought it. Well where I bought it said it's in the system. Vanilla card says they see it but it didn't process. Tell me "send in your info so we can verify it's your money." So I Did it in triplicate. "But I never gave my ID at purchase so why would I need it now?" I asked. No answer to that. Your receipt isn't enough info for them I noticed.

I was told I had a zero balance on a $200.00 card when I called the customer service line. I was told the money would be put back on the card after my grievance was submitted. I started the process then was diagnose with stage 4 lung cancer where all of my time was being consumed by my health. After awhile I got my strength back after treatments, I again continued on the journey of getting my money put back onto the card.

My son unfortunately received a gift card for Christmas. It was declined and when I tried to check it online for him, was given an error code. I called the "customer service" line and after being hung up on repeatedly, finally got someone on the line after 30 minutes. I relayed the problem to the customer service rep and explained to her that I also had the receipt showing that the card had been activated. As I did not have the receipt with me, I am now having to waste more time calling back and trying to have this issue corrected. From the other reviews that I read, my son will have to wait quite some time for an issue that is obviously reoccurring with this crappy company. Don't waste your time and money!!!

I received this card as a bonus at work and it will not scan at any stores as the magnet must be out. I called twice and they just told me to wait awhile and try again but I have done that, it will not scan. They have horrible customer service and basically the only thing they can do is send a replacement card in 7-14 days. I wanted to use my Christmas bonus to shop with but now I can't and by the time I receive a replacement card Christmas will be long over. We received this same type of card last Christmas and I had problems with them then too. I am going to advise the company not to buy this brand of card again as they take your money and then you receive no help from them when there is a problem. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY!!

How is it that this company is permitted to continuously rip off customers? They are permitted to sell these gift cards through retailers but NO ONE supports them. Consumers continue to purchase these cards in good faith as gifts for others yet Visa provides no support--they just rob you of your money. I am extremely disappointed in Visa. Shame on you for putting your name on these cards, taking money from honest consumers, and then provide no service. I just wish I had read all these other horrible reviews prior to purchasing my gift cards. I have to say, I will NEVER purchase a Visa gift card again and you best be warned to do the same. BUYER BEWARE with these cards. VISA IS A RIP-OFF AND A SCAM!!!

All I can say is Vanilla Visa card do suck. What a waste of money. So much hassle. They take your money and then can't access the card. Wonder how I can get my money back from them. Sad case. Don't use them.

You would think a company as big as Visa would care about customer service. I bought my Vanilla Visa at a local drug store; and much like the rest of the angry customers online it was declined. I called the number on the back of the card and was informed that I would have to send a picture of my ID, a picture of the receipt, and wait 3 days for them to activate the card I paid for in cash. Why is my ID even requested? I didn't use it to buy the card, the ID is completely irrelevant but worth waiting three days for some ** at Visa to evaluate? My need for the card was a time sensitive purchase, I am now losing money everyday it takes Visa to get their ** together. How about those who lose their receipt trusting Visa to do the right thing? DEFINITELY GO WITH MASTERCARD. YOU ALL ARE ONLY THAT 5 DOLLAR FEE TO VISA AND THEY WILL ROB YOU FOR MORE IF THEY CAN.

On the website, getcardbalance.com, it clearly states that there is 24/7 customer service. This couldn't be farther from the truth. No matter what information I enter through the website or the 800#, I keep being told that the card is invalid and then when I choose to stay on the line to wait for the next customer service rep, it automatically hangs up on me. Do yourself a favor, next time you want to send a family member or friend some money, either send it via wire transfer or fold up a nice crisp bill and put it in an envelope. ANYTHING would be easier and much less hassle than this P.O.S. card. What a ** waste.

My card has been declining since I purchased it. There is no way for me to check my balance online or over the phone. I feel like I just got ripped off and I was going to use that money for my bills. Where did the money go One Vanilla?? SCAM!!!

If I had known about the hassle to get my refund put back onto my VANILLA prepaid, would have never considered purchasing the stupid card. HERE it's going on over 1 week. NOT a refund to be found. I get the runaround every time I call to inquire. Meantime I have close to 100 bucks out there floating around. Consumers I urge you NOT to purchase the VANILLA prepaid visa cards. It's a BIG SCAM AND CRUEL JOKE.

This visa gift card was activated. It is a $25 card. I went online to use the card. No matter what company that I used, the card declined. I went on Amazon and tried to use for a lesser amount/split transaction. They did a pre-authorization in June 2016. The transaction declined which now leaves a balance of 2.52. I never got to use the money on the card. I called Vanilla Visa, spoke to a rep in July. She told me they would replace the funds. I went to check the balance - Nothing has been refunded. I spoke with Crystal, she said "I'll email a dispute form" and gave me a ticket #. Haven't received it yet. Spoke to a supervisor named Jay, he said Amazon took the money. It was a pre-hold on the card. This is a SCAM company. Do not purchase these cards. They should be put out of business.

Got card and tried to activate several times and would not complete activation. So call customer service several times and finally got through. Was told they could not activate card. "Must send all your information in and we'll activate in 7-10 days." So sent in all the information and it's been 20 days and I have got no response back. Tried going back to Walmart to get a refund and they will not honor my purchase either. Called again and have been on hold for an hour waiting...know they say "I can't help you. You didn't give me the right debt load amount." Big scam.

I was awarded a Vanilla Visa Reward Card worth $100 a couple of years ago through my work... I haven't used it, as I was saving it for a family dinner or similar event... I just went online to make sure everything was good to go with the card, and find out they charged me $2.50/month "SERVICE FEE" for not using it. The card is now only worth $55.00. I wish there was a way to get to these cheats. I am putting this on my Facebook page for sure. Social Media may be the only way to shut them down.

I have been embarrassed twice b/c of some mess they claim they had w/a merchant I used. They restricted my card & didn't want to release my money. I'm currently working on the issue but I would not recommend ANYONE purchasing this card. Customer services is terrible & they do not care about your situation. They act like it's a game or some to them. DO NOT GET THIS CARD!!!

I purchased this card wasn't approved. When I proceeded to receive my money they ask for a receipt of purchase and a photo I.d. to prove I purchased this terrible product. Keep in mind that in order to register online you have to scratch off the designated number which is activated until a purchase. So the low life's try to explain to me that during the hour long process of me trying to get registered that basically I couldn't be Antonio even though I gave information that only I would know. Eventually I talk to two supervisors - first a woman who arguably the worst customer service representative I have ever experienced with. They proceed to argue with me and not try to help the situation because I was calling their product shoddy and a scam. And through this terrible two hour experience they gave me a reference number to contact them back for my refund which they both indicated to me would take four to five weeks. I waited...

Wow! I cannot believe how terrible my experience with MyVanilla. I went to purchase $25 card at a local 7-Eleven store. I cannot activate it on-line. After a long struggle, I found out that MyVanilla has a database from over two years ago. Still... not activated. After several calls to them, I was told I would get a refund in 45 days. Four months has passed. No refund.

I have two $25 Vanilla Visa gift cards. When I tried to use them they were declined. When I tried to check online-I got no information. When I used the company's automated phone system I got no information. Finally I was able to talk to an agent who told me that these cards are EXPIRED. When I asked how can a card that said expires on 06/2024 be expired on 10/2016 they said that a research team would need to investigate, and in order for them to start an investigation, I had to send them a copy of drivers lic. (or other Gov. type of ID with photo), my social security number and the original receipt with the place of purchase and method of payment.

I received a $100 Vanilla Visa Debit Card as a gift from my sister. I still have $28 balance. I have tried to use the card at three businesses and it does not work. When I called the number on back of card, I got a message that it is no longer in use and I was given a new number to call. When I call that number, I am told to leave a message and someone will call back in 24 hours. I have called 3 times and no one has called back. I tried going on their website, and I get nowhere. I cannot check balance or talk to customer rep or request a replacement card. I feel this is a rip-off. What happens to the $28 balance?

I got this Vanilla card as a gift a year ago, forgot about it and recently tried setting it up. Won't take my information or another family member's. Going through phone prompts many times leads to nowhere or the automated call just ending. Please think twice about purchasing one of these to save yourself a huge headache. It asks for my car and home information, and when I put in what it asks, it tells me the info isn't correct. Currently on hold for about 25 minutes, after saying about 5 words to the rep I've got. What a fun way to spend the afternoon. Was told I need to give them a copy of my Driver's License, Social Security card, the receipt from over a year ago and proof of address. This is why I prefer just giving people cash instead of being fancy with a card.

I went to CVS and I bought the MyVanilla debit card cause I wanted to buy something online. I thought it was a prepaid card and I'm only 13 so I tried to set it up and it asked for my security number. Now I can't order stuff and I can't do anything about it. I tried calling customer service. It keeps saying my card is invalid. I'm NEVER USING THIS AGAIN. I WANT A REFUND!!!

Too bad you can't provide a minus star rating for this product! My sister bought this card for my birthday, but I forgot about it and when I went to use it, the monthly fee of $2.50 (which starts the seventh month after purchase activation) had used up all $100 of the balance. I contacted Vanilla Visa customer service, explaining that I never even opened the envelope, and they basically said TOO BAD.

This was and is the first and last time I will ever use this company. I was planning on getting my daughter a vehicle and I wanted her to use the cards for any purchases she might incur however before I could even give them to my daughter somehow they were used. The cards totaled up to $2000.00. I called the customer service line immediately and was told what to do to start a claim. I did everything I was told. I called and was told I had to wait due to them not having my claim information. I then had to call again 10 days later and was told again they still are unable to find my information and to refax my claim paperwork which I did then I waited 10 days again. Called in and was told I had to wait for them to investigate which can take up to 60 days. I said ok no problem.

I received a $25 Vanilla Visa gift card as a gift. I spent $5 of it. When I checked the balance on this card, it states that I currently have only $0.26. I am a college student, and every dollar counts for me. So when I found out that the card in my wallet had been slowly eating its own funds, I was more than upset. I had no idea that this card had an inactivity fee! It was not printed on the card, or on the website FAQ. It was not even stated in the online balance summary. In fact, it states that there are "No fees after purchase. Spend your money on what counts."

Never had trouble with prepaid cards before but there's something shady going on. My card was never activated ($95). One Vanilla said I had to email copy of receipt, copy of pkg & copy of my drivers license (comp policy - right). I don't think so. I'm going to my local bank that my purchasing cc is thru & filing fraud charges. Won't do this again.

I purchased over 250.00 dollars of your gift cards at our store in Yucca Valley Ca. I used these cards for adult sites which I purchased different packages for the site with them. This site charged me 380.00 dollars on my home phone bill, which was not authorized by me. I used your gift cards for this site and they deducted the money from the cards for different packages.

I bought this card thinking I could use it as a reloadable credit card during my time travelling rather than using my Australian credit card - big mistake. On top of the $6 purchase fee, I would have needed to pay an additional $6 per month to use it and reload it. I COULDN'T EVEN REGISTER IT because my address was Australian and it wasn't linked to Canadian databases - how dumb is that? I wasn't even able to enter my Australian address because only Canada was an option in the address fields.

All 3 of MyVanvilla card Mastercard have been charged with amount I did not authorize like a charge to a hotel in Vegas and I was never there and where to send me a dispute form to fill out, never got it. Asia site charge my Mastercard $15.99 four times and I did not do these then.

Last Friday I purchased a Vanilla Gift Card. When I went to use it 2 hours later it was declined. I call and they said it was not activated correctly. Well I sent them the receipt that showed the activation number and all the information that they need. Here it is 3 days later and nobody will tell me where my money is and will not let me talk to a manager. I have spoken to 6 different supervisors and 2 Lead supervisors. Charles the one lead supervisor when I asked where my money was and that I would like to talk to a manager. He said I would have to call back after 9 am to speak to a manager. When I asked for the corporate number he hung up on me.

I bought this at Walmart recently, very eager to put some cash on a card to do a little online shopping needed. I tried registering on their site several times, and they rejected my application each session. I assumed this was just the new Walmart MoneyCard under a different name, but boy was I wrong! I had to call Customer Service, after going through a slew of different options for help. Actually got in contact with a human being after struggling and waiting.

Daughter unable to register card (as she was not 18 but that tiny print is unknown until after you purchase and open package to see that minors cannot use it) so after trying to register in my name, etc. the system would not accept it. After calling Vanilla, I was told I had to submit front and back copies of my driver's license, copy of current utility or insurance bill with address, copy of receipt showing I purchased card (who besides me, keeps those?) and a copy of the card. Seriously!

I do not understand how you can purchase a gift card for $150, never use it, and have a balance of $34 all just because you didn't use each month and they charge an inactivity fee. This is a complete rip-off! Big companies in Big government pockets is all I can think of as an answer.

I bought a MyVanilla card at our local dollar store, because it was convenient for me to load & use (I thought). I registered the card when I bought it, & was told that my permanent card would be mailed to me. When I received the card I put the temp. card away to keep for my records. I am so glad that I did not destroy the card, because when I got the permanent card I went and tried to Reload it at the store it kept saying to Activate the card. I came home, called customer service. I finally got to talk to a human. I explained the problem I was having and they said that I was not who I said I was and in order to assist me further I would have to either fax or e-mail a copy of my ID, My Social Security Card, and proof of Address.

I received a prepaid Vanilla card as a gift. The card said it had $25 on it. I stuck it in my wallet and forgot about it for several months. When I tried to use it it would not work. Said it needed to be activated. Went online and it wanted all my personal info including social security number to activate it. I called customer service to see if they would activate it without my social security number because there was no way I was going to give that to them. I was informed due to inactivity of more than 90 days the card was now only worth $5. The operator rudely remarked that these fees were clearly in the terms and conditions and I should have read that when I purchased the card. I informed her that I did not purchase the card and never would. RIP OFF all the way around.

I purchased a $100 Vanilla Visa Gift card from CVS. I paid for the card and the card WAS activated at the checkout. The receipt even clearly stated card activated. I went home and tried to use my card online only to be declined. I hopped over to Vanilla Visa website and made sure my zip code was entered etc when I suddenly noticed the transactions. (Incoming Transaction): 08/05/2016 04:38 PM. INCOMM ** Card: First Use $100.00. (Outgoing transaction): 08/05/2016 04:38 PM GC TRADE AKRON, OH. Reference: ** POS PreAuth: Checking: No Account $100.00.

I purchased a My Vanilla card ostensibly for my niece to take with her to college. I figured, being the good aunt, that I could reload it for her from my town when she needed extra money away from home. Seemed like a good idea at the time. Problem #1: When trying to set it up online in her name, we were shocked to discover. She doesn't exist! Never mind that she has a driver's license, a bank account and a passport. Called customer service, and they also say they can't verify her existence. Oh, and they required her SS number. They asked me to email them a copy of her driver's license. I DON'T THINK SO!!

Purchased a One Vanilla card for 300, registered my zip code on their website. Keeps getting declined trying to use it online! DON'T BUY ONE VANILLA CARDS! THEY SUCK!!!

This company vanillacard.com is terrible. They want your social security number for a prepaid card? I added money 20 bucks onto card and it ate my money like Pacman. People seem to steal identity there too. Rude, rude people. Don't know if they are qualified too. Ugh. Beware...Vanilla Card. Company bad.

I have called multiple times trying to get an address for this bank they use to transfer money into my daughter's account that I in school overseas. How can't they provide me with the address of the bank they use!!! I called customer service and of course they were not only rude but no help! I will never ever use this service again! Thank you my Vanilla for leaving my daughter in a foreign country with no way to receive funds! Disgusting!

When I went to Walmart I bought a my Vanilla Gift Card. I put 195 dollars on it. I paid when I got home. I was buying stuff on Amazon and my card kept on getting decline. I didn't even buy anything on it yet. Then I went to eBay and a bunch of other stores and the card always got decline and I tried calling the number. They kept on hanging up on me. I even went on the website and it tried to activate my card and it kept on saying my information was wrong even though it was all correct and it still didn't work and I can't buy another one or refund it. I was very disappointed. Never going to buy again. I don't have enough to buy a different one.

So got a gift card. Wanted to play a game. Card would not work every time. Declined over and over... I did a Google search some said you had to register the card. I go online to Vanilla's website and did every zip code around me none of them worked. So I called their 800 number. No joke. One and a half hours later I got someone one the phone. Took 20 mins for him to understand the problem. Said it was fixed. I still can't buy anything online. This is crap. Always get the Amex cards.

One of my family members gave me a OneVanilla prepaid visa card for my graduation and it was a balance of 50.00 dollars and so I went on amazon to buy a cell phone case for my phone. So then the next day which is today I checked the balance of it and it was 33.04 cents left on it... And I found another case that I liked on ebay and I proceeded to check out and put my prepaid card information on it. Then it tells me "you need to put a different card in or check if the card number is correct" and I check it like 10 times and nothing. So I logged on my vanilla card account and it said I made a transaction today. One in Las Vegas around 8:27 and one in Delaware around 8:47 and I'm from California. How in world would I make transactions all the way over there and in 20 minutes difference... And I tried calling the company and they wouldn't answer. But does anyone know what else I can do.

I bought this card for someone else at their request. This card preys upon individuals already having financial problems. Trust me, the Vanilla Visa Card (I'm shocked that Visa would even allow their name to be associated with this horrible card... go figure). The funny thing about this card is that it is the preferred card for Escorts and Strippers. Again individuals, mostly female, who are having a rough go of it. The card is also heavily tied and recommended by a website called "Backpage", which caters to the Adult entertainment world... how fitting. Even though I know that the government regulates the credit card industry, it needs to clamp down on this card and others like it.

My father passed away July 2nd 2016 and I spent 10 hours yesterday going through piles, piles of receipts of cash transactions through wire transfers, moneygrams, etc. Somehow OneVanilla prepaid Visa card was used in the scam to take all his money. I see a loss of upwards of 75,000.00. It appears to be tied to a Nigerian fraudulent UBA bank. They appeared to transfer funds from stolen cards using OneVanilla card and my dad thought he was getting a percentage profit to transfer funds from this card or he was getting "paid" for transfers using this card.

I purchased this card from Walmart for $250 on 3/29. I only made 4 transactions and on 4/4 there was an unauthorized charge for $201. When I discovered the issue I opened a claim and submitted all of the requested documentation. I was advised that they would conduct an investigation and if the charges were found to be fraudulent I would receive a refund in 90 days. In June when I contacted them to see why the funds had not been refreshed I was advised that they had to allow the vendor in question 45 days to respond and that I should see a refund on 7/1. If I do not see a refund on 7/1 we are definitely going to have a HUGE PROBLEM. After seeing the multiple reviews from others I'm not hopeful... Wish me luck!

I lost my gift card, electronic journal showing actual purchase is no longer available and they will not re-issue. They can see the card has not been used (has the full balance on it). This company IS NOT user friendly!!! I did furnish all the info they requested except the purchase receipt, still will not re-issue. THAT IS THEIR POLICY!!! And they will not make an exception. As far as I'm concerned that is stealing/fraud!! I am on a fixed income so the dollars would come in very handy. I will be telling everyone to NEVER purchase a Vanilla gift card!!

Do not use this card. They will not help with any scam activity. Some scams are very intricate and require help. You better stick with your bank and major cards for purchases. The protection they provide is not there with OneVanilla. It is basically cash. There is no advantage to the consumer in using this card. The "seller" has all the advantages. Please avoid.

About 6 weeks ago, I purchased a $500 Vanilla Visa card from Rite Aid Pharmacy in Los Angeles and can NOT get it activated. All the other cards I purchased from Rite Aid were instantly usable to make online purchases, right away. This is the first Vanilla Visa I have bought. I have spent more than 20 hours complying with the various remedies their reps tell me to follow, to get my money back. Each customer service rep or supervisor I speak with has a different procedure that have included far too many emails and phone calls. Vanilla Visa's phone reps will not give me the name of the city where their corporate office is located. They will not give me the name or phone number of any of their executives.

Fraudulent transactions on 1/31/16, 2/1/16, and 2/1/16 left a balance of $0.03 on my $25 gift card. I reported the loss on 3/8/16, completed and submitted all documents, satisfying all requirements for reimbursement on 3/9/16. 103 days later, despite repeated calls to customer service, Mrs. **, a customer service supervisor at Incomm, Inc. in Fortson, GA has stalled me again, instructing me to call back in 14 days.

I bought my Vanilla gift card back in May. Had fraudulent activity happen on the card. I contacted OneVanilla and they told me I would need to contact PayPal. Well PayPal disputed the 50.00 and on the 27th of May my funds became available, and when I called I wanted to make sure I could use the card. I gave OneVanilla a different name, because I don't typically like to use my real name. They deactivated my card on the 28th of May and on the 29th my card was declining for a 3.00 charge. I then attempted to use it again on the 30th of may and it had declined again.

I often shop online for purchases, however when I stumble across a better deal or another item I like better, I will cancel and make another purchase. In this particular case, I made an online purchase with a merchant who immediately initiated a cancellation for an item I no longer wished to purchase. 2 days later, I attempted to make that purchase - the item I found for a lesser amount - however, my funds were still being held. I called Vanilla and was told that it is their practice to hold for funds for 7 days. So here's the rub, I need the item for an upcoming event, but will not be able to purchase it because the funds won't be released in time. I suppose it's their way of floating or earning interest off your funds. My advice - don't use your card for charges - online or in person - unless you are absolutely certain you want the item, or have enough money on your card to use while your money is being invested by Vanilla.

I obtained a $300 VGC some three months ago and unbeknownst to me all of the funds was depleted by a company on West Coast that's not even in existence. I did not learn of the charges until I went online to check the actual value of the card and that's when I realize (2) charges $52.98 & $247.00 was made to this company by the name of "FM Inc. FocusMicro, Co. in WA. Of course I Google the company and found they were located in WA. I tried calling the bogus company and their lines were not in service. The company even had a list of their top executives listed from the CEO, CFO, VP, and so forth.

DO NOT purchase a Vanilla Visa Card!! They apparently have a serious fraud problem that more than likely comes from somewhere internally. It is amazing to read all the reviews and see the EXACT same thing happened with my 12 year old son's birthday gift. He received the gift card back in March. He wanted to use it the following weekend and it declined. I initially thought that maybe I had to register it or something. When I went online I was shocked to see that the card had been used on the other side of the country before he even opened the gift.

Caution when buying gas!!! I purchased a gift card for my daughter to use for summer travel when she was done with school. She purchased gas and when purchasing a second refill of the gas, her card was refused. I was advised later after calling Visa, that gas stations place a 75-100$ hold on the card for each transaction when you swipe at the pump. If she would have paid inside there would have been no hold and only processed the card for the total amount of the sale. The hold remains in place for 7-10 days then the card is then refunded the difference from the actual purchase.

Had a 300.00 Vanilla Visa Gift Card. It was used fraudulently the day after my first purchase with it. 296.00 was stolen off the card by someone on the internet gambling at CaesarsCasino.com. I disputed the charge with Vanilla. I have been waiting for a resolution for almost 4 months. I feel that I have been stolen from twice - once by a thief, once by Vanilla. From now on I'm giving cash for gifts instead of gift cards. I'm gonna tell my family to do the same for me. This gift card business is too risky. Why take the chance that it may be spent or in my case, not spent. I feel so victimized. Don't let this happen to you or your loved ones. Cash, checks, the safe alternative.

I had a terrible experience with these cards. I bought them for my teenage sons and they gave me the runaround about activating them. I recommend that you do not buy these cards. They are really a ripoff to get your money and they charge you a fee to get your money back off the card.

I've just completed reading all of THE BAD REVIEWS ABOUT VANILLA GIFT CARDS! Thank God I did before I purchased anything. I received a linkedin message from a county commissioner that said the company "Consumer Reports" was hiring people for customer reviews and studies and I could make up to $9,000 a month. I assumed that if the email came from a Commissioner that it was LEGIT, but maybe he didn't investigate it or someone else sent the message using his profile...

I won a $50 Vanilla Visa card. Tonight we went out for dinner and tried to use the full amount towards the bill (total bill was a little over $90) with the remaining amount to be paid in cash. 1st, I was told that it wouldn't go through, I had to activate it (which I did at that point). 2nd, when the server came back she said only $35 would go through. So needless to say, when we got to the car, I called the toll-free number, and you guessed it, couldn't get a live person, just automated. It seems they put an additional 20% hold on the card, so in total they held $42... The recording said that the 20% "should" release within a week. What a joke. This was one of the worst experiences using a gift card... This should be against the law... the full amount should have been applied to the bill. So to save you any aggravation, do not purchase any "Vanilla Visa Gift Cards."

I am a disabled veteran. After putting $280.00 on the card it is continuously being declined. I get home, go online & the monies are missing. They keep saying it will be put back on my card. It has been over 9 weeks now. The $164.75 is still missing. It was all the money I had in the world. They just hang up on me now. I must have been "Red Flagged?" for complaining too loudly last time. I am beyond frustrated. I wish I checked this link before I bought it. I can't afford to lose this money. Im @ Dunkin Donuts right now, because my X-finity just got shut-off. I couldn't afford it after they stole my $. It seems they have the perfect scam - preying on mostly low or fixed-income people such as myself. I am out of options. I can't afford a lawyer. Can't they be stopped?

Called them regarding a stolen card. Faxed and emailed over documents including my name birth certificate, etc in order to prove to them that I was who I said I was. Both times they said that they couldn't read the documents because they were blurry. ** company. It's a total scam network. Don't buy into this crap. Going to send them from a high-quality scan machine and if they do not comply going to subpoena them to court to get my money back.

I am very disgusted with this bank. I was promised a 300 gift card from Time Warner Cable last June 2015. Here it is May 2016 and still have not received the card. After 2 months of runaround from Time Warner and Vanilla Bank, no one taking responsibility for lost card. They sent it to my physical address instead of mailing address and then I find out someone in Detroit, Michigan used it at a Victoria's Secret. They provided this information then they tell me they have 60 days to investigate. 60 days came and went and now they say to give them another two weeks. Baloney! This is a scam. Not sure why Time Warner Cable would even use this company. I have tried many times to call and speak to someone higher up and all I get is "We can't" or "I can leave a message to see if someone calls you back." No one has called as of yet. Will not be renewing, that's for sure. Time Warner just lost a customer. Don't buy this card -- FRAUD.

Received a $100 gift card, immediately had a $43.00 POS debit by FocusMicro which wasn't mine. Called Vanilla customer service twice to dispute the charge. As of this moment haven't received the promised dispute documents. Apparently a scam...

I was not able to use this card at stores and within few months, there were deducted fees and without knowing all the balance was disappeared. I have lost lot of money and the customer care is really bad.

I received a Vanilla Visa Gift card from work about 3 years ago and never used it. The card was valued at $50. As it was in scratched through the magnetic strip on the back I requested a new card and it arrived yesterday. I just now activated it and found out that although I have never made any purchases using the card and there is no transaction history per the company information that I only have $9.39 left on the card. How is that possible as I can't find any information on their website to say if the card is not used it loses a certain value every year? Seem like a ripoff to me.

I was gifted a $250 Vanilla Visa from my boss upon leaving the company, and when I went to use it it was declined. Turns out the last 4 digits of the card on the purchase receipt don't match the last 4 digits on the actual card I received. I have been calling customer service for over 2 months now trying to get my card activated. I have faxed in a scan of the card along with my purchase receipt as they have requested, but every time I call for an update no one can give me any answers. I am just told someone will call me within 1-2 business days - this has been told to me the 10+ times. I've called over 2 months and no one has ever called!!! When I asked to speak to someone above the supervisor he said there is no one else I can speak to. I obviously became frustrated and he hung up on me!

Seems an issue with these cards. My friend purchased a $50 Vanilla MC Feb 2016. I have tried several times to use this at local spas, stores, or online purchase and most state these do not work. I called the company and they refuse to refund and claim they only refund in the states. This card also expires August. This card is useless.

I bought a card and thinking it was like some of the other cards out there I put $97.00 on it. I called to register the card like I was supposed to. First, they could not confirm my address so I e-mailed my driver's license, my SS card and a utility bill. I was then told in 24 hours I could use my card. I called back in 24 hours and was told to e-mail my purchase receipt and then in 24 hours I should be able to use my card. I got online to purchase a part for my car and was denied. I called back and was told it could take up to 5 days for them to verify my information. Then I told them that I needed a refund and was told financial would have to ok the refund and I might get a check. I explained that I paid cash so I should be able to get cash back and they told me no. I can't afford to lose $97.00 like that. Now I wish I would have gotten a reputable card.

I will turn any and everyone away from this card company including my regular customers, and refer them to another company. I was defrauded out of 1500 dollars, sent in all of the paperwork asked for and was told that it is my fault. So yes now I will be launching a full investigation for that of OneVanilla and that of eBay, and some other company's, as my cards were used in the state of California, of which I have never been to in my life, as you could tell by the purchases that we're made with the card very much differ from the state that the card was purchased in. I don't see how I am responsible this. They clearly did not do their job. And I will be reporting this company to the news station to warn others along with the Better Business Bureau.

The customer service representatives are absolutely atrocious. 3 weeks ago I bought a $250 prepaid card and when I went to use it I found out the card was empty. Upon calling customer service they notified me that I'd get a new card in the mail in 2-5 days. After a week of waiting I called again to see what the status of my card was. Turns out they never even sent out a request for a new card. So after again being told they'd send out a new card, I thought the issue would be over. Man was I wrong... Here I am 3 weeks later without a card. I just called customer Service AGAIN and was told that I needed to go get a copy of the store's receipt journal so I could verify my purchase... Safe to say I wasn't so friendly from there on out. But wait, the best part hasn't even happened yet.

One Vanilla cards are a scam and a joke. When you buy them and then run into a problem they take a long time to contact you when you make a dispute on the problems at hand, then after they are done investigating they say it's your fault, even if the cards were used in a different state that you live in. One Vanilla wont pay you your money back regardless if they know that it was used in a different state. I didn't want to give them a star but I had to. One Vanilla lets anyone get into their systems and scam people and then don't want to help fix the problem. The company just sucks all the way around. I notice that the company will not release any of their names or their managements names to help the customer out in any way. I don't recommend anyone to buy these cards, I had the worst experience with this card company.

Received as a gift. Did not work. Called the store where person bought. They said they do not keep journal records of sales; consequently card is invalid.

I received a gift card in order to compensate me for payroll that was messed up with my company. You would think this would be a good thing!!! I went online to check the balance of the card, while sitting at Pep Boys getting my car fixed, when going to check out it was declined 4 times. I called them and they said that I had requested a new card, and that they were in fact sending me a new one. I ask them where they were sending it to. (I had never filled out my address or anything). They said, “Well we’re shipping it to you.” This was on April the 2nd.

I had the merchant and the processor fax them a letter showing the money was refunded to back to my card and had the merchants processor call them and told them and informed them he can verify the money has been refunded back to my card. It's been 26 days and I haven't seen my money refunded. All they do is give me excuses. Their service is horrible. Why are they allowed not to do their job and not credit my money in a timely manner? The government should shut them down because it's a unethical business. PLEASE CUSTOMERS DON'T GET A PREPAID CARD FROM THIS HORRIBLE COMPANY. READ ALL THE HORRIBLE REVIEWS. THEY'RE LIARS AND UNETHICAL.

Received a $100 gift card for support while in the hospital. Tried to check balance online before use, but the website was down for maintenance. Attempted to use card for a small amount, but it was declined. I assumed it needed activation. Next day, I accessed the website, and history showed a ZERO balance. Reason Why?! Debit for the entire $100 with NETWORK SECURITY SLN FOCUSMICRO.CO, WA happened!!! There is a reference number associated and these scammers need to be held accountable for what is being done to innocent bystanders. In the meantime, I did report this concern to customer service of Vanilla Visa for disputing this unauthorized POS. Now I must wait! When I receive a form to complete and return within 24 hours, it will be at least 10-14 business days to see IF I receive the money back that was initially intended for me.

Bought a $300 gift card. Went to use it a day and a half later. NO money on it. A fake company withdrew the whole amount. I had NOT given that # to anyone but the hotel they said they hadn't used or given it out. Only others that might have had the chance were Wal-Mart or Vanilla. Filled in paperwork to get my money back. Not holding my breath. My experience thus far is Vanilla is totally unrepeatable.

They sent me to so many people but I called the bank corp. who issued the card. They gave me a number 855-686-9512 I got recordings. If you push the activation number, that will get you a real person. Then I told them my wallet was stolen (which wasn't true). They cancelled the card for me and asked to send a new one out of course I said no. But this card is a big joke and it's hard not only to get your money but to actually talk to a real person. I hope this helps someone.

Too late: I read the reviews at Consumer Affairs, Top 347 complaints for Vanilla Visa by INCOMM.

I received a $500.00 gift card from son. I used it ONCE to purchase clothing at a Vanity Fair in the mall. I went on vacation knowing I had $360.96 left on card and went to check into my room only for the card to be declined. We paid cash for room and Immediately called the number on the back of card and explained what was going to happen only to be told it may take 60 days to get my money back.

I purchased a Vanilla Visa and placed $150.00 on it with plans of securing a hotel reservation. I checked the balance on my card at 10:25 p.m. from my cellular phone and at 10:30 p.m. charges were placed on my card in the amount of $150 from a company called FOCUSMICRO.COM in Washington; this company has disconnected phone numbers and they telemarket consumers trying to sell them security systems; this is not a legitimate business. I filed a complaint with Vanilla Visa but they are at best going to resolve my situation in 60 days. Really? It only took seconds for scammers to steal the money that I placed on their card service in good faith; but it will take months to resolve it. Planning to file as many complaints as possible with as many agencies as I can.

I used the card a few months ago & after having some problems I was able to buy some things at Kmart. However I wanted to spend the balance & was unable to get a confirmation of the balance to spend recently. I spoke with a man on 1-800-701-224 & was told they have nothing to do with Vanilla Visa Cards. He denied any knowledge of Vanilla & said it was not one of their cards even though the card also has VISA on the bottom of the card.

Got 100.00 gift card for Christmas - decided to check balance in March. There was many websites listed for Vanilla. After entering all the card numbers I got a message saying system was unavailable. Decided to check at a later time. (Pretty sure I got a bad site and this is how my card was drained). When I went online to check again 1 week later I found that the balance was now 0 and was able to see history. There was 100.00 taken by a company called FocusMicro in Mukilteo Washington - alarm services the same day I entered the numbers before to check balance.

I am very dissatisfied. I was in a scam and used One Vanilla Visa and they would not refund my money. I gave them all the documents proving I was in a scam. It was 52 pages long and the refused to give me my money back. I will never use One Vanilla Visa again and I highly encourage no one else to use them because I had bought several different cards of theirs and was in a scam and was very dissatisfied with them and I will never use them again!!!

Received a Vanilla Visa Gift Card for Christmas. Have tried three times to use. Could not. Called company, talked to Chelsea. Was told I have to pay difference first THEN USE THE GIFT CARD. This IS NOT HOW A GIFT CARD WORKS. I consider this a scam. Would love to give C.A. receipt information, but have not been able to use the card yet. You can't easily use the card - you give up - they keep the money! Consider buying another card. I hope someone starts a class action due to the embarrassment this company has caused many people.

I bought a 50$ Visa Vanilla crap card at Petro-Canada. When the recipient of the card tried to use it, it was denied, stating that the card was not activated. Visa vanilla WAS OF NO HELP to help me resolve the issue. Just a bunch of CROOKS. I finally found my invoice which proved that I bought the card and had to send it to those crooks to get the card activated. I will NEVER EVER buy a Visa vanilla card again.

WHAT A RIP-OFF. I have been given a $50 gift card - activated it - checked to see balance online, but it doesn't work. Tried to use it at the shops doesn't work!!! Tried to spend it online doesn't work. PLEASE BEWARE OF THESE SCAM CARD!!! Just give the person you intend giving a gift to the $50 cash as they may then be able to use the money...

My sister bought me this one vanilla gift card on march 8. I got it on the 14 of march. Tried to call to make sure the balance was on the card. They told me to use www.onevanilla gift card so I did go online to check my balance. My 50.00 was there. So the next day I went to the store and tried to use. My card declined. So I sat in my van to call them and someone took my money off the card. They said fm security. The website was hacked that the website they told me to use. That company is in the u.k. I google it. I asked them could they stop it because I didn't use it. They told me no. I was so mad. They told me I was scammed. I said "This is the site you told me to check my balance. It not my fault y'all site was hacked."

I got a $300 gift card from a store, go home only $200 is on it, call store. They say call the company. Call company and have been getting the runaround the last week and half. This is insane. Send this and that, I do, they say they didn't get anything. Someone needs to shut this place down. I wish I would have read the reviews. Never again! I'm so upset.

I bought this card and added $80 to it and used it twice. I went to their website to check balance and it kept saying site was down so the next day I checked again and there was a fraud transaction on my card that took all my money. So then I called them. They had the nerve to tell me that they cannot stop a pending transaction. So these people know what a pending transaction means. Well it means that the money hasn't went through yet so why couldn't they stop it. That's a load of crap, people are making fake websites up and taking all your info and these people are doing nothing about it. Vanilla Visa sucks. Won't be buying your cards anymore and just to think I was buying them every month for a year and adding $500 at a time. After this I won't can't trust them anymore...

I purchased the My Vanilla Visa Card on February 2 at a local Family Dollar store. I put $50 on it so that I could make purchases online. When I tried to use it, it was denied. I discovered that the money was never put on the card. I called the customer service number. They told me to fax to them my ID, a copy of the card and my purchase receipt. I was told it would take 3-5 business days from the date they receive it. It took 5 days for them to receive my fax! I called back a week later and they said they didn't get my receipt. Well, why did they not contact me to let me know??? I refaxed everything again. Long story short, it's been over a month and I still haven't gotten the money loaded. This company is a ripoff. Don't use them. I'm going to contact the Better Business Bureau.

DON'T BUY THESE CARDS!!! Numbers are scratched!! CCV number too! Customer service hardly care about finding a solution! Worst experience ever!!! Don't buy them!!

Checked the bal online along with purchase history. Wrong... 50. card, 2 purchases for $1 each. That's $2. Available balance is now $2.63. WTF!!! Does anyone have an email address for this company https://www.vanillagift.com/en? I can't find an email address or phone number. Please help. Thanks...

I purchased a 250 gift card. It didn't load the monies. I called customer service was told it would be resolved in 3 days or less... Surprise! here I am 4 days later and nothing has happened. I called again only to be told it would be done by Friday... The guy on the phone actually said to me we must be looking at different calendars... REALLY ARE YOU FRIGGIN KIDDING ME! That would make it 7 days after I called originally. So this is now the 3rd time this has happened to me so now I am going to write head office for Shoppers Drug Mart and I hope to convince them to remove these cards from stores. Please if anyone else has purchased these cards from Shoppers please join me in having a voice.

Received $75.00 card from my 92 year old mother for Christmas in Ontario. Tried to use card 2 times in B.C. Card read error came up both times. Phoned customer service (what a runaround that was). Found out I need a code # from back of card. There was no # on my card. They said I would need the receipt for the card which my mom has since misplaced or thrown away. Tried card 2 more times and got same result. Sent them a letter as you cannot send them an Email, at least I could not figure out how to. Have not heard anything back from them. I would not recommend buying any of these cards and will tell my mom in the future not to. She has given out lots of these cards in the past few years and I found out that mine was not the first that had problems.

I thought I was all set, but when I went to use it when buying groceries it would not go thru. So I pulled out my bankcard and paid for my groceries. When I got home I called the number for customer service and told them what had happened. That's when I got the "SURPRISE" you will be charged 50 cents for each transaction you use this card for. They charge the person buying the card $3.95 and then turn around and charge the person who uses the card 50 cents per each transaction. What a legal RIP-OFF they are doing. They are double dipping it seems to me. I used it but had to tell the store clerk to run it thru 50 cents less than the card said. She did like I told her and it worked. Got a zero balance and I'm shredding the card.

Bought card. Tried to register. It wasn't working. Phoned customer support and they refused to help. Went to original store where they were forced to help. Did some BS procedure that they claimed fixed to problem. It didn't. Have no way to log into account. Am essentially locked out of cash.

Purchased cards on 12/4/15. Mailed (2) $100.00 gift cards to my son which is in the military for Christmas. Come to find out as of 12/12/15 my son said he still hasn't received the gift cards. Call Visa company to file a claim. Received a claim number. Faxed in proof of my purchase for the gift cards. They told me it take 90 days to investigate. Then received another letter about disputing the charges because activated the cards and charged on them. So I filed that on 12/28/15.

I was given a gift card from my boss for Christmas which was very generous and I appreciated it very much. I tried to use the card several times for gas and every time it was denied. Trying to contact the company listed on the card was a royal pain in the ass and when I was finally able to talk to a real person she could hardly speak English. I hung up out of frustration and called again. I spoke with another rep. and I gave her the info on the card and mine and come to find out the card was used at some grocery store in Las Vegas? Really? I couldn't believe it so now I have to fill out a lot of paperwork to contest it. This is one gift card to stay away from. They obviously have issues with security...

Bought a $250 prepaid visa yesterday feb 4th and inside was a $200 non activated prepaid master card. Called company, said it will be resolved. So called today and they said a replacement card takes 30 days. Who runs this terrible company...

When I would TRY to activate the card, it kept telling me that they had no record of the card. I tried to activate the card after purchasing it for at least a week...I would TRY about six Times a day! And having to go through that ridiculous password & username **!!! Each time that I would ATTEMPT it... Are we logging on to Fort friggin Knox??? All that is really not needed...in my opinion anyway. Let's just say that my tablet did a lot of air time throughout the week!! The strange thing is that, it would say that they have no record of that card...yet, I would phone information a balance, and they would say that it was $100. (It's a $100 card.) They had no record of my card that they have records of having a $100 balance...that just don't make sense!! Then for no reason other than being one very persistent **, it took my info and activated the card!!

Worst Idea Ever!!! Pay off the start and additional 6% for activation. Then go and try and use the card... borderline useless. You can't buy anything more than the amount of the value of the card or you have to ask the cashier to do separate transactions to match the value of your card exactly (pain for everyone waiting behind you). This is done intentionally by Visa as many customers will leave a certain amount on their card and never use it. It's not enough that they take 6% off the top and then doing the stores another commission. Also put a deadline (which has been outlawed in many places as it's already been paid for). Don't even try to use these cards with Paypal as... shocker. They don't work there either. All in ALL Horrible idea. Not a perfect gift rather should be a "stupid" gift. Wish I could have given zero stars.

Every time I called they told me to go to the store and activate my card, and when I went to the store they told me to call. Basically I lost all my money due to "inactivity" because I couldn't activate it. 25 dollars down the drain. Very angry and unsatisfied.

I received a Vanilla gift card as a Christmas gift from a client. The first time I used it, it worked o.k... As a credit. I had to take the item back to store that I purchased and they placed the money back on the card. Now, the card won't work. When I call the customer service line to find the balance, it just keeps going round and round asking for the same information. I also cannot log online to the Vanilla site, because it says all the information is wrong. I have also dialed "0" and spoke with a person, who stated what my balance is and that the card should work, but it does not. I have money on the card I can't use and am frustrated by the runaround and the company. It seems that this is typical with this particular company and am not happy. They seem to be getting away with a lot of people's money. I. AM. NOT. HAPPY. If someone sets up a class action suit, count me in. This has got to stop.

My card was compromised on January 1, 2016. I contacted vanilla and filed a dispute. My dispute form was received on January 4, 2016. I know because it was confirmed in a email I received from Tori **. My new card was ordered on January 4th 2016. They said the card was going to be "EXPEDITED" and I should have it in 3 to 5 business days. Here it is January 20, 2016 and I still don't have my card. My paycheck is dd to that card and I have 2 paychecks sitting there that I can't access. Needless to say I have been calling Vanilla every day faithfully and getting the same response "We have sent a email to that department marked urgent and we she have a reply in 24 hours."

I stayed at the Radisson Hotel Phoenix on 10/20/15 and used my Vanilla Visa Prepaid Debit for a deposit on the room. The hotel placed a $50 hold on my card, and Vanilla Visa added a $10 fee/hold. After checking out, the hotel released the hold, but Vanilla didn't credit my account. I called customer service & they stated that I needed a Merchant Release Letter from the Radisson in order to get my funds returned to me. They said it needed to be on company letterhead, including check-in/check-out dates, Trans #, Trans Amount, last 4 digits of my card, Merchant ID #, and so on... I contacted the hotel, and the manager kindly sent over the standard Form via fax. Vanilla's customer support requires that you wait minimum 4 hrs after a document is sent before calling them about it. I waited the 4 hours and called, they said they never got it.

Purchased a reloadable prepaid visa card at RiteAid (where I work) so that I could order online. I have other prepaid cards. I use a NetSpend card regularly, but decided to try the MyVanilla because the fees are lower. I loaded 40$ at the store; enough for what I wanted to purchase and a tiny bit more. Well, like most everyone else here, I could not get past the registration process. They are unable to verify my identity. I have read all the reviews here and I am disheartened. I did decide to try something though. I went back to the website and decided to apply for a prepaid MasterCard. Well lo and behold it went through without a hitch.

Received a $50 gift card and was very excited to use this because of how convenient they are! I was very disappointed when it wouldn't work. So I researched and found out this a very popular and reoccurring problem. I hope that this problem and possible scam is soon sorted out with everyone having a refund.

I had purchased a My Vanilla reloadable card back in 2011. I had the option of registering with my name, address and social security, and personal information in order to upgrade to a reloadable visa logo card. Since the time I got the card, I had never had an issue with it, until 2013, when I could no longer reload it with my bank card, instead they would require cash at the retailer. I continued using the card until July of 2015 when the card then expired. I then tried reloading the card at a 7-11 store, after it was expired and couldn't, which made sense. So I called the number in back of the card in order to resolve the issue and reorder a new card. I called 855-687-9513 and spoke to a representative, that was very abrupt and sounded like she was having a bad day.

My brother purchased a Vanilla Gift card on the 22nd December (could see in transactions on website) and gifted to me on Christmas. I was able to log in on the website and spoke with a rep to see if I could register more than just my zip code (can't). I worked for a company that serviced gift cards for a competitor (not AmEx) and the longer you sit on the card, it seems the more susceptible you are to fraud on the card. People would literally guess #s since the majority of the #s are the same with the exception of the ending - how they get use funds from there idk. I would say check your bal regularly, ask the purchaser of GC to attempt to get a copy of the receipt if they purch'd it recently, don't swipe the card at a gas pump (go inside), and be prepared for a 15-20 percent extra hold on your card at retailers that take tips (even fast food places will do this). If you can't cover the balance owed plus the 15-20 percent hold, you'll be declined.

(5) gift cards were purchased at #Walgreens in Irvine off of Jeffery Ave and were given as gifts to family and friends. 3 out of the 5 cards purchased were mispackaged, therefore hold no value! For those of you who received the cards recently, I can only recommend that you DO NOT OPEN THE PACKAGE! Take a video camera and record the entire and uninterrupted opening of the card packaging. If the Expiration Date on the card does not match the Expiration Date on the package then that card is not activated!!!

Tried using my $300 Vanilla Gift Card I received from my boss for Christmas several times only to be declined. Called the 800 # off the card Dec 27th & told system was. Tried again Dec 31, still declined. Called Jan 2 & was told I needed the receipt to activate. Said I didn't have the receipt as this was a gift. Was asked where was this purchase & again didn't know since it was a gift. Was told the card will not work without the receipt so now I need to confront my boss. This looks to be a scam to me.

I received a card as a gift for 100.00. When I went online to check e-balance, it just gave me an error. On the next day, I did submit. It was two transaction posted: credit for 100.00 and then DEBIT for the same amount from Newegg.com website which I NEVER seen before??? How come my balance is ZERO???

My husband and I bought 2 $100 gift cards for his children, granted it was not Vanilla's fault. They were not received however it goes downhill from there. We immediately called when cards were not received and emailed in the receipt and photo copies of the rear of the card with numbers. We were told at the time the cards had not been used and they would be cancelled and we could get new cards reissued. When my husband did a follow up the next day the gentleman told him he should not have been told that, the cards had been used.

I have a great team of building engineers and admins who, in addition to their regular bonuses I like to give gift cards to as well. This year, less than a week ago I gave a $200 gift card, a OneVanilla Visa to my lead guy. Today, he tries to use it for the first time taking HIS team out to lunch - NO BUENO. From there ensues the disaster of ZERO response from OneVanilla. I was able to confirm that the card had a $200 balance still, but the email that I sent to resolve the issue of actually USING the card, twice bounced back both times. Next stop - CVS tonight. - Signed 'Angry-Frustrated ME'

I was given a Vanilla Visa Gift card and was not able to activate. I have called the number on the card with no response. Also tried online. This was given to me as gift from a sales meeting. I would not recommend any Vanilla products.

I was given the $100.00 Vanilla Visa as a Christmas present from my second grade students. I was unable to use it while on a cruise during Christmas, unable to use it at Walmart when I returned, now I am unable to access the balance information via the phone or website. I get through putting in the card number and expiration date, but when it ask for the 3-digit security code and I put it in, the next phone message I receive says: "This is an invalid extension", and the system hangs up. When using the website, I entered the information required/requested and nothing... No error message, no further instructions, nothing. Nada. Zip. I will try to use the card again, but by the comments I've read, I think I'm out of luck. Would suggest you not purchase this card!

Bought the card at Walmart and tried to register it online before you can use it. Hit a snag with verifying my ID. They said I needed to mail in my ID info with pictures of my driver's license and SS card. WTF?! I said no bueno. Then they said the only other thing I could do is use the card as a gift card at places like Walmart but no online use at all. So I basically paid $4 to get the $50 card and now I will incur a 50 cent charge per use to use the card at Walmart. Basically I just gave away about $5 so I could go back and spend $45 at Walmart. This is a total rip-off. After filing this complaint here, I am going to make a new complaint to the BBB about Visa/MyVanilla and Walmart.

Their website is not secure when going to register a visa card. I called them and they said they were not aware of the problem. I asked them to access their site and they could see the problem and the representative said they do not have access to a computer. So appears they cannot even look up the info on cards and due to all the scam complaints, this seems to fall in place as they or anyone else can access and steal your card info because their website is not secure.

Bought my card at CVS to send to my Dad for Christmas. I called to make sure it was activated - it is not. Went to CVS - they can't help me. Told me to call Vanilla Gift Card. Did everything they asked - sent receipt with proof of payment and activation notation as well as picture of card. Have waited a week - NOTHING. Yesterday I was on hold 57 minutes. No one will answer my emails. Finally got to a supervisor who 'promised' it would be activated last night - it's not. She - of course - would not give her last name just "Marion at x 5136'. HOW CAN THIS BE?

I purchased a $25 Vanilla Gift Card as a kris kringle gift for a co-worker. I paid an extra $4.95 to purchase the card. So that's $29.95 out of pocket. What I didn't realize was that there is an additional $4.95 activation fee which is deducted from the card. That means my co-worker is only getting a $20 gift card, and Vanilla is actually charging a total of $9.90 for $20 worth of value. Might as well give the $30 in a greeting card. VANILLA GIFT CARD'S NOT WORTH IT.

I was trying to activate my card that I got for my birthday, but out of nowhere, it shows that it's no able to validate. I was trying and trying and found the Vanillavisa.com which showed me my balance and what not, shows $50 on the card but couldn't be used. Don't buy unless you want to give your money to people that can't even pay for their coffee.

I participate on a wellness program sponsored by my employer CenturyLink and my health insurance UnitedHealthcare, I received 3 Vanilla Visa Reward Card (Order # **) from healthyliving@myrewardsredeem.com, but I lost the 3 cards total $250, the cards never got activated and they were on my wife name, Sonia **. (My spouse), who is authorize to participate. We contacted Vanilla Visa (premium_fax@incomm.com) and they assigned to us a Case # ** on September 4, 2015 and we email them what they required (utility bill for residence proof, order confirmation of cards) and 3 months later we still haven't receive any solution from them.

My card was giving to me at a Christmas party and I had lost the card the very next day and I call them about the card being lost. And they told me that there was nothing that they could do about it. So therefore I wouldn't recommend this company to anyone at all not even a dead man.

Gift card companies make their profit from activation fee and unused money that is left on the card. Vanilla is taking their practices to the dark grey area. I got married last weekend and received a gift card from a friend - however the card was not activated. (Although it was noted as activated when purchased from CVS.) I called customer service, and they told me that the person who bought the card should call them with the receipt (they know that not many people keep the receipt).

Horrible! $25.00 stolen from us never to be replaced! Bought a Vanilla Visa and put $100.00 on it to give to our technician and use as a gas card. First time using it, technician tried to pump $30.00 in gas from the pump. Couldn't do it. Why??? Because Vanilla Visa put a $75.00 HOLD on the card. Went inside to get it straightened out. Cashier cancelled the transaction. I called Vanilla Visa. Was on the phone with them over an hour. All I got was "Oh, sorry that happened to you." Mind you, once we purchased the card I called their customer service to see if there were any special instructions... Nope! She said just start using it! So the $75.00 was eventually put back on the card but $25.00 was mysteriously lost forever. Left our technician stranded at the pump 45 miles from the office. Out a half day of customers. Don't buy this card!!!

I bought a Vanilla card with $200 on it at 2:30 pm. At 3pm, I tried to use the card at the post office and it said declined. We tried again and same thing, declined. So then I was forced to use cash to pay for the transaction. After leaving the post office, I call Vanilla to see what happened and they say they actually did send $111 to the authorized retailer. But there is no receipt or confirmation on my end that I ever used the card. Now because they approved the sale to send the money, but did not complete the transaction, I'm out that money until they send me a dispute form to fill out and mail back in. Once they receive it, it could take up to 60 days. that's right -- 60 days -- to get the money back.

I bought one of these yesterday at a 7-11. My intention was to use it for online shopping, but to my dismay the ** card doesn't work. I follow the instructions to register the card for online shopping by providing a postal code. It still does not work. To make matters worse, the failed transactions left a pending charge on my account which means I had money taken from me without spending a cent. ** stupid ** company should be arrested by the police.

Bought 600 vanilla prepaid gift cards, being led to believe they were a prepaid visa card. Tried to spend in Tesco, Sainsbury, Game, and several high street clothing stores, all refused. Even the shop (Sainsbury's) from which I purchased the cards as gifts for my grandchildren, believing they were more sensible to give rather than cash which they might lose. Tried to contact Vanilla for a list of retailers that would accept the cards here in the UK. All I got was a list of retailers in the good old U S of A, not much good unless they sell me an airline ticket. (Hold on, I wonder if I could use my vanilla card to purchase one).

I had purchased a Vanilla Mastercard once before and had no problem with it. So after I used it up I purchased a $50 prepaid Vanilla Visa. I waited the customary 24 hours before trying my card online and when I did it kept declining. I then went to the Vanilla website and entered in my card information. However no matter how many times I tried it, the website refused to process my information and show if my card was activated. I waited a few more hours and then tried the website again and still no results. I then followed the instructions on the website and called customer service and spoke with a lady who told me that this happens all the time, and that if I wanted a new card I would have to send a picture of my driver's license and of the receipt proofing that I bought the card to an email.

I purchased a MyVanilla debit card and loaded money onto it at the time of purchase. Unknowingly I was not able to use my card until I first registered it. Ok, there is a phone number and an email address to call. Well here I am 27 hours later and I am still not able to complete the registration thus leaving me unable to use my money on the card. The cards are non-refundable so I am stuck waiting until the system is fixed or I can gather a bunch of proof as to who I am and send it to them, wait and keep calling to check if there has been a resolution.

This company is a TOTAL ** SCAM! Their website for activation doesn't work, their phone number is useless since they are ostensibly always busy assisting other customers. Do not waste your time or you money with these shylock **.

Just trying to get tickets to go visit my boyfriend for the holiday. He gets a MyVanilla card from Rite Aid and puts 50$ on it. We go to activate it and can't even get past step one. We go to activate it and we tried maybe 8 or 10 times (literally), can't get past that part because apparently the numbers were invalid. Worst part is that customer service is just total **. Won't ever get anything from this company again.

I purchased a Vanilla Gift Card with the understanding that I can use it as a debit card as well. When I realized I couldn't, I contacted Vanilla and asked to be refunded my money. I sent in all the appropriate documents that was asked of me and was told I will receive my refund in 4 to 6 weeks. I didn't receive my check so I called back and they reissued another check that I didn't receive. So I went to the site and other customers said that they didn't receive their check as well and Vanilla doesn't like to refund money. So I called again and was asked to verify the address which is right and they asked me to send in the documents to prove that again. So I gave another address to see if I will get the check and 4 checks later I still haven't received my money.

Two days ago I purchased a $25 visa card from this company. I waited 24 hours like I was told to. The next day I tried purchasing an item from a certain website, the card was declined. I went onto the visa balance and checked my card to see if it was activated. I saw that it was and it still had $25 on it. This company is a total scam.

I purchased a $500 card for my daughter in College. I always confirm the balance before I mail it to her. So immediately after exiting the store I called the activation line and they said the card was inactive. I pressed another 6 or 10 numbers the prompt ask me to. I finally got a human on the phone and you guessed it they can't help. They told me to go back to the store for a refund which I promptly did. The store of course can do nothing, but they did call Vanilla Visa and also with no results. So I called again, and after 20 minutes finally got a person that said they could help, just email them a picture of the receipt and they would activate it (sounds too easy don't it). Well I emailed it 12 times to three different email addresses, then the store actually faxed it to Vanilla Visa two times for me.

I purchased this card on 9/19/15. Pre-authorized my card for hotel incidentals in which the transaction was just pending and would be dropped upon checkout. I checked out 9/20 and the refund was processed on the merchant's behalf. It is now 9/30 and I still DON'T have my money back on my card. I was advised to have a Merchant Release Letter (MRL) faxed or emailed over in which I had done both TWICE and they claimed they NEVER received it. I had the merchant contact them directly, they told the merchant that the refund will be released in 24 hours... 24 hours later, I still have NO funds and when I call, all of a sudden they can't issue it immediately even with the MRL being sent over. Another excuse was it won't be refunded until 10/19 because their system updates every 30 days (which is bs and unheard of) and lastly I was advised I wouldn't receive a refund because it was a temporary card... Now which is it?

I purchased a Visa Vanilla card as a gift and my friend has not been able to use the card in several places. It's been declined each time. She finally got through at Customer Service and was basically told to just keep trying to use it. The places she tried to use it at were not eligible for usage. So now I've paid for a card that my friend can't use. So why can't she get a refund or a new card? Total BS.

I received a $25.00 Vanilla gift card from the lab that was making a crown for me that lost the mold. This was to cover the inconvenience. I went online last night to activate it. I could not activate it. I tried calling the support number and all I got was a recording telling me to go to enroll now on the website which doesn't exist, on activate here button. There is no way to speak to a human. Vanilla has stolen 25.00 plus activation fee if you ask me. They should be stopped.

Hello, I've always used OneVanilla as I thought they was ok, but was I wrong. I've bought laptop on Amazon on September 5, 2015 8 am and come next day September 6, 2015 at 230 am, the order was canceled for unknown reason to me. And now where is my money. I've spent hours and hours on the phone, have all the proof to show and they can call but told me they don't believe me and now got to wait and see if I get my money back. Don't buy OneVanilla credit card, pass them fast. I'm going file a complaint with B.B.B ASAP and make youtube videos about this, plus I'm calling channel 8 news in Tampa about OneVanilla cheating me.

I wouldn't recommend anybody to purchase a Vanilla debit card. I bought one, got home to activate it and do it online so that I wouldn't be on hold for an hour or so, or deal with a non English speaking associate, so when I attempted to activate it online it wouldn't let me cause somehow they have my old address... I then had to call customer service and was told I needed to fax my I.D. social security card!!! Like hell, since when do I need to go through all this to use a debit card with my money?

My boyfriend recently got a MyVanilla card. We mainly use it to pay bills. On 8/30/15 we stopped at a gas station and got gas and drinks. Total came to $33.69. They charged us an extra $150. It came out to be two transactions of $75 and the transaction of $33.69. We called them on 8/31/15, they said it would be refunded on 9/2/15. And it never got refunded. Called again on 9/2/15 and then they said it would be refunded on 9/4/15. STILL NOTHING. I have kids, I have to buy diapers and formula for and I can't because they can't decide when my money will be refunded. If need be I WILL take legal action. I shouldn't have to ask my parents for money. This should of never happened in the first place.