Vanilla Prepaid Cards Reviews

Purchase a prepaid gift card for $70 to get my wife a massage for a birthday present, but when the merchant ran the card it came back as insufficient funds. She ran it 3 times and it was declined. Called customer service 3 times before they acknowledged there was a 20% incidental fee which was raising my purchase of $70 to $84.25. Contacted InComm Financial who distributes the cards and they are "looking into it". Been 4 days and not a peep. Also filed a complaint with the BBB which is I believe InComm contacted me in the first place. Funny, I bought the card because it clearly stated no other applicable fees would be charged. Any one interested in a class action suit let me know and we'll fight these cons.

I bought a house and received a Vanilla gift card from my Realtor at closing. Used to purchase materials at Home Depot on 6/1, made a return for one item 6/11.... To date Vanilla has not credited the amount due. This is the worst card, hard to understand their CSRs as they sound overseas with super heavy accents, never get a manager online and problem is never resolved. I have called over 5 times from June to today Sept 19 and the problem is still pending, case opens and closes and credit shows pending but never posted.... This is the worst card ever. Do not waste your money on this card.

I purchased a card. Lost the card. Someone used it and they said they would send another owner but this never happened. I been waiting since February 2019. Three cards been ordered and canceled but the cards never came. Yes these people are a fraud. They are a scam. I just today read the reviews. I wish I would have been knew about these people being a fraud. I’m losing out on 200 dollars.

I bought a Vanilla gift card for $200 from Walmart. I tried using it at a business and it declined the card. I checked the balance of the gift card at the Vanilla gift card site and it said it didn't recognize the card. I contacted Walmart by phone and chat 3 times and the problem has not been resolved. Walmart puts me on the phone with Vanilla gift cards but they don't answer the call. I asked Walmart for a refund but they will not refund me my money. Walmart says they will have the Vanilla gift card place contact me by email but they haven't. So I do not have that $200 I put toward the gift card now. They basically stole my money and I can't get it back. Dissatisfied with Vanilla Gift Cards, and Walmart should not sell the Vanilla gift cards.

So My son-in-law purchased a Vanilla gift card at Walgreens in CA on 8/23 for 500.00. On 8/25 there was a $440.89 from a energy company in Pennsylvania. This is NOT OKAY. Please report them to BBB ASAP.

I was given a $50.00 visa card only to find out that the started charging fees 2 years before they sold the card. I ended up with $12.00. Never will trust this again. I went to purchase shopping online and wondered why it kept declining. As I thought it was a new card. However when I went online to see why it was happening I discovered it was taking payments 2 years before the card was purchased in the shop.

I recently (4 days ago) purchased a One Vanilla Prepaid Card from Walmart and used it for the first time yesterday. My first use of the card was a little Shell gas station where I swipe the card at the pump and selected debit and the card was declined. I figure it must only work under the credit option and continued to use it as a credit card. The pump authorized the purchase and allowed me to pump $6 before stopping. I was confused because why would it stop at $6 when I knew I had roughly $260 on the card?

I bought a card at CVS for $500.00 and the same day someone used it and took the money. I called the number on the back 6 times and they kept saying they will send me a claim form. They never did. I spoke to two supervisors and they said they would email me the form never happened. A merchant called Alibaba used my card.

This is the second time I had my money stolen off of my card. I had 18 dollars stolen from my card. I had 25 and spent $6.48. I was about to go to the store and use my card but something told me to check the balance. When I did, it said no money was on the card. I called and the person who I was talking to could barely speak English very well told me that someone ordered something using a PayPal account which I don't have. This is my second dispute with Visa Vanilla and I have to wait three months to get a refund. Total BS. I'm never using them again.

I purchased gift cards for our employees. A $140 gift card says it's expired and there is a zero balance yet the employee has not used it. This is a scam. Visa should be held accountable for theft. CVS sold me the card but won't back it. They want me to deal with Visa. So frustrating. This is theft.

I've had a Vanilla prepaid card/account for 2+ yrs, w/ payroll direct deposit and auto billing for several accounts. Twice my security has been compromised and had 1200$ and $1100 stolen from me. No sympathy from customer service, told 45-90 days for the dispute process and $16 for a new card. Then had the audacity to ask me if I wanted the dispute form sent in the mail or email? I want it done now, over the phone but that's not possible because they are too greedy to hire tech support to make this capable.

I got $200 Vanilla visa gift card from a friend last year. I tried activate yesterday, the automated answering machine said it is expired and balance is $0. How can this happen? Never used and expiration date is 04/26. I contacted a card service person, same answer. They are not trying to help you at all. Nothing more than a thief! This is a scam. Why not government go after this crooks????

If I could have given a negative rating, I would have. These people are so rude and inconsiderate. They are unwilling to help resolve an issue regarding a stolen card number. Nobody speaks understandable English, which is saying a lot for me, because I am very good at understanding non-native speakers, being a linguist. When I called to get information about a purchase that was not made by me, so the money stolen could be refunded, the CSR ("Gerald") was very rude, first refusing to give me any information, and then not allowing me to speak. At this point, I asked to speak to a manager. He was very rude about my request, and abruptly put me on hold, without a word.

A card was purchased for my son in NH on 9/5, and was used the same day at a vendor in WA. I called customer service, who provided the most complicated dispute process. Based on a number of other similar reviews, this was not an isolated incident. I can't imagine it is a scam, and assume they were hacked. If that's the case, they should not be making the dispute process so difficult. Either way, I'm chalking this up as a loss, and teaching my son a valuable lesson.

I was given a $50 card by my employer. I spent $10 and within 2 days the $40 balance was stolen by someone 2 time zones away. I immediately contacted Vanilla's fraud department, did everything they required in a very timely manner and never heard back. Contacting them for a status they reply 3 weeks later and ask for my case number which I give again. After 2 more weeks with no contact I contact them tonight and was told the fraud department had closed the investigation and my stolen funds will not be reimbursed, but was told to "Have a Nice Day". All my correspondence was thru email and I have written documentation. I'm going to inform my employer of this episode, as they buy a substantial number of these cards and hope these maggots go out of business.

DO NOT BUY AND IF YOU ARE GIVEN ONE USE IT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! My gift card (500.00) came as a trade. I used it twice and one item was returned. 6 months later I tried to use it. Nope, declined so I went home and checked my balance. Card had been closed and expired (06/25). Now I try to get it opened up. I have worn myself out. You cannot reach anyone, emails don't work, faxed all the info. The one person I actually spoke with asked me to send with my case #. Nope. Nothing. I have probably lost 300 dollars and they've made out like bandits. I wish I did not have to give it even 1 star. I'm expecting another one soon as a rebate for a tire purchase. I will have that spent before the mail carrier gets back to the post office!!

Giving someone a gift card like this is just going to give them hours of frustration. The website is impossible to use, the cards won't activate, customer service won't answer questions on the phone and will direct you back to the website. This is essentially a scam.

Was given a Vanilla prepaid gift card of 200.00. We went to a restaurant and the bill came to 139.09 we left a cash tip. After our lunch we decided to go shopping and use the card. At the fist place our card was declined and the second store also declined our purchase, it was well in the range of what was remaining on the card. Called the restaurant when we got home and they said we charged you the 139.09. Then we called Vanilla prepaid cards. The customer service agent said visa holds 20% of the total restaurant charge as a tip. WHATTTTT???? WHY???? It is OUR money to spend as we see fit. If we did not put a tip on the card in 1 to 7 business days you get the money refunded on the card. They also do this if you use it in a hotel, they hold 20% back. Customer service agent said "I don't make the rules." Weird system, it's flawed.

Card purchased at 930 PM, funds were stolen by 6 AM the next day. $125 gone. Customer support is useless. Stay far away. Someone has cracked their algorithm or they had a massive data breach but it is all a scam as you will not get your money back. See the countless other negative reviews.

I bought a Vanilla Prepaid Mastercard gift card for $100 at Walmart on August 30 in the morning. I made an online purchase for $31.95. I tried to make another purchase but I was told the card declined. I checked today and saw 2 unauthorized purchases were made on this card on August 30 and August 31. I called the Vanilla Prepaid card company to make a dispute and they said they will send me a package to fill out (still have not received this package) and that it would take them 90 days to process these charges.

I was given a Vanilla gift card as a gift. After using it was compromised...someone purchased 2 gift cards off of it. My office has purchased multiple cards to give as gifts...We will not purchase again and I will be going to the original place of purchase (Kroger) and will alert them not NOT carry the cards due to risk and poor service. I must now file a dispute and await 90 days for the determination. This was not a small amount of money!

This is fraud, the FBI should investigate in this. I bought it for $120 and paid an additional 6 dollars as fees. Somebody used it to shop at Finish Line. Finish Line was able to send my money back after 5 days and the same thing happened 2 days after. Nobody at Vanilla was able to help me. They said that it was my fault, I gave my card info to someone. Really? Finish Line is working right now with UPS to ship the package back in store. I will know more tomorrow since their fraud department asked to do so. Pray for me.

Was given a Vanilla Visa Aug 13, 2019 in the amount of $100.00. August 24, 2019 went online to activate. Monday Aug 26, attempted to use and discovered a balance of $1.00! Transaction reveals Aug 26 at 3:05 am, $99.00 paid to the Apple Store for software (not by me or anyone I know). Filed a dispute with Vanilla, also notified Apple. Given the number of similar instances, I feel Vanilla has a very serious security breach taking place on their website and someone needs to look into this further. Not sure if the FTC has any jurisdiction, but will inquire. Those of us who have had our gift cards stolen are not isolated or rare instances- It seems Vanilla is "sacrificing" our gift cards without consequence.

Updated on 09/09/2019: Update- Today I receive a check from the Vanilla Company for $149.98. It was very frustrating contacting all the different agencies regarding the issue I had. I suggest that if you have same experience I did you should contact the Georgia Dept of Law- Consumer protection, if after going through the dispute process you do not receive satisfaction.

Don't buy - lost $500. Bought this loadable Vanilla Gift card at Sobeys on Wed. Now, Thursday, the card number is invalid and unable to register it online and can't buy anything with it. Called Vanilla Gift and Visa center, both stating the # on the front of the card is invalid. Isn't that funny since I paid for it on Wed, no problem, but no one will acknowledge that it is their card. Frustrating. I have been moved to Visa Centre and then, Citizens Bank of Canada, with no luck. Do not ever buy!!!!

I purchased a $450 gift card from this company on 8/19/19. Before I had a chance to use it the card had been hacked and purchases made online for $250 to Home Depot e-cards and $200 to Broken Arrow. When I called to dispute the charges I was told that I had to wait for them to clear. I called back today because one had and was told a form would be emailed to me. I was also told that the dispute process would take 90 days. I have still not received the dispute form. I was also hung up on twice before someone took my dispute information. I decided to look online to see if others had had issues and found this page full of similar stories. I am filing a chargeback through my bank now.

We've had two cards, given as gifts, hacked. One was hacked even before I logged in to activate it. I would never buy one of these cards for anyone. It's grossly ridiculous they can't better safeguard their product...obviously they just don't care.

Was given a gift card. Called customer service to report a fraudulent charge made less than 48 hours ago. They offered zero help. I can file a report if I have the receipt of purchase obtained by asking the person who gave me the gift if they saved it. Yeah, right. Skip the gift cards, give cash. It's safer.

For the past 2 or so years, I did use Vanilla prepaid gift cards frequently for online purchases; but... May 28, merchant emailed in reference to a problem with the card. I viewed Vanilla's 'check balance' online & is was processed. June 6, no longer able to access 'check balance' online. I used automaton to determine the merchant was not able to process the order & upon emailing the merchant, they cancelled on June 1. This is not reflected on automation.

My daughter had one of these gift cards purchased for her as a high school graduation gift that was worth 50 dollars. The card was not activated when it was purchased and I was unable to use it. When I called customer service and asked them to activate it, I was informed they would not be able to and they would not even be able to research what happened without a receipt. I explained that it was a gift and I did not have the receipt nor did I even know who gave her the card. They did not care. I spoke with a Camille, then her boss, Maria, then her boss Ben. I am very upset that someone has spent their money on this gift card and now my daughter is unable to use it. I recommend to never buy one of these gift cards. They are absolutely worthless. Their customer service is even worse and a joke.

Fraudulent charges totalling $218 placed on my Vanilla Gift card in one day all while the card is in my possession so either Vanilla was hacked or this is an inside job. Either case, the best I get from them is an answer in 90 days (3 months) from today. Never purchase a Vanilla gift card if you want to protect your money.

Will never purchase a Vanilla prepaid card again. So many stores and websites that you cannot order from. Employees are just like "Oh, well! We can file a claim but that could take 10+ days and then you don't even get the activation amount. I wasn't even going to rate this experience but I just now tried to use it again on Amazon and it won't accept it, it didn't work on Chewy.com, PetSmart online and in store. So sad that my funds are locked up. This should actually be a Zero rating. 0000000.

I purchased two gift cards and was declined right away. Call Company several times, tell everybody they SCAM. It will take up to 90 days to investigate when they never activate the cards and steal people money. InComm sell Vanilla gift cards. They use them before you get to activate them, or never put the money on them cards. This is FRAUD. Biggest gift card company and they are located in Atlanta, Georgia. This has got to stop. They are SCAMMING people in every state and in Canada. Please report this to BBB under the name of InComm in Atlanta, Georgia.

Yesterday Morning 8-10-19 from 00:25 to 01:45 in 1hr and 15-Minutes my vanilla PrePaid Card was Hit 8-times for $682 from a Company called Chumi.co from Ontario, Canada, I Never Heard or done Business with them, I Wore a Badge for a few Years. This whole thing looks Suspicious to me. Their 1st Mistake was the early Morning time, I Never do Business with anyone so early.

I recently purchased a prepaid $20 and it did not work. Called customer service and they said they could not issue me any credit. How could this be legal. Do not buy!! Awful customer service!! Quebec, CANADA. JOSEPH **.

I purchased the card at a 7-Eleven and loaded $295.00. It came in a box so no one got the numbers. Within 4 days, two purchases were made $70.00 through Square merchant and a $50.00 charge for a CVS gift card that I am 100% positive I never made. Filled out a packet and am waiting for a response thieves. NEVER USE.

It's not good experience, selling this card overseas. I am in Australia, good to be used once. After I received a refund payment from Amazon, the card got blocked, and money is gone. Never use it again, can not be trusted.

This is the WORST company ever!! I purchase the prepaid card at CVS and loaded the money on it so I could make my car payment only to try and register it and be told I need to call customer service. They then told me I needed to send in proof of identity, purchase and address. I did all this on July 31st now August 6th and they finally said it is active after several calls. Once I got off the phone I tried using it and it was in fact not active so I had to call back again to have it activated again cause the first rep did not complete the steps. Once I was done with that I tried again only to be told I can not use this card for what I needed. The reps where very rude and all they could say was I am sorry ma'am. So now I have the money to make the payment but still can not do it. This is the worst card company ever!!!!

I have bought 4 Vanilla gift cards with $100 balance each and none of the people I’ve got it for were able to use it. All the cards had fraudulent charges before owners even opened it. How is that possible? These cards are SCAM!!!! DO NOT BUY IT!

I received a MyVanilla card as a gift. The packaging indicates that the card does not expire until 09/22 and it tells you that there is no monthly fees. It does not tell you on the outside that they will charge you $3.95 per month for no activity. Furthermore, the customer service representatives are rude, and their management simply hangs up to avoid dealing with you. I would not recommend this product to anyone.

Was given a 200.00 card. Put it in the safe and never used it. Pulled it out to use it and had zero balance. The number had been used 2 times at an out of state location. Been trying for weeks to file a claim and all I get is a runaround! Their FAX will never go through no matter what I do. They then had me email it to tell me weeks later they never got it and to call back! My advice never ever buy a card from them!!

I was given a $100 prepaid gift card on 6/10/2019 and opened it at the cash register in the store in front of the employees. They swiped the card and it had $0 balance on it. So I called to check the balance on the card and it said my PIN number had already been set and my balance was $0. I never set a PIN number and had never opened the card until that day. So someone stole my money off the card before it was ever opened.

I was given a Vanilla gift card that had $50 on it. I spent $20 and was getting ready to spend more when I checked my balance. It was 38 cents. There were two purchases on there that I did not make. I contacted customer service and was given instructions for debating a charge. This was two months ago. I've emailed them at the address they gave about a dozen times and still no word. Needless to say I'm posting everywhere I can. Do not purchase one of these.

I was given a $200 gift card. When I went to use it it was declined. I called Vanilla Gift Card the people were extremely rude, unhelpful and they lied. They never got back to me! I was basically robbed and they did nothing! NEVER BUY! Worst company ever.

After many months of going back and forth, my son finally received a replacement card for the balance that was hacked. And while I appreciate that, I don't understand why it took so long to get the inquiry resolved.

There is no option to give zero stars, but that's what I would like to give this terrible card. I was given a $100 Vanilla gift card, and tried to use it at a spa, the card was declined so I ended up using my debit card. Later I went out to lunch, the bill was $45, and I tried to use the card, and the waitress could only take $30 from the card. Later in the day, knowing I should have $70 on the card I tried to purchase my daughter a dress. I could only take $4 from the card. Today I checked my balance. Sure enough the card started at $100. The Spa change went through---although the Spa told me the money didn't come to them. All in all a very pathetic card. DO NOT PURCHASE as a gift.

Bought one of these cards yesterday and everything was fine. Used it a few times and still had a $50 balance. Tried to use it today and it said I needed to call customer service. Someone reported my card as lost and now I'm out my $50 and I can't get it back! It was a brand new card so wow was it lost by someone??? The person on the phone was no help and kept repeating that my account was closed. So now the other person has my money.

I had received this Vanilla Prepaid Visa Card as a gift. It was purchased at Walgreens. Since I had the card and did not use it right away, I contacted customer service to find out how to activate my card. The first customer service representative I spoke with told me that the amount on the card of $35 was no longer available because fees were applied each month I did not use it, and the total amount was gone with these fees. I was stunned because I have had other Visa gift cards that have never had fees applied.

Bought two Vanilla Prepaid Mastercards from Walmart.com, went to their website to check balance and said zero balance and cards have expired and never used it. Please stay away from the name Vanilla Prepaid gift cards of Any kind, please. I’m warning you. It’s all a Scam Scam. People please keep your receipts if you want your Money back. It will take up to 90 days if you send in all your info, from driver's license copy of front and back of the fake cards and your receipt. If you don’t have your receipt don’t expect a refund. Also put in a complaint with BBB. I also told Walmart.com about it and they did check into for me. Vanilla want to discourage people from filing a dispute. Again stay away from these cards.

I received a Vanilla Visa prepaid gift card as a gift. It does not work at all. It does not even allow me the option to see the balance. I called the number on the card. I was told to email them a copy of my driver's license, a picture of the card, and the receipt. Of course I don’t have the receipt as it is a gift, so I emailed them a picture of my driver's license and a picture of the gift card. This was months ago, and I have not received a response.

Purchased a $250.00 gift card from Walgreens for my son's upcoming birthday. Purchased on 06/27/2019. Son's birthday is 07/03/2019 so we decided to use it on that special day for him and placed an order at Amazon.com. Got an email from Amazon the card was declined. Then we called the Vanilla company to find out what's going on. We were told the card has a zero balance and was used to purchase Delta airline tickets. I explained, "We just tried to use it for the first time. How can this happen?" They said, "We need all your information so we can send you an email which will contain a form to fill out for fraud in order to get money back." They also state, "You will get an email in 24 hours." At that point I made them read back my email to verify they have a correct email address.

Loaded $300 on my prepaid Vanilla Visa card on 07/06/2019. Checked my account 07/07/2019 and had a zero balance. Some genius thought it’d would be funny to hack my card and steal all of my money. Vanilla Manila said I can dispute the fraudulent transactions but it would take up to 90 days. So whoever used my card online at 9:42 pm ((which is bs because I had my card with me the entire day in my wallet)) and bought something from Color Pop in CA can say, "Oh it’s valid." and get away with it.

Lesson learned! Had I known all the fees associated with this card I would of never purchased. The main purpose is to have the ability to buy online or make transactions where you can’t use cash. The loading fee is reasonable but every time you swipe the card it charges you .95 cent. I was not aware of the fee until I saw and called the customer service and listened to the fees associated with the card. Once my balance is gone I will not be using this card again.

Gave my son a $50.00 birthday gift card only to find it was invalid and had expired. I purchased the card on June 3 2019. His birthday was on June 25 2019. It had an expiration date of June 28. This is ridiculous. I plan to report this embarrassing situation to not only Walmart but to the FTC. When I tried to call Vanilla I was put on hold for at least an hour and finally just hung up. Please people do not purchase any gift cards from Vanilla. What a scam.

I used the Vanilla card website to double check the transactions on the account. I received a message that stated “504 error”, I attempted a second time on the website and received the same message. I then used the contact phone number and checked the balance. I went to Walmart in my area the next day (less than 12 hours later) and attempted to purchase items for a client and was told that there was only $6.85 on the card. I immediately called customer service and was advised that there was an online purchase at Nordstrom that could not be challenged unless a dispute was made. This charge was NOT authorized and was not done by myself or anyone associated with my program. This card was purchased to be used in remote areas for clients in need of domestic violence supportive services. I still have not heard back after I filed the necessary paperwork.

My mom thought it would be nice to get me a $75.00 prepaid Vanilla Visa card for my bday. I went to use it at my hair salon and it kept coming up declined! Finally we tied $60.00 and it worked. I called right away and explained what happened. This is what I was told. They hold back 20% just in case there isn’t enough money on the card!! Why wouldn’t there be as that’s what you load the card for. So now I have a balance of $15.00. Tried using it a few days later, declined AGAIN.

I'm glad I only added $25 at a time! They are scandalous. First of all for each transaction they take .95 cents out for themselves. Then the other day I had about $17 dollars left. Rechecked my account because I don't trust them & there was $9 missing from my account even though I didn't have any pending transactions. Each purchase I make there's miscellaneous money missing without my authorization & it doesn't appear in my card activity. Kind of fishy. Btw why do they need our social security number for a something so little like a gift card... Made me wonder with suspicion so I checked www.myvanillaaccount website's security patch & it said the site isn't secure. Bingo! THEY ARE SCAMS SO YOU GUYS PLEASE STAY AWAY! DON'T FORGET YOU WERE WARNED...

Received a $200 card from daughter for my 80th birthday on 07/06/2018, tried to use on 05/19/2019, and was told there was no balance (embarrassing). Received the dispute form and sent it in, no answer and I do not know how to get to talk with someone. Everything is automated apparently to keep us from expressing our frustrations to this fraud company.

My children gave me $150.00 Vanilla Visa gift card for Mother's Day. I have tried to use it several times, and am now being told it was never activated, although my children showed me the receipt. Do not buy this card. Give cash instead. This card is ridiculous to try and use. Just listen to all of the restrictions cited if you call the customer service number. This is a terrible product.

My son received a Vanilla Visa gift card for Christmas 2018. We opened the card in May 2019 to make a purchase and it didn't work. Looked on the Vanilla website and it had a balance of zero. Called Amazon where a purchase using the card took place 2 months prior and they had flagged the Amazon gift card purchase with the Vanilla Visa gift card. Called Vanilla a series of times which culminated in sending me an email to fill out a written dispute which would result in an answer within the next NINETY days.

My parents got me a Prepaid Vanilla VISA Gift card for $150 last Aug. (2018). As it's expiration date on card said 7/26, I left the card in secured place until last week I opened the sealed card package. When I dialed in to check the balance, the automated message said the card is now expired. When I spoke to agent, he said it is not expired but it was never activated. In order to initiate the inquiry, I need to present the receipt of the store where it was activated. I strongly believe that this card has some mechanism where it has a logic set to reset the card if not used for certain timeframe. As the probability to someone secure the receipt for a year is really low. This is a rude awakening for me as for years it used to be my common mentos to offer others as gifts for various occasion. Never going to use this product in future. I am better off giving personal check or cash.

I bought an Vanilla card, couldn’t register it then their customer service said it could still be used as a gift card. I’ve Literally been to 5 stores and couldn’t use the card. I have $300 on this card and can’t use it or I can wait 10 days to get it back in the mail. But I’m 100% sure they won’t even send the whole $300.

First my disabled son, who is also a minor, was sold Vanilla debit card by Walmart. Given that he's a minor that never should have happened. Then allowed him to put $100 on it. I tried to get the money off the card but it wouldn't work. The company insisted that I give them his social to get the money back. Which I refused to do. They refused to fix the card after stating it's how they help the government prevent funding of terrorists. I told them if that were true then they would have required that info before accepting money. Just like a bank does before putting money into a new account. They refused to do anything to refund the money. At this time they have exploited a disabled child, and stolen $100. Also, Walmart has no business selling a card that requires you to be 18 to use to someone who isn't.

Horrible!!! The first month of using this card.. we used it for gas and were skimmed. The next day after using at the pump, my Vanilla visa was used at a completely random company for the entire balance left on my card which was $117. I called Vanilla the next morning once I noticed and they said there was nothing they can do for me. Done!! Do not use this prepaid.

Have a Vanilla Visa Giftcard that I purchased in early March 2019 so I can make purchases online. I purchased something on Amazon and had a balance of 31.00 so didn't think much about it til recently when I needed to make a purchase. I checked my balance online and discovered I have only .45 cents. A transaction was made at the end of March and on description it shows PayPal, I've never used PayPal. Unfortunately I was hacked and clearly this is to common from reading all the other complaints. Don't trust VanillaGift!

$320.00 added on the 17th at Dollar General. Try to register zip code on the 18th. Website says bad gateway. Unable to access it...Update zip code on different browser. On 19th check balance online. It's zero...Charges to Saks Fifth Ave and Nordstrom have drained funds along with a pending transaction to Saks for 00.00. I call. Vanilla says they will send dispute paperwork To email. Not received yet. I have called the issuing bank BanCorp. No help. I have called Visa Usa that processes the payments. No help.

I took my Mom to an exclusive diner in her area as a treat for breakfast. Before leaving I called the Visa Vanilla Card # to inquire as to my balance & was told there was $17.47 remaining on the card. The breakfast tab was over $25 so I immediately took some cash out of my wallet to cover the difference between the card and the tab. When the manager ran the card he told me they were only releasing $14! I told him that I was given a balance of $17.47 about 2 hours ago, and he said he always has problems with this particular card because they always hold funds back. If they always hold funds back, I asked the manager how I can ever use the entire balance on the card. He shrugged his shoulders.

I found out my card number had been compromised in fraudulent purchases of almost $300. I call the MyVanilla customer service line and go round and round with them. Eventually they tell me they will expedite a replacement card 3-5 business days. Now we are 8 days into it and still no card. I put a complaint in to the BBB. Tracked my card after finally getting a tracking number that was already supposed to be emailed to me but wasn't, will be here in 2 more days. That is 7-10 business days, not 3-5. Needless to say I will empty that card and take my business elsewhere after that. They don't look out for their customers at all. DO NOT USE MYVANILLA! You have been warned.

I purchased my card at Walmart. Tried to register online but I was told to retry many times until I was finally told the account has been locked. I call the number on the card and get some offshore call center. I call back hoping to get a U.S call center and just sit on hold. I went to Walmart. Customer service said there is nothing they can do. Looks like I am out $300 and at risk of identity of theft.

I bought a prepaid Visa Gift Card issued by 'U.S. Bank National Association' from Ralph's. The card was frozen after registered. I called the number on the card. They let me fax my ID, SSN, Physical Address and DoB to a number. I did so. 2 days later, I call them again. They said the card is not activated yet. I ask them, "Have you received the fax". They forward my call to their Offline Dept. A lady said they received the fax, but the picture is not clear. She let me send the fax again with the pictures 200% bigger. I send the fax again, and call them the 3rd day. They told me the fax number is not correct and give another fax number.

February 2019 I used my Vanilla gift card at Panda Express. About a week later went to make a purchase, my card declined. Check transaction online. Unauthorized impossible transaction made. Do you card being put up I then called in to customer service was told to file a claim, they'll email claim paperwork. Filled out send in. Two months later no refund, was told card was sent out and returned to unverifiable address. Verified address to the same place I been receiving mail for two years now. They said everything matched. We will resend it. 15 days gone by still no card. Week later called in on the 8th day of shipment. Told to wait till 14th day. So TODAY from a supervisor I was told the card was never sent out. She can send it out now.

I bought a prepaid $150.00 VISA card for my parents for their anniversary last May. When they went to use it at Moxie's Restaurant in Toronto it was declined as they tried to use $146.00 (under the maximum $150.00 on the card). This was super embarrassing to say the least. I then called on Dec 27, 2018 and I asked for a refund (minus the $6.50 activation fee I paid at the time).

Well I purchased a Vanilla gift card a couple of days ago so the first time I try to use my card at a hotel. Since I was in another state needed somewhere to stay. Well the agent at the hotel tells me the card is being declined. I’m like how? I have enough money on the card so I call the number on the Vanilla gift card. The agent is like, "You have to wait an hour before using your card then we place a 20% hold on your card when you're trying to purchase a hotel stay on line." This is a rip off. That’s one incident. Next one on today. 5-1-2019 I tried to send a family member some cash using my card on Moneygram. Card declines so I called the Vanilla company, spoke to the agent, she’s like, "Can I have your name?" I gave her my name then she’s like, "What else name do you use?"

My husband bought me a card as a gift - so he paid 54$ for a 50$ gift card. Tried to use it at a restaurant; the server came back and said, "Sorry, your card didn't work." I called the number on the card, confirmed it was registered and the total amount. I assured the waitress it was good to use. She came back and informed me it only went through for 41$, we still owed 9$. I paid the difference in cash and left, acutely embarrassed that it looked like we were trying to short change the restaurant. I called and the automated system said there was now only 80 cents left on the card!

Money was used to pay for items that I bought online. Never got items so file a claim with dispute department. Told I have to wait 3 to 5 days process and ten for refund. Now take 90 days for a refund.

I tried to use my card on 3 occasions including a very embarrassing trip to the grocery store knowing that I had sufficient money. The card would not work. Tried to pull money from an ATM, still nothing. Finally call Vanilla only to be told that they had put "MY MONEY" on hold due to some refund I got from Walmart. Apparently they could not verify that I made the purchase using the same card, when it is clear as day on my statement! They had me send copies of receipts which I have done and have done nothing about the time and other inconvenience they have caused me. They should have had the decency to alert me rather than me finding out the hard way. I think it's time to go back to the Real banks where I know my money is safer and I don't get charged all those ridiculous fees for every transaction I do! I am not a happy camper as I still await this issue to be resolved not knowing whether they will notify me or not when it is!

I attempted to check my balance and end up talking to someone from company. Because I could not remember exactly all the info, they had to have a colored copy of my drivers license, my social security card, and some bill with my address. I send all of this and days later I called again. This time they stated the copies weren't clear enough. I don't guess they would have ever contacted me. I only found out after another inquiry. It is no longer worth the effort to try to get my money. My advice is never buy one of these cards.

Apparently, Visa charges a monthly fee for absolutely nothing, so if you don't use the card immediately upon receipt it is useless. This credit card company has proven to be nothing more than sleazy thieves at this point. I am cancelling my account with them and even my debit card and switching to AMERICAN EXPRESS and telling everyone I know to do the same.

Ok. I got a $500 gift card in October 2018 as a gift from work. Went to go used it and guess what? My balance was $2.30!!!! How!!! I tell you how. These cards are easily hacked. I file a dispute and come April just now getting another card! And guess what happened? Yep the card has been hacked again. Good thing I've spent most of it already. But the hassle!!! Please just stay away from these gift cards. They are not worth the headache!!!

I have bought $75 Vanilla prepaid card. After few days I try to use it. Somebody already hack my balance. Use it on Amazon. When I call customer service they tell me they going to sent dispute form in my email. Wait for few days. Nothing receive. Call again. Same answer. I have called 15 times. Still have not receive form yet. Now I give up. That is why never buy this Vanilla card again. Very easy to hack and terrible customer service.

I was bought two of these Vanilla Prepaid Visa cards both for £25 each. I did not realize but they charge £2.95 extra per card activation fee at the till so straight away the purchaser is overpaying. I have had the payment declined twice, so I leave it a few months and try again. I finally manage to use it in Tesco after it gets processed a different way. Now later on I can see they have took £2.92 off the remaining balance, I didn’t realize but if you don’t use up the full balance in 7 months they charge £2 a month admin fee! I didn’t buy them so I don’t know when this fee applies and 2nd if they could be used first time then there would not be a problem. Very unfair company, don’t buy in the first place.

Vanilla Gift Cards are difficult if not impossible to use when near the limit. I have $15 balance left. Can't use it anywhere that a tip may be added. Very difficult to use at other merchants. Most merchants run the card and you pay cash for the difference. With a Vanilla card you have to pay the cash difference first and then run the card. Merchants don't like that but Vanilla doesn't care. Don't buy Vanilla cards. You will lose money which is what Vanilla is hoping.

I just found a Visa Vanilla gift card on the bottom of my purse which I have not used at all. So I went online and to check the balance and it showed not valid number - tried again same results. So I called the toll free number - same results. Not valid number but that is the number they said to put in that is on the front of the card. Even put the expiration date which is 06/26 and the 3 digits on the back. Still same response. I just found this card and did not even know I had it so it has not been used. What is going on with this? I have looked at other reviews and the same scenario is happening. Can't someone do something about this? I even typed in Vanilla Visa gift card balance and the site is blocked for malicious software. Can't even get onto the site!! Is anything being done about this scam of having a Vanilla Visa gift card and then find out number isn't even valid on it. Now what do I do? Please let me know. Thanks! Helen **.

I bought a $30 Vanilla Prepaid Card for my son's birthday and he was so excited to finally get some online crap that he’d Been begging me to get and every time he tries to use it it says the cards been maxed out and we literally just got it out of the package.

I bought a prepaid OneVanilla card at Walgreens in Las Vegas in January. 500 cash. When I got home it hasn’t 33 cents on it. So to make a long story short...they keep saying they are sending a card...7-10 business days which NEVER arrives. I told them just to tell me the truth that this is a scam and I’m out of my 500. It’s been months. 500 cash I gave Walgreens. They both blame each other. Neither want to take care of the problem. I feel so foolish out of all the prepaids and gift cards to pick OneVanilla. When I saw everyone else’s post my heart dropped. How does this happen? Why do they sell fake cards at Walgreens?

My friend bought one Vanilla Gift Card from Walgreen store on Las Vegas in amount $200.00 and gave to me. When I try use a card and activation of card it show my balance $ 0.00. I was shock about that... I immediately contacted them, submit anything they need (copy receipts, copy both side a card) but they don't help or support us to get back my money. I think Vanilla prepaid card is a deceitful, unbelievable company. You should be careful when buying gift cards, so avoid this company.

A purchase made 3/10/2019 for $96.00 for some type of kid game. The card has only been used at one store and online only. I filed a claim with Vanilla, got a case number, got forms (email), filled out forms and their fax has a bogus number. Tried to contact customer but was told the card number was invalid. I would like to see a class action suit against this business.

I bought 4 Vanilla gift cards for my grandchildren for Christmas. All 4 $25 gift cards when they tried to use them had zero balance. I got credit for 2 but they refuse to give me back my $56.88 for the other 2. I purchased these through PayPal credit. I issued a complaint to PayPal, they sided with Vanilla Visa, saying that they were processed correctly. This company is a fraud and if you purchase through PayPal chalk it up. You're not getting your money back. Wish I could rate them a zero just like the balance of their gift cards.

The worst ever card imaginable to purchase. They pass the buck and no one knows anything for 7-14 business days. That's if you're lucky enough to pass some customer service reps interrogation process to speak to a supervisor. Supervisors say wait 24 hours and then you call on 24 hours they say wait 48... 3 years later I am still waiting for my $285 card to be replaced. I emailed the CEO President and Vice President. Do any of the Corporate people care that has idea?

I was also a victim of the Vanilla prepaid card scam. I purchased a gift card for a family member who is very ill and needed it to purchase medicine. I was convinced to buy the card by a manager at the local CVS pharmacy who told me this was a reputable and popular company for gift cards and they explained this would be the best way to send funds out of state to them for purchases since it was safe to send through the mail. When they attempted to use the card there were three fraudulent charges to Amazon, Google and company named IOS APP STORE and all but $0.14 was used from the card. CVS has done nothing to assist with the issue, I had an incident opened and after 2 months they mentioned I need to call the Vanilla gift card company.

I bought this card at Walmart for $100 dollars, my husband went to use it. Didn't work. Called. The card was used $98 purchase then it $100 credit that was never put on card then say $1.23 at Goodwill??? What?? Go back to Walmart. Of course "Sorry there is nothing we can do." Then the lady at Walmart proceeded to tell this is not the first time this has happened. Then says "I should talk to manager. We really shouldn't sell these cards!!!!!"

Do not ever buy a Visa gift card issued by Vanilla, it will never work. They will ping pong you back and forth between two different numbers to no avail!! Look for the word Vanilla on the top left corner.

Bought this card from Walgreens. I had a fraudulent vendor transaction. Time to get my money back from this company, They have a bad customer service. Do not buy the card! They did not promise that they would recover my money and I would have to wait 90 days. This is a bad company.

I never had a chance to use this card, the balance was transferred to a PayPal account. I do not have a PayPal account and do not know anyone with one. I am trying to get the money back but keep getting the runaround. I will not purchase a Visa card again!

My daughter was given a $25 Vanilla Visa gift card as a birthday present in January 2018! Biggest waste of money. I'll explain why - went online to check the balance, only to discover that all bar a mere $7.50 of the $25 credit had in fact been deducted in "Account maintenance fees", that is $2.50 per month! To make it worse, these fees only began being deducted in August 2018, what happened to the months prior??? The expiry date is not until 03/2022! An absolute scam! They should be ashamed of themselves. Please do not give this business your hard earned $$$.

On 2/26/19 I purchased a Vanilla Visa gift card in the amount of $200, which was a collection of his birthday money sent from family. I didn’t feel comfortable with my son having cash so I bought a gift card. He used it to make 2 purchases; games on his PS4. He had $115 left. The next morning I checked the balance and it was $0, there was a purchase for a Fiesta cellphone. Never heard of it. Called in, spoke with a rep who advised the card was used for this Houston retailer. I told her I live in Orlando, that’s a fraudulent purchase. She said she would send out a dispute package to my email within 48hours. On 2/28/19 Thursday, never got it. Called today was advised the same. I asked if there was an issue on why it wasn’t sent out. She said no very nonchalantly. This company is a scam. Looking at the reviews I’m not the only having this issue. I will not let this go. Everyone’s money on the gift card disappears, obviously it’s an inside job. BEWARE.

I was given a Vanilla Visa gift card for speaking at an event for the homeless around the holidays. A few days later I misplaced it. I reported the card lost right away and was first told that without the card number nothing could be done. I called back a few minutes later and the card was easily replaced however I accidentally gave my mom's address incorrect and had to call back and fix it was told it wasn't a problem. After a month the card still hadn't arrived so I call yet again and give them a new address. They tell me I will receive it in 7-14 days.

Updated on 03/16/2019: You card will be fraudulently drained. And, InComm will make your fraudulent claim process a nightmare with the intent to discourage claims! Unlike a bonafide bank card where you can get a refund with a single phone call, you must wait days for an email with claim instructions. Then you must prepare a written signed letter. (If you do not sign the letter, your claim will be denied for this and a dozen other stupid reasons.). You must fill out a number of forms and information blocks. If you skip one item on the checklist, claim denied. Then if you get everything correct, you must wait 90 days for a refund. I am making CONTINUOUS broadcasts about this VANILLA CARD SCAM on social media every day until I get my refund.

I purchased a pre paid Vanilla Visa Credit Card approximately 6 months ago to keep as an emergency. I went to use it today and declined. Upon checking the number etc online I find the balance ZERO even though I had never used it! IT’S A SCAM.

I generally keep a $50 Visa gift card in my wallet for emergencies and when I get a new gift card I rotate it out. Replaced my gift card that has been in my wallet for a while and checked the balance, it was zero. It had one transaction from a few months ago via Paypal which I do not use. The security on these Vanilla Visa gift cards is obviously very bad. I will cut my losses, never hold a balance on one of their gift cards again, and will advise others to use them ASAP and not to count on them being secure.

I have a Vanilla Prepaid Mastercard that I added $360 CASH to. I bought a plane ticket and paid for 2 hotel rooms. When I tried to use the card again, it was declined. I found about about the 20% hold after the fact. So I was NOT going to pay another #3.95 to add more $, so I decided to withdraw the money. I AM UNABLE TO USE THE DEBIT FUNCTION, ONLY CREDIT. The card has been repeatedly declined for every debit transaction. I spent an hour on the phone, with no results. I have also been told that the money on hold will be release on March 16, 2019... In a month. I am also awaiting a refund from one hotel and they said it would take about 10 days. This card is a scam and a nightmare. The world needs to boycott this card and the government needs to BAN ALL VANILLA CARDS!

Was given the Visa Vanilla $100 card as a gift a couple of years ago and forgot about it - found and was very happy that was within the expiry date and I had $100 to spend - free money! Looked at the balance online and it was down to $22.50, because I didn't use within the first 6 months, Visa has been charging $2.50 maintenance fee EVERY MONTH! Called Visa and nothing can be done about it obviously. Absolutely ridiculous! What is even the point of having this card?

I purchased a $100 Vanilla Gift Card on October 16, 2018, and mailed it to my daughter by USPS Priority 2-Day Delivery; expected delivery date according to post office was October 18, 2018. She never received it. On October 22nd, I called the Vanilla Card customer service number and was advised to email them proof of my purchase of the gift card and proof of my identify (utility bill), which I did. Here's a recap of the ABSOLUTE WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE, OR LACK THEREOF, IN HISTORY:

My brother and I got $100 gift cards from this company. On the outside, the packages looked normal but when the packages were opened the barcode had been cut and the 16 digit number on the front had been scratched out. It looked like someone tampered with the card prior to packaging it. Dealing with the fraud department has been a bit of a nightmare. One representative told me to go back to where they were bought but that was incorrect. I was also told they would send 1 of the gift cards in 2 weeks and it’s now been a month and a half and still no card. We will see what happens when I get the new card but clearly these cards are easy to tamper with. I will never buy them again nor recommend them to anybody.

My daughter purchased a One Vanilla Prepaid Visa Card for me for a gift. I checked the balance online the first time and it was correct. A day later a checked it and the $365 she gave me on the card was transferring to someone I did not know, PayPal account. I immediately called One Vanilla and the person I spoke with said it looked like the money was coming back to the card but she did not know why. She said when it came back I could call and request a refund check as I told her I did not want another one of these hackable cards. I called for my refund check and was told someone else had called on the same card so I had to file a dispute. I did that and sent all the documentation they required. I called and verified they received all the documents they needed from me.

The card expires on March 22, but we just checked the balance and $2.50 has been taken off the balance for the past 8 months! I've just seen the tiny mouse type on the back of the card which does say $2.50/month will be deducted from the balance after the first seven months from issue. It's so small, it's literally barely legible. Why do they take money from the balance? This is daylight robbery. I would NOT buy this card again.

I got a Vanilla gift card for Google Play. Now it's saying I cannot use the card for 24 hours. I called the 1-800 number. Talked to a lady. After our conversation she said my card was ready to be used. I tried the card after I got off the phone. It came up as error again. I called back and now this other lady says I have to wait 24 hours. This is crap. I will never buy another Vanilla card again

I agree totally with Amanda from Australia. I also am from Australia and had a carbon copy experience with Vanilla Visa Gift Cards. Am advising all I know NOT TO BUY these gift cards. They charge YOU $2.50 per month for looking after YOUR money. How do you figure that one out. Someone is lining their very deep pockets. Shame, they have given other gift card companies a bad reputation.

These cards are designed to rob customers of their money. Don't waste time and money, buy gift cards from accredited banks, like TD Bank, Bank of America, Amazon, etc. My Son Got this card as a gift, He decided to save it and use accumulated cards and money for a cellphone. Guess what? If you don't use the card, they will charge you an "inactivity" fee of 4 dollars and 20 cents. At the end, you will have zero dollars on the card if you try to save it... Customer service rep only can say "that's the way it is". I wonder when a major lawsuit against fraudulent business practices will start against whoever this so-called company belongs to! Plus, the Rep told me they also charge 50 cents every time you use the card... Really?

My son bought me a $50 AUD Vanilla gift card last year. It has an expiry date on the front of 3/22. I have been trying to spend the $50 for the past few months but card wouldn't work. I rang them to find that after 7 months a $2.50 per month service fee is charged. For what I don't know. I advised that the small print was so small that I could not read it and was told they would not thing the fees. I asked to be put through to a supervisor and the guy with an American accent hung up on me. This is disgraceful. I have never known of a gift card reducing in value from service fees being taken out. And you have to pay $5 for the pleasure of buying the card. What a way to treat a senior citizen.

As I said I would do, on my review dated 28 Jan 2019 here is an update. After many hours of discussions & e-mails to the Fraud Dept. Vanilla has re-issued me with a new 100.00 prepaid card. I would recommend, if you have issues, to stay persistent and respond as best as you can to their requests. Although it may seem never ending, a satisfactory result can be achieved. I have activated my new card, and it appears to be approved. Note: I haven't actually used it yet, but it should be fine, if not, will advise.

Received a gift card at Christmas, first try card was declined. Went on website to check balance but server was down. Tried a couple days later and server still down. Went to search company then found this website about all complaints. Sad, gifter and receiver both lose.

50$ gift card had $13 in fees - I was given a $50 gift card as a gift from my son. He paid $55 in store. Used the card in a spa. The bill was $40. Was charged $48. Called Vanilla. They said if you use the card for a service such as haircut, spa, doctor, etc. there is a 20% additional fee by Vanilla. I said, "There is nothing on the card or accompanied literature stating this." The Customer Care person said "that's the way it is." Another way to say it is "Too bad, we got you."

Bought OneVanilla gift card $100 for son for Christmas. He never got it. I called 5 days later, holidays' so wanted to make sure it was lost. I had to provide a copy of receipt, proof of address. I did. Took several emails and phone calls for them to finally tell me "We located your card and it has a zero balance so we cannot refund you anything." WHAT. Well no kidding! It was stolen! NEVER EVER EVER BUY THIS COMPANY'S CARD.

I purchased 2 OneVanilla cards for $175 each (total $550). The cards are useless saying zero money on them. I have been talking to OneVanilla for over 60 days. They just keep lying and at this point they are not returning my phone calls. Cards were purchased from Walgreens who also refuses to help. Shame on Walgreens for selling bogus cards!

Do not purchase one of these. I have bought dozens of Vanilla Visa gift cards over the last several years. I send them to my kids who live out of state for birthdays and special occasions. I have bought them in increments of $100 to $500. I never had a problem until November 11, 2018. I purchased a $100 Vanilla Visa gift card and mailed it to my daughter. The card was lost in the mail. I called customer service on Nov. 11 to inform them. They looked up the card via the serial number that I had on my proof of purchase receipt.

My husband has received a few Vanilla VISA gift cards from his boss over the past couple of years at Christmas time. We don't seem to have any difficulty using the cards (which are usually $100.00) for an initial purchase but heaven forbid you leave a balance. We have 2 cards with a bit over $30.00 on them, another 2 with just a couple of dollars. We know the exact amounts left on the cards and have attempted to use them at hair salon, restaurant, liquor store and Walmart (that I can recall). NO ONE SEEMS TO KNOW HOW TO USE THESE CARDS AND USE THE REMAINING BALANCE!!!!

I was given a OneVanilla gift card for $300. The card was in a sealed package so nothing on the card could be seen. I registered the card with OneVanilla putting all the information on their database - card #, expiration date and security code. I had the card for 1 week and used it at the supermarket where expiration date and security code is not given. When I went online a week later my card only had a 12 cent balance. Someone used my card to purchase something at Nordstrom for a $203 purchase. The store is in California and I am in Delaware. I did not make this purchase. The only place anyone could have gotten card information is from the OneVanilla database.

Multiple transactions on a $200 card cannot be processed. Target. Total Wine. Balance still $200, but I can't use it. Been on hold 17 minutes so far. This company must go bankrupt. I've checked the funds twice online and it says it is ready to use. But transactions cannot be processed.

I bought Vanilla visa gift cards 6x $500 = $3,000. Balance were checked once & kept away in safe deposit box that no one can see cards #. Few weeks later all money was missing. Someone that knows to break in vanilla visa system and could be internal. It's not my fault and vanilla visa has to take some responsibility. Vanilla visa treats customers like crap and make you wait 90 days of dispute when you pay for a product and you don't get anything. I made phone calls to merchants and call vanilla visa every week while vanilla it's taking their sweet time of 90 days. It's a scammy company. Customers come last to them. Vanilla visa gift cards are 99% unsafe.

We had one of regular clients try to use a $50 card at our salon. It declined multiple times, so I checked the balance online and the funds were there. Apparently they hold 20% of the balance if you are a service business so that the client is forced to tip 20%. We did not know this until we called them... Half an hour later finally spoke to someone. We could only approve the card for $40, but how would we know that? And why should they do this? I believe that they hope the balance stays on the card and the client never uses it. They were not helpful at all and they did not make sense when they tried to explain it. They make more money this way so why would they fix it? Don't ever buy this card for anyone!!!

I have received $40 gift card for a birthday party. I went to use the card today on Walmart and it's declined. I came back and checked on Vanillaprepaid.com. Original value $40, Purchases: $0.00 and Credits: -$40. This card expires in 2026. I have called 1-800-571-1376. They said that their system is down and they don't know when it will be back. I have called VISA folks and they suggested to call financial institution which is Vanilla. I called them they didn't provide why it happened like this. PLEASE DON'T BUY THIS CARD.

I received a $25 gift card as a birthday present. The card expires in 2022. I went to use my card a few months after receiving it only to have it declined every single time! I today tried to check the account balance only to see I had $10.00 remaining on the card (of which I’ve never made a successful purchase). The money that was taken out was described as “account maintenance.” I called Vanilla to query this only to be told that after 7 months of not using the card I would be charged $2.50 per month for not using it. This is like purchasing a jumper and if the jumper hasn’t been worn, cutting a sleeve off each month until used. What a scam! I recommend no one purchases this product and makes everyone they know of, aware of this scam!

Followed the instructions on how to use the card. Declined at 2 different stores. Called 800 number; told the card was never activated and they needed personal info to activate. I felt uncomfortable having to give personal info to this bank to use a gift card already purchased. They said a case cannot be opened without the personal information. So the purchaser of this gift basically burned $25.00 plus the fee to purchase the card. This bank has cheated how many people out of the money from gift cards this way?

I was given a $100.00 Vanilla Prepaid Visa by my employer about a year ago. I finally decided to make use of it and gave it to my wife for a purchase. It was limited to a $20.00 value and upon checking the card at Vanillaprepaid.com Found this: Original Value $100.00. Purchases: $20.00. Total Credits: $0.00. Available Balance: $5.27. Sure would like to know where close to $75.00 went.

My son purchased a Gift Card for me for Christmas. I went to use the card today and the full balance was drained earlier today. The purchase was made to an online Investment Account called Stockpile Investments. I called Vanilla and all they could say is they would investigate and contact Stockpile to confirm if it was a valid transaction. Well of course it's valid they stole my gift card number and used it online. They have the name, address and SSN of the thief. Why can't they do something about it? I have the card and the purchase receipt... Such a lousy way to do business. I asked what the chances are of recovering my stolen funds and all she do was laugh. I would caution anyone of ever using this gift card company, they don't protect the cards with PIN numbers either. You select the PIN with your first purchase, so anyone can steal these card numbers off a retail rack. DON"T PURCHASE THESE GIFT CARDS.

I was given a $25 Vanilla Visa giftcard by my daughter for my birthday, I went to check the balance before using it & found the balance was $7.50. Fees took the rest, reading the small print on the card after I found this info. THERE SHOULD BE A CLEAR WARNING ON THE FEES BEFORE PURCHASE.

Updated on 01/06/2019: I still did not receive my fraud packet. So I called again and customer service said they would note the file again and get me a packet asap (24 hrs). The looong TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLY that is inside with the card and in my opinion should be on the outside but no one would buy this gift card if they were able to read before purchase...you have within 60 days to provide in writing details of the transaction you are questioning.

I bought a $250 gift card for Christmas. The literal minute it was activated online it was stolen. Customer service has given us nothing but the runaround. I will continue to post this where ever I can in hopes of no one going through this again. This was a gift for a child. Save your money and your loved one's disappointment.

A relative gave me a Vanilla gift card for my birthday and when I went to Target to use it, it was declined. I came home and checked online and it said there were no funds on the card. I called customer service and they told me to send them photos of the front and back of the card, my mailing address, email address, and barcodes, plus receipt. I send them everything except the receipt because the buyer didn't give me a receipt. Because I did not have the receipt, they denied my claim. Actually they said I could have stolen the card. They blamed or accused me of theft. Please do not ever buy a Vanilla gift card. Read all other reviews.

The worst gift card I have ever had. They have the nerve to automatically hold out 20% if you eat in a restaurant. Do yourself a favor. Buy an American Express gift card so that you are not embarrassed by gifting this card to someone. You will regret buying this card. I couldn't even use it to buy my groceries online. It was not accepted as a payment method at Kroger's.

I was given a Vanilla Visa gift card as a thank you. I have had it for 2 months and just tried activating it. It was a $25 card and when activated there was $4.95 remaining out of the $25. How can this happen when it hasn't been used. They take monthly fees out. One would think this shouldn't happen until the card is activate. I would not recommend this company to anyone. What a rip off. I will be putting the word around so that others don't get caught out like me.

Vanilla Gift card didn't work. They used the "not activated correctly" scam, when I called. The customer service is customer fatigue, distract and finally ignore. They were absolutely NO help: No refund. No new card. No gift purchases. $40 bucks more for the sinister Vanilla prepaid card mafia! Avoid like the horrible company they are.

Purchased card at Wal-mart for $4.95 added $200.00. Tried to make a purchase for $36.19 online and was denied because billing and shipping address were not the same. The next morning starting at 9:52 am three charges were made for a total of $195.32 draining my balance to $4.68. Called OneVanilla. They said it would take 90 days and I was better off going through PayPal as the charges were through them. PayPal agreed to reverse the charges but I would need to request a new card because a hold was put on it. OneVanilla said I cannot get a new card until the money is put back... Today I went check the balance to see if the money was back...invalid card number... DO NOT BUY ONEVANILLA debit card. Total scam!!!

My experience has been terrible. £50 purchased on a Vanilla card in July 18. Unfortunately nothing was loaded and I've been fighting with them for 6 months for a refund. I have sent pictures of the card and the receipt as requested. They manage to wriggle out of every corner I back them into with the most recent reply being that the receipt I have is not connected to the Vanilla card I have with a zero balance which clearly states £50 Vanilla card. Very frustrated and angry. PLEASE be careful and make sure the card is loaded at the retailer you buy from but you won't know really until you go to use the card. Terrible customer services with people that clearly don't give a damn.

It's a game. I go online with all the info I should need to check the balance and "somehow" they can't tell me. They direct me to call the number on the back and get jerked around some more. I turn the card over and I CANNOT SEE the phone number without a magnifying glass (not exaggerating). So I'm beyond skeptical with Target and VISA. I suspect they are hoping I lose the card and then, THEY WIN?

My Vanilla gift cards were not activated correctly and Walgreens will not accept responsibility and blamed Vanilla Visa, and Vanilla said it's Walgreens cashier's fault it didn’t activate accurately. I have opened cases with both Vanilla and Walgreens to try and correct this error. While my money sits in a system cloud or stolen. This has been a exhausting experience and I will never buy another Vanilla GC again. A scam/system error has occurred somewhere and can’t wait until this is resolved, if ever!

My daughter a $25 gift for her birthday. When went to use it at a store, we learned that the balance was gone. I immediately called customer service and they told me that it was used for iTunes purchase. They immediately sent me a form to complete and send back to them. I complied. They said that I should give them 90 days to complete the investigation. I waited four months and called. The person who answered the phone claimed that they had actually sent me a replacement card within one month after I submitted the form. He then made me wait and wait online claiming that he was asking his superiors and finally, after over an hour waiting, that they have issued a new card. He told me that it should arrive within 10 business days.

They have extremely high fees and want one's SSN and DL number for a PREPAID card. They don't need it -- it is abuse of customers and a huge security concern in case they are hacked which is very possible.

This is the worst customer service ever!!! They advertise you can use this online wherever Visa is accepted. Then when 90% of places decline the card the company says they can't force any merchant to accept the card. Your money will be stuck on a card you can only use to buy fast food. It's a pointless card with a more pointless team of customer service people.

My grandson died October 10, 2018. I clearly explain this on every call. My job purchased me a gift card to help with funeral expenses. The night after the funeral I lost the card. I called banks the same night. Sent them all requested documentation. They said the gift receipt and original packaging was not sufficient. I then went to the location where purchased and got a copy of the original receipt. I sent that in asking with proof of address, ID, DOB... everything as requested. It's now December 8, 2018 still no replacement card or headstone for my grandson. Every time I speak with someone I get a different story and this is supposedly the second card marked to me that I have NOT received. Worst customer service ever.

I purchased a $200 Vanilla gift card and it is still not activated. I did everything they asked me to do through emails with proof of purchase, photos of driver's license, front and back of the gift card and they still have not activated this card but now say I'm going to have to be patient... I'm sorry - almost 2 months I have been patient. Terrible company, terrible customer service. They keep giving me the runaround. You talk to somebody different every time and they give you different information. Very inconsistent. Poor training. Walmart should be ashamed to have them on their website

I could not register the card online. It took a hour to register the card on the phone. I only used it once then I got denied the 2nd try. When I called customer service I was told my PIN and birthday was not correct. That I need to email a copy of my driver's license. It would also take a couple of days for the process to go through before I can use the card again. I was not comfortable with that at all. Especially when she could not tell me what the subject should be on the email. It took several times before she could give me a solid answer. Not to mention the email does not match the company in any way. I didn't do it and called the next day.

I too received a VISA Vanilla Prepaid eReward for a large sum of money as a wellness program bonus from my spouse's employer. Just as someone else described, I selected this option over others because believed it lended more flexibility. It did not. Major retailers have declined me over the phone (Target) and local small businesses in person. In addition, it is unusable online if the order amount exceeds the ecard amount since you must process it as a credit/debit card. There are issues all around with this product. I notified a Vanilla Customer Support Representative because we have three of these eRewards and all she told me was she was sorry and that she hopes more merchants accept it in the future.

Although this card states that it is accepted where VISA is accepted is a lie. I received $150 gift card. I planned on spending some of it at Kohl's Black Friday sale online. I attempted several times to pay and I kept getting an error message. I contacted Kohl's directly because I thought it was something wrong with the website. They too could not get it to process. So then I contacted Vanilla Visa only to be informed that Kohl's is one of the retailers that they block you from using online, however it can be used in the store. So basically the statement accepted anywhere VISA is accepted is FALSE. I was told if I send the receipt along with the card I would receive a refund. Yeah okay how do I tell the person who gave me the card that. I don't know maybe a class action lawsuit can be filed for false advertisement, paying the activation fees and then not being able to use it properly.

I purchased a $200 card on September 25, 2018, for my granddaughter's birthday. Card was lost in the mail; never used; balance unused. I have called "customer service" multiple times since October 2, 2018. I got a case number. I faxed and emailed receipt of purchase and proof of address. Many times I was told that the fax and emails were not received, even though I had proof. Then, a month later, I was told that the fax and emails had been received. I was told that a replacement card had been mailed, which I would receive in 5-10 days. I have not received it on November 8, 2018. The most irritating aspect of trying to deal with "customer service" has been that, whenever I call, I am told that the previous "customer representative" entered in my case was different from what I had been told. Do not purchase a One Vanilla card. God knows I never will again.

I was given a $100 Vanilla Gift card from my dad for my birthday. Within a week of receiving it, someone from FL (I live in TX) stole the info and used it to pay their utility bill, but I didn't know about it until a couple of months later because I hadn't used it yet. Once I figured out it was stolen I immediately called and tried disputing it. For some reason I wasn't receiving the form and after 2 months I FINALLY received it. About 2 weeks later I received a letter in the mail saying that there was nothing they could do because I didn't file the dispute within 2 months of it being stolen, even though I didn't know it was stolen until after. Everyone I talked to was super sweet and helpful except the supervisor. She was rude and could care less that my dad’s hard earned money was stolen and just kept saying they weren't going to help me. DO NOT PURCHASE THEIR CARDS!!!

Do not buy Vanilla credit card! I put $480 in it because my bank is 4 hours away from me and I need to come up with money to pay my loan to bank. I gave info to my bank and he came back said denied I tried use for $5 on Starbucks it worked fine, told him try charge $5 on loan bill he said denied. I told him, "Don't worry. I will go to Walmart and issue money order off that prepaid visa..." The lady at money center told me denied. Won't let me issue money order. I found out Vanilla won't let you pay your bills as long as it's not from the bank. My loan bill is from bank and it will denied my Vanilla prepaid card. I'm stuck with $480.

I received a Vanilla Prepaid Card for a significant amount of money as a reward from my employer's wellness program. I selected the Vanilla card over a store-specific gift card because I thought I would have more flexibility with where to use it. I was wrong. I tried to use it at several different retailers both over the phone and online and was declined multiple times. When I called Vanilla customer support to inquire why the card was being declined she said that those specific retailers block their card and gave me no remedy for actually using the card. I finally realized it could be loaded onto my Paypal account. I haven't tried using it this way yet but I don't have high hopes. At this point I feel like this card is as good as Monopoly money.

I purchase a One Vanilla prepaid card and load $175 on it, before I can even use the card someone else used the card and is claiming ownership of the card. I called the merchant who was kind enough to refund back my $175, but now One Vanilla has put an hold on the card and all my money. I sent them my receipt, packaging front and back of the card and my driver license. They still would not release my funds. I think this whole thing is a scam. People buy the cards load money. Someone use the money and then they hold your money hostage and make you send the paperwork, little did they know as they are recording all their call so am I.