Vanilla Prepaid Cards Reviews

I used my Vanilla Debit Card a lot at first. Then around the third month of use, I had unauthorized charges on my card. When I caught it, I immediately contacted their customer service. It took me a week and three representatives later to be able to put in a claim and put a hold on my card. The first two told me to wait to allow the charges to clear, but never suggested to put a hold on the account. The third representative not only put a hold on the account, but also ordered me a new card.

My wife received a $100 Vanilla gift card from the in-laws bought at Walmart in Pearl City, Hawaii. We went to Target in Hilo to buy a $34 toy for my son and the card was declined. We called Vanilla's customer service and they took down all of our information and said someone should call in three days. On the fifth day after no follow up, we called again and they said that there is no activity on our complaint. We are now feeling that this is not right. The gift card came with a receipt so we took the card to the nearest Walmart to get it returned. After standing in line we finally talk to the customer service representative. She called the Vanilla card phone number and they said that card is not activated.

My husband bought me a $500 Vanilla visa gift card for Christmas. The package was so difficult to open, I ended up damaging the card getting it out of the package. The next day I called and after a ridiculous experience trying to get through to a customer service rep, I explained what had happened. They cancelled the card and offered to send me out a new one.

I purchased a card for my son for his graduation. He didn't need anything at the time. He got it so he put it away to use later. We just tried to use the card and were declined. After making a call we were told that there was $5.00 available on a 25.00 gift card. We were told that there were fees of 2.00 for get this "inactivity". WHAT... Because I didn't use the card they think they can take the money that was on it. Amanda the manager in customer service totally unhelpful and full of the canned answers "Yes I understand your frustration. I would be upset if that were me." **. Where do they get off. I am so pissed and I am canceling anything with a Visa logo on it in my wallet. These people need to be stopped. I am not sure where to go from here but there has to be someone working on stopping this criminal activity. They are stealing money!!!!

I purchased a Re-loadable VISA Card. I attempted to register it online using the information on my driver's license. I was told the information was not correct and advised to call a toll free number. I was asked to provide my last three addresses and I did so. I was told I can still not be verified. I called the toll-free number and was told that I can have my money back if I agree to pay a $9.95 REFUND FEE.

Was given 2 cards at Christmas, $75 Canadian each. They both worked fine for $25 gas (petrol if you are from England) at Shell but no amount of trying would allow me to check the remaining balance on either card at Vanilla Visa's website. I got an American friend to try from a US location, in case the problem was to do with me being in Canada and the cards being issued from the US. He had the same results as me, i.e., despite ensuring all numbers were entered correctly. The site refused to recognize either card as existing at all, same result from calling the # listed on the website 1-800-571-1376.

Bought the card today and I asked the cashier if I could use the card for online business transactions and she said yes. Well I bought it and after being declined several times, I attempted to take it back and was told by a manager that it couldn't be refunded. They steal consumers hard earned money and leave you with a piece of crap card that's not any good unless you love sitting money..... which no one does. So visa kick rocks and take several seats for this. Not cool.

I noticed three fraudulent charges made to my account within 2 days. All of the charges were at gas stations that I did not visit. The charges totaled $175. My Vanilla says the charges were made with a PIN. I DID NOT make these charges and the card did not leave my sight. There will be no receipts with my signature available for these charges since I DID NOT make them. I am not versed in fraud so I don't know how these charges were made. My Vanilla did a 60-day investigation and said they found no error, and that I can request the documents they used to come to this decision. I requested them by email and it's been 2 weeks and I haven't heard back. They stole my money.

Warning!!!!!!!! On 12-25-2013 or Christmas some people call it, I received a $25.00 VANILLA VISA GIFT CARD from my good friend. So the next day I go to work and try to use the card. TERMINAL STATES DECLINED.... I then call the company thinking I need to activate it. Rep on the other end states that it's not in their records to be activated. Vanilla Visa i.e., (INCOMM) rep advises me to go to the store where I got it or my friend to get an (ELECTRONIC JOURNAL) since we didn't keep the receipt. TO PROVE WE PURCHASED THIS CARD. I Understand this policy so I go to the Walgreens @ 1801 St Charles Ave, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130 where the card was purchased. Waited for 10min to get a manager who was running the pharmacy at this time to receive the response of "We do not do refunds or exchanges on gift cards or prepaid cards." I stated to him that I just need an electronic journal to show I purchased the card. Again the manager states he doesn't have that and can't do anything for me and walks off from me as I'm talking. I leave and call up Vanilla Visa gift card again. The rep states there is nothing she can do again.

I purchased a $100 gift card on Christmas Eve for a family member. When they tried to use it the day after Christmas, it was declined. We called the number on the back to check the balance and it kept asking us to put the card number information in, we would, then the recording would say it was invalid, and hang up. Then we went to the Getcardbalance.com site to check the balance. It said the card had been activated TWO MONTHS BEFORE I BOUGHT IT and the balance spent shortly after at other local stores in the same city. So I called the credit card company and they said it was the bank's problem. They transferred me to the so-called bank and it was the exact same recording from the back of the card that never let me speak to anyone. I encourage anyone who has had this problem to contact your state Attorney General's office and The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).

Made two purchases in the same day with about $10.00 left on the card... The card was continuously declined. Tried their 800 number and it doesn't work. What a racket. Bye bye Visa. I will tell many thru media.

I was gifted two $25 cards. I attempted to find the balance by calling the customer service number. My call was continuously hung up. The online balance page would not work. I tried to use the cards and they were rejected everywhere I attempted. I do not have the purchase receipt, neither does the person who bought the cards. Be very careful when purchasing this product as you may find yourself out of options with worthless cards as I apparently am now.

Vanillavisa 200.00 gift card won't activate. Spent three days on phone 4.5 hours total. Been hung up on, transferred and on hold most of time. When did get human was told sorry card is non refundable and non exchangeable and nothing they can do. Asked for a supervisor, was told there not one and if there was one they would say the same thing. Finally got someone who said he was a supervisor said nothing can be done. I asked to speak to someone over him. He said there no one. I asked for his name and employee number, he said he would not give that information, it was none of my business. So I guess they just steal your money because they give you a gift card that is invalid and you can't speak to anyone that will help you.

On Dec 13th, I purchased a Vanilla Visa Gift Card for $ 150 and sent it to my elderly mother in another province to finish her Xmas shopping. At the check out, the card was declined. When she called the 1800 #, they wouldn't help her and hung up. I called and they told me since I gifted the card they could not speak to me and when I asked if my mom would give permission to speak on her behalf, they hung up on me. My elderly mom had to call herself and every time they asked a question she didn't understand she had to hang up and call me. This went on for 2 hours at which time they told her 3 to 5 business days.

Got 80.00 of them with an offer from Bon-Ton’s, HSN, Woman Within, etc. So basically the minute they send them they start deducting a monthly fee. What BS, so if you didn't use right away they are not worth ** and the expiration date is a total Joke. So they made a deal with my Credit Company and got lots of money back for themselves for all the people that tried to use them at a later date. Vanilla thanks for ripping people off. I would never purchase these at a store as a gift either because of this.

My husband and I purchased $75.00 Vanilla Gift card from Shoppers Drug Mart in Calgary for his mom. She saved the card for something she really wanted, so when she went to use it the card was declined. She called Visa and got nowhere with them. She was told they needed receipt, we don't have the receipt, and Shoppers Drug Mart only keeps receipts on file for 90 days. They called Visa again and from their end they could tell card was purchased and not stolen, they could also tell card started to activate but did not complete. Now Visa has my money and Shoppers has part of the money. We even had customer service manager call or perhaps someone pretending to be manager, totally useless. There has to be a way to get our money back from Vanilla Visa.

DON'T EVER BUY THESE. I got one for $25 issued through KPS Prepay through US Bank. Forgot to use it. Lost all but $7 in $2 monthly inactivity fees. Even though Colorado Revised Statutes says,"Colo. Rev. Stat. 6-1-722(b)(3) Prohibits service fee, a dormancy fee, an inactivity fee, a maintenance fee, or any other type of fee." I called them and they said the card follows the law by the state in which it was issued. But they couldn't even tell me what state this card was issued. It was purchased in Colorado, that is for sure. It's not the $18 the ethics of this. THESE PEOPLE ARE CROOKS. I filed a complaint with my State Attorney General Office. I suggest you do the same. Maybe we can get some shark law firm to file a class action case against them. I use my regular VISA charge very little now due to this.

The $150 card was not activated properly at the store and I unfortunately threw out the receipt. The store could not replace the receipt even though I had the debit transaction on my bank account. Vanilla won't do anything without the receipt. They acknowledged that their third party has my money but it seemed like, tough luck, too bad for me. Is my only recourse now to go to small claims court?

I received a Vanilla Visa card for $150 from a friend as a thank you gift. I tried to use it at several stores, only to have the card repeatedly declined. I called Vanilla Visa and was told that the card had never been activated and that there was no record of it. They asked whether I had the receipt. As it was a gift, I said I didn't. I was told that I had to ask the purchaser for a receipt (which it turns out she didn't have) or go to the store where the item was purchased, and have them dig up a journal registry. I did that, which took a huge chunk out of a day, and received a copy of the page. The woman who'd helped me on the phone at Vanilla Visa said that all I had to do was send in a copy of this page (she gave me a fax number) and that they'd go ahead and activate the card. I was never given any kind of reference number.

I purchased a one Vanilla Prepaid Visa at the request of a online loan co. The purpose was to prove I wasn't broke and could afford the monthly payment, instead they kept my money and requested another 200.00 to clear a so called red flag on my credit report. I contacted OneVanilla who looked at the transaction and stated to me that the company who debited the card was a known scam!!! So if they know this company for fraudulent activity, WHY do they continue to allow them to debit from the Vanilla Debit Cards if they declined it and requested proof of purchase and contacted actual purchaser they could prevent this illegal activity. And save people who are already having financial difficulty from more hardship. Please do your homework and stop this from happening again.

I wish I could give them a negative 100, but not an option on this review. I bought a $50 One Vanilla Card as a gift and the individual who received it registered it and it showed $50. Then he tried to use it three different times and it was denied. When he checked online again, it showed only $30. When I checked into it, they told me it was only purchased for $30 and had been spent already!!?? I sent them a copy of my receipt for $50 and the card, but they didn't care and did nothing.

I tried to use my card to pay for some laser therapy. I tried to use the full $75. Visa rejected the card because of the %15 tip function, even though I did not use it. The clerk tried to use a lower amount and add in the tip function but it still did not go through. She finally called Visa to ask why and the operator told her that even using the tip function that it is not possible to use the full amount on the card. Finally in frustration, I paid with my debit card. I had another Visa gift card a year before and had the same problem. I was told by Visa to use it in a store that does not have a tip function.

I was given four $250 cards as a gift. They were purchased at Shoppers Drug Mart. Two of the cards didn't work. After some embarrassment when the cards were refused at the store and then numerous phone calls to Vanilla Visa, I was told new cards would be mailed to me. I received one card but not the other. When I called to tell them, they cancelled the card that was in my hand and said they would re-mail me two cards again. That's another 10 days I have to wait for my "gift". All totalled, if I get the cards they've promised to mail again, it will be around 2 full months from the time I was given the cards to being able to use them. Bad track record. Never buy these cards for yourself or others. I feel bad for people who buy them because they don't have a credit card and need one for travel. That would be a rude awakening.

I got this card because of my situation. I needed a debit card to pay for phone service online. But this has been over 2 weeks and it is still not working. The site says it is registered, but I couldn't complete the registration. It wants my PIN which I never created. Nothing is setup, but it keeps acting like it is already setup. They told me last week it would be 5-7 business days. I have yet am able to use it, and it is over 7 business days, and I fear I have lost 90 dollars. It is money I cannot afford to lose. I do not have much coming in. I am stuck. It just seem like my life keeps getting slammed because of other people's moronic actions. Whatever you do, do not buy these or even consider getting them for someone else. Be smart and send a money order instead. They are cheaper and safer, and people can get the cash immediately. If I had known the trouble this would be, I never would have bothered.

I received one of these from a family member and decided to treat my whole family to dinner. Our meal came out to $45.00 and the card was $50.00. Yet I could not use even close to $45. After calling customer service (who got snippy with me several times while I was not at all being hostile), they said they add 20% to the bill at restaurants in case you use a tip. HELLO, I PAY TIPS IN CASH. So I was then instructed that I could only use my card for $30 of my bill and had to pay the rest out of pocket. I thought it was okay, I could just go to the store and replace what I would have spent out of pocket there, on what's remaining on the card. BUT NO, that 20% is now on hold for a week until they see that my bill did not have a tip... THEN they will give me my money back on the card. Don't waste your time on this card, there are so many better ones than this!

I received a $50 gift card from the in-laws as a birthday gift. Went online a few months later to assign a zip code for use on Amazon. Entered the card number and it showed an error. Called customer service and was told I have to provide a copy of the original receipt, a copy of the front and back of the card, email it to them with 3 separate emails! THEN, call and verify my email address and time that I sent the email. You're kidding, right? No. That's not even worth $50 of legwork. This company is just making money this way. Look everywhere and you'll see stories like this. Stay away from this company and their pathetic gift cards. Vanilla is terrible.

I had bought my first MyVanilla re-loadable debit card for my mother in August. Long story short, the customer service lady couldn't find my mom in the 'database' system in order to verify her 'because the the US Patriot Act' (we're both U.S. citizens) and they set the card up as a gift card. I bought it as a RELOADABLE card.. not a gift card that is good for one use only. Okay, so I thought it was a one time only flop. Surely if I got another one, they'd find me in their 'database' system, right? Nope.

Don't buy!!! SCAM! I received a $100 Vanilla VISA gift card at the end of April 2013 for a birthday present. The money was to be used for fall school semester. I went to use my card and it was declined. I attempted to call customer service and was not able to reach anyone. The card is now expired and every time I call, I am told "invalid entry" when I enter my card information. The online and phone options provided are useless. Now I read all of these similar complaints by other people and am so upset. What a waste! And to have an expiration date less than four months after purchase is ridiculous. So not only is the card a scam, there is virtually no customer service agent to speak to, and now the card is expired. They just stole my money and there's nothing I can do about it! Come on now! Who regulates this?

I bought a Visa gift card for my brother. He's a veteran and is currently in the hospital with limited access to travel. He doesn't currently have a bank he could get to, so I sent this card so he could access his money. When he tried to use the card it was declined. After he spent 90 minutes on the phone with them, he called me. At which point I called them to figure this out. They asked me to send information, so I did. After 2 hours I called back because I had not received the confirmation email I was told I would get. They said the couldn't find the email. After another 30 minutes on the phone and 2 more emails, they finally "got the email". I was then told it would be 3-5 days to activate the card.

Yes, the Vanilla VISA gift card is a scam. I purchased one in the amount of $250 for my Mom. Similar to other posts, the activation was the problem. I too have faxed and emailed the receipt from CVS Pharmacy to them on three occasions. It has been three weeks and I do not have the credit, a refund or my money. Let's add more insult... Guys, I am a federal agent who investigates financial fraud! I spoke with a friend who is a AUSA and was informed that there is nothing we (feds) can do about it. My only recourse is to try to put enough pressure on the retailers who carry the card to stop selling the cards.

Do not buy this card. You would be better off flushing your money down the toilet. I got a Visa card from my work before I left. The first time I tried to use it, it was declined. I called Visa who told me it had not been properly activated and that I needed info off of the receipt. So I had to call my old place of employment to let them know that the card they gave me did not work and that I needed the receipt. Embarrassing! I used it once and it was ok. The second time it was declined again. This time the error was blamed on the place I tried to use it. They told me the place tried to put it through for more than the balance on the card. Liars! I had both receipts with the amount they tried putting through. I will never buy one of these cards as a gift.. EVER!

I bought this card to purchase some things online. The first transaction was successful, but then the second one got rejected. I kept on getting rejected, and so I bought something of a lower value. I got rejected again, BUT the funds were removed from my card for that purchase! I didn't receive what I intended to buy, but yet I lost the money for it. Now I sit here with $25 left on my card STILL UNABLE TO PURCHASE ANYTHING! This is ridiculous! Next time I'm going with MasterCard.

My daughter lost her card. I tried the website which, under the "Lost or Stolen" heading, tells you to call the 800 number. I called the 800 number and you NEVER get a link to report a lost card, or a link to a customer service rep. I am Totally Disgusted!

My wife gave me a Visa Vanilla card for Father's Day. I invited the family to Smiths and Wollinsky for lunch. When I paid with the card, the charge was rejected but the amount was frozen and WILL NOT BE RELEASED UNTIL 8 WORKING DAYS. The same day, I tried to use the card again assuming it was an error. The clerk told me there was still a $14 balance available (not enough for the purchase) so I cancelled the transaction. The $14 also GOT FROZEN. When I called customer service, they said that THE FIRST ATTEMPT WAS APPROVED but the restaurant made FOUR ATTEMPTS (something does not make sense) so they have to wait for the vendor. Regarding the second transaction, THEY DO NOT KNOW IT WAS CANCELLED. In brief, a $200 card was NEVER REALLY USED. This is a REAL SCAM and a real shame a card like VISA is refusing to return customer’s money.

I received a $500.00 gift card and lost it after attempting to use it the first time. When you contact customer service to report it, you are forced to listen to five items on how to use the card, mostly at the gas pump. However, you are never able to get through to a human to report the lost card. You can't move forward without the 16-digit number, even if you have the registration number for the card. THEREFORE, there is no way to report the lost card. I consider this fraud at the most blatant level, and feel it should be controlled by legislation.

The $10 reward card got declined when I tried to use it. When I finally called them a while later, they explained that it is a business to business gift card and that it charges a monthly service fee. It was only worth $10 which means if you sit on it at all, the service fees will basically make it expire. On the front of the card, it says "Funds do not expire" but on the back, the fine print is a different story. The customer service representative told me my card was expired.

I have been very disappointed with this Visa gift card. It was purchased to take with me on a cruise, but I was not able to use it. Guest services on the ship told me the card was declined although I had more than sufficient funds available. I called One Vanilla and they told me it was the cruise ship's "system" that was denying the card, not One Vanilla. I ended up having to use my regular credit card on the cruise. I then tried using One Vanilla Visa to purchase items online and it was declined again. Again, One Vanilla told me it was not them, but the company's "system".

Stay away from Vanilla gift card! I received a $200 card. Every time I tried to use it, it was declined. I had a difficult time but finally, I was approved, although Vanilla had no record of decline. Same thing happened on a food transaction. The card was declined even when entered manually. I was on my way home and was about 15mi from home and the card was declined! I was unable to get in touch with customer service. Also, I was not aware that this card has a built in 20% gratuity, so you could be leaving a tip on the table and then another 20% is added to purchase without your knowledge. I could not resolve any of these issues. Beware and stay away from Vanilla cards.

I purchased gift cards for several employees. One card would not work. The employee returned it to me. I called and was told it was not properly activated. They would work on it. The rep told me it was now activated. I returned it to the employee who reported it did not work still. Vanilla asked for copies of the receipt and the card. Oddly they could not tell from the card and the receipts which card was at issue! I have been twice told a supervisor would get in touch with me. I'm still waiting five months later! I was just on the phone for over 45 minutes waiting for a supervisor. Lots of apologies, but still no action. I want a refund, but Vanilla has avoided all action since receiving this complaint.

It’s a nightmare. I bought a $250 Vanilla Visa Card. It got declined so I tried to fax them the card info, but their cheap fax it comes out black, cannot read. Then I am able to scan and send it via email they say. Then I need to send them personal info. On April 11th, they said they sent it out. I called back today, it wasn't. They now say it has been sent out. I believe I will not see this money. They are ruthless scam artists. Do not buy these cards.

I purchased a $160 gift card specifically to make purchases online after reading on the Vanilla Visa gift card site that purchasing online would not be a problem. Guess what? Major problem. Amazon would not accept the card. I've contacted Vanilla and I've spent the last two months jumping through hoops, sending all the required information in order to get a refund. Still no refund and the card is not useable. Really bad company.

Vanilla Visa (Incomm) is a complete scam. Someone purchased me a card from CVS Pharmacy and the card was not activated, even though it was on the receipt that it was. Their whole call center is in on the scam and strictly stays on script. They said I needed an electronic journal from the store, which is 4 hours away from where I live. I have called 6 times in the past 4 months and each representative gives me a different excuse on why the card is not activated.

I have bought the MasterCards before, but not the Visas! First time I bought a damned Visa was the first day of hell for the next few months, and that continued! The card didn’t work, so I’m told to contact the company, which I do. Then I’m told to send in my information, which I faxed. But it was "too dark" on their cheap end, so I ended up mailing them my info, which they got in 4 days. I'm told I’m being sent a new card. 3 weeks later, I call back because there is still no card. They said some info is missing. I say, “What are you talking about? You said a new card was sent.” They said, “Yeah, you’re right, it was. We just need to know the date of purchase because it doesn’t say on the receipt [they said all they needed was the amount on the receipt]." So after that, still no card.

Last year my mother bought me a Vanilla gift for my birthday and sent it to me. I am currently located in St. Petersburg, Russia. I saved it for a rainy day since I thought it might be difficult to find a place that takes gift credit cards here. But this is Visa. It should have been fine! Today I activated my card and as I read through the rules, I found out that: Due to changes in applicable law, gift cards purchased after March 31, 2012 may not be used for international transactions or purchases. Please use gift cards for domestic US transactions or purchases only. Also in the FAQ it states: The Vanilla Visa card cannot be used at merchants outside of the United States, including the internet and mail order/telephone order merchants outside of the United States.

I purchased a $200 card for my daughter for her move to CA. The card continually is turned down at gas stations, which was the main reason for its purchase. When I called the company (One Vanilla), I was told that she needed to use it at the pump - not go into an attendant. So she slid her card at the pump and it said denied. She then went to the attendant and he denied it too. I called the company and they said that even though it was denied, when she swiped it at the pump it automatically put a hold on her entire balance of $104. So she is now out of money.

For Christmas, I gave my Aunt a Visa gift card. We live in different parts of the country and after she received it on Christmas night, she tried to spend it and it did not work. She then sent it back to me. I was so embarrassed. I then contacted Visa Gift Card and spoke to someone who assured me that after sending all this information, including a copy of the front and back of the card, I would be given a reimbursement. I made it clear that I did not want the card anymore and wanted a refund. After calling and checking up on the investigation to make sure the refund was going to be processed, I waited and never got a refund through the mail.

I was given a $250 Vanilla Visa gift card for Christmas in December 2012. My mother purchased it a few days before Christmas and I attempted to spend it on December 27th, but it was declined. I called the help line on the back of the card, and was told that the entire $250 had been spent on Christmas Day at a business named Contraris which allegedly exists in Etobicoke. I told the person I was speaking with that this was impossible, as I had received the card on Christmas Day and had not even opened the packaging until Boxing Day.

I bought a $100 Visa vanilla at CVS in Westlake Village, California on Dec. 7, 2012 and gave it as a gift. The recipient lost the receipt, but this crappy product of a cash credit gift card was not properly activated by the cashier at the time of purchase unknown to me. I remember looking at the receipt while leaving the store to verify that it did in fact have an activation code on it and that was good enough for me. Two days later, I got a call from my friend who received this "gift" of a card quite upset about not being able to spend it, implying maybe I was up to something, which was very upsetting to me. So I began this stupid and awful detective work tracing back how and why this could be happening with the help of my girl friend, who without her diligence with stupid CVS would have never got anywhere.

My boss gave me 2 Vanilla Visa cards, one in the amount of $250 and another one in the amount of $150 for Christmas gifts (I work for a law firm). He gave the same thing to the other employees. All the cards, when we went to purchase, had $0 balance. After going through hours of calling the customer service and Shoppers Drug Mart (where we originally purchased), Vanilla Visa said that we should copy the front and back and they will send it back to us in 10 days. Really, this is a problem that shouldn't take 10 days. It's fraud of taking people's money and keeping it for 10 business days.

I received a $100 Vanilla Visa gift card as a gift. When I went to use it, it did not work. I was given all the receipts and proof of activation, and have provided that to Vanilla Visa in January 2013. When I called them a week later, the customer service reps told me that their systems were down for a week or more. Then when I called back after a week, they advised that they never received my fax with the proof of purchase. When I resent the fax, they said they could not make out the card numbers and to re-fax the card to them. It is now February 12 and still this situation has not been resolved. Do not buy this card. Better to buy a store/restaurant gift card.

When we had a guest complain as a result of not being able to use Vanilla Visa card, I looked into why. After investigation of how Vanilla Visa card worked, it was obvious this was a scam hoping the user will give up and forfeit any balances on card when a guest presented it, and it would not validate with a $25 value and first time use - I would avoid this scam.

I could not go online and activate my card! After numerous attempts, I called the customer service line and could not get any help, but I did get hung up on many times. I finally called the main Visa customer service line and was helped by a very nice lady. When I finally managed to activate my card, I did not appreciate having to give my Social Security number. I was in need of trying to get a background check done to possibly protect a child, and all of these sites lied about the information they would give. I have no information and extreme frustration! I will use up what money is left on my card (if it will be accepted) and I will never deal with that company again! Bad day.

First, a gift giver pays $4.94 as some type of activation fee - then the gift receiver goes to use it and it gets declined! I made a purchase at a bakery within a restaurant and I was to assume the merchant was already set up to receive a 20% gratuity on top of the purchase. So, my $19.95 purchase was declined from a $20 Vanilla Visa gift card. Some gift! My gift giver thinks they did me a favor - but unfortunately it was a big headache! There are too many rules and exceptions! I gave a gratuity for someone reaching into a case and getting me a cake, 20% yet! It's a terrible card and idea! Plus, the buyer pays $4.94 to start all of this aggravation! Class action lawsuit sounds ideal for this corruption! I say give someone cash - no fees, no declines! Vanilla is for cake and ice-cream... this is not a sweet product - no way!

I purchased three $25 Vanilla Visa cards at CVS Pharmacy to give to my parents. They were all declined. Since I had charged them to my Chase Visa card, I contacted them. They are now trying to put all the blame on CVS. I have received a temporary credit on my account but their representative says that if CVS doesn't pay Visa back, I will have to pay. Never, never buy a Vanilla Visa card.

I received two separate Vanilla gift cards for the holidays - one Visa and one MasterCard. Both were from separate states and separate people, and neither were able to activate anywhere. I called the customer help, and they said I needed the original receipt from where the card was purchased. But they were gifts! Anyhow, long story short, I was able to get one of the original receipts with proof of purchase, activation, and activation fee. I am still unable to use the cards. Needless to say, my friends are out $125 and Vanilla gift card is $125 richer.

I received a $50 Vanilla Visa card for Xmas, went to get gas with it. The gas station attendant messed up on the pump so I could not get gas. He told me it was going to take 24-48 hours to credit my card back, what **. I waited 48 hours, then called the card company. Now they tell me it's 7-8 days to credit my card. Never again will I buy a Vanilla Visa for a friend, maybe for an enemy.

I bought the card a week ago and spent $180 + the activation fee. I was ready to spend it as soon as I got home, but Amazon couldn't process it. So I ended up calling the number on the back. I finally reached one of the reps, but he ended up hanging up on me after I voiced my concerns. The next day, I went back to the store where I purchased the card (which was at CVS) and was told that they aren't able to give me refunds. So I ended up calling again and gave my card number to the rep. She had told me that there was a problem with the card and I had to send in a picture of the front and back of the card, and the receipt. After she gave me the email to send the pictures, she told me to wait 3-5 days. So I did.

I was given this card from my brother a year ago on Christmas. Today, I decided to fill up my mother’s car with gas when the card was declined. The cashier advised me to check the balance online, so I did. I come to find out this gift card is a complete scam! The card has a $2.50 monthly maintenance fee. Over the course of 12 months, that totals $30! I hope this company goes out of business and then the owners get charged monthly maintenance fee from a cellmate in prison.

My brother purchased $300 worth of Vanilla Visa gift cards for my son and my self for Christmas. When we went to use them, they were declined. When I went to the website and entered the card numbers, I kept receiving a system error message. After numerous attempts, I finally got through to a live person and explained the situation. They told me the cards were never activated. I find this hard to believe because the company itself said the cards were activated when purchased and my gift receipt shows they were. I was told I had to email them the receipt and the front and back to the cards and then call them back to see that they had received them.

Card was purchased on 12/22/12 at 8:06 pm. It did not work within 24 hours. I called on 12/23/12 to Customer Service and spoke with Supervisor Pierre. I emailed him all scans with card information, and he opened a ticket. Nothing was done. I called on 12/24/12 and spoke for more than 30 minutes with supervisor Ms. **. Nothing changed and I was put on hold and then disconnected. I called back (another 40 minutes on hold), spoke with Blake and was put on hold again. He told me that case will take from 3 to 5 days for review. We need group action to apply for scam with this card. Any thoughts?

I received a $75 gift card for my birthday, so I decided to treat my family with a dinner out. But when I tried to pay, the card was declined three times! Finally, the merchant ran a lesser amount of $40 and the charge went through. When we came home, I went to the website to find out what went wrong. Then I saw that I was actually charged $48 for that $40 charge! Furious, I called customer service. The response was both rude and ridiculous. The rep told me that I should have read the microscopic print on the Visa Gift Cardholder Agreement. Huh! Too bad for me. After talking with the supervisor, who was not any more helpful, I asked for the name of the CEO and the corporate address. He did not have a clue. My advice is don't ever use this brand of gift card for anything. They are set up for and anticipating cheating their customers. Don't let them do that to you!

These cards are neither reliable nor is this company owned by Visa. They only license the Visa name brand! My brother bought me the card for my birthday, and it was used by someone else the date it was issued to him. Also, when I called to activate the card, they did not let me know that it had already been activated and used. Then when you call to find out what the heck has happened, you are put on hold forever! After a few hours, they outlined that I will get a new card in the mail. We'll see if that happens. I don't really have any faith. What a lot of work for $150 minus the activation fee of $6.50 and then the monthly fee of $2.50 if you don't use all the money immediately. My advice, do not buy these cards!

I bought $450 Vanilla Gift card to purchase a new puppy for my family for our first Christmas in our new home. I gave card info to breeder in Missouri (in Rhode Island). The card wasn't run by the breeder till the next day. That same day, I was injured at work. I was stuck in urgent care all day. The next day, son was in urgent care for diabetic later. So 3 days went by till I could catch up on life and check emails. I found the card declined. I couldn't find the card. I got card info from the breeder. I found out someone was using it. They put a stop to card. The gift card was lost; it fell out of pocket. I filled out all paperwork and faxed in all proof. I was denied less than a week later by a form letter that was not signed! Money was still left on the card. I won't know if I will even get that back. This is disgusting business practice. I should have taken better care, they said. These companies have so much insurance on stuff like this. Each transaction, someone has to sign, which would prove fraud!

I purchased a Vanilla Gift card for $25 and paid the $3.95 activation fee. I tried to use the card and it gave message declined. I called 18005711375 and was told it was expired and it had never been activated. Card number is **. This was a Christmas present for my wife. It is outrageous that the Vanilla Card company using the Visa logo can just say it was expired and it had never been activated so I am out $3.95 + $25. I would reasonably expect that a replacement card for $25 be sent to my address at ** Redding, CA 96001 ASAP. If that cannot be done, then the Vanilla Card company can simply send me a check for $28.95.

I feel compelled to write a review since I have been waiting 10+ business days to get a new Visa card that came up "invalid" when I purchased two $250.00 Vanilla Visa cards from my local Shoppers Drug Mart. I shouldn't have been so hasty in spending so much, but mother's birthday was coming up so I wanted to book dinner/hotel/etc., with a prepaid card. Never again! Vanilla Visa was the utmost irresponsible company I have ever had the "pleasure" of dealing with. After spending $500 on 2 prepaid cards, I walked back to work to book some hotel rooms.

I received a Vanilla gift card from a friend for $50. I tried to use it online, but shortly after entering the information and "purchasing" (or so I thought) the item, the online store contacted me back to tell me that the credit card information had been captured incorrectly and that the purchase had been declined. On the Vanilla Visa site, however, the amount went through as though I had purchased something online. I have called Vanilla Visa and every time I press "zero" to speak to a customer service representative, the call cuts off.

I purchased this card for my birthday, September 17th. It has $25 on it. I have never used it until about 2-3 days ago when I tried to use it. I went to Amazon.com and when I tried to get something from there, they said that my order cannot be completed unless you have a different payment method. I tried to put it in again. Still it didn't work then I tried Walmart - still no luck. After trying a couple more stores, it got declined so I gave up on trying. The last time I tried was at Panera Bread and since it didn't work, I had to pull out another $25 for my items.

So I got one of your cards and at first, I liked the idea I choose how much to put on. I logged on to your web page, ok it charged up. I wanted to use it on iTunes but nope it won’t work, so I tried some other websites. Nope it won’t work, the card is declined so I’m out 40 bucks. I’m pissed and of course you don’t have an address on the back like other cards have. Hmm... that’s real funny, that’s a red flag so now I'm going to put your crappy card in the shredder... it may break that as well. I wanted to file a complaint with the BBB, but with no address, that won’t happen. You suck.

We have a $50.00 Vanilla Gift Card. We used it once for breakfast and with tip, the amount was $25.00 exactly. We went out again, to the same restaurant for the same breakfast. The bill was $21.40 and the card was declined. Keep in mind, there is a $25.00 balance on the card. I contacted the idiots at Vanilla Gift. I was told that whenever there is a charge on the card, there is also a 20% fee attached to the charge. This means that the bill would have had to have exceeded $24.51 for the 20% surcharge to make the amount exceed $25.00. In other words, the idiot I spoke to does not have a clue about why the card did not work and made up something that makes no sense. I know why it does not work, and that is because this is a scam and the thieves at Vanilla Gift should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Basically, our $50.00 card is worth $25.00 at best.

I went into a men's clothing store to use $133 I had left on 2 Vanilla Visa gift cards which were given to me as a Father's Day gift. The clerk at the store scanned them but the transaction got hung up in a pending status. They were not approved. He cancelled the transaction and scanned them again but now they showed zero funds available. The manager of the store got involved and called the customer service number on the back of the cards (800-571-1376). After explaining the situation to the Vanilla customer service rep, the store manager eventually became frustrated with Vanilla's lack of help. Vanilla's rep told me and the store manager, "There is nothing we can do." He was very abrupt and rude.

My sister bought me a $25 Vanilla Visa gift card for my birthday, and I wouldn't have thought the thing would have been so much trouble. I made my first purchase at a nearby post office. I took the card with me immediately afterward to do some grocery shopping. I must have been distracted because I wound up losing the card while I was in the store. I reported the issue to the customer service desk at the store, but definitely didn't expect to get the card back.

I bought two cards for purchases online. First discovered can't use up to max because has to be under the balance i.e. you can't use two cards to pay for one purchase. Then I went to a conference with a $250 card and would not accept a payment over $200. It took my association much frustration and work to process the card. A very rude Vanilla rep told me it was because they make sure you have 25% more on the card than the balance. How can that be when they won't let you process more than the maximum and leave a balance to pay? Never would I buy one of these piece of junk cards again and I will tell everyone and anyone not to.

My daughter bought a $50.00 card for Christmas. She paid $4.95 plus tax for this card. I went to go use it and they only gave me $41.00. I called the number on the back of the card and they told me that they took 20% off for a tip. I did not authorize a tip because it was not a service that was provided to me. I bought some shampoo and conditioner at a beauty supply store. They actually owe me $9.00 that was left on the card.

I have purchased a Vanilla card gift card $500. It got stolen. I called the Vanilla card customer service and they were very efficient in cancelling the card. I was told they would send a new card between 7 and 14 business days. It's been 46 days. Every time I called they give me a different date from they have sent the card. Now they recognize my voice, leave on the line for 20 minutes then they hung up. I have the receipt. They are a scam and that has to stop.

I put $250.00 on this card so I could buy a few things online. What a mistake! It is denied every time I try to use it online. I think it is a scam. I called customer care. The lady I spoke with barely spoke English. She said that the problem was with my zip code (?). I was not real sure because I could hardly understand her. She said that she had the problem fixed. But I tried to use the card again and it was denied once again.

My daughter received a Vanilla Visa gift card for Christmas in 2009. She mislaid the card and forgot about it. We found it today and the entire balance has been eaten away with fees! The reason I am writing is to complain that VISA gift cards, as well as some other gift cards, charge excessive fees for non-use. First, they should not charge a fee at all. They are using other people's money, so why are they allowed to charge for it? Also, if allowed, it shouldn't be $2.50 a month starting six months after purchase. That eats up an entire gift card in a short time. When is someone going to do something to stop this travesty? They are not just businessmen, they are crooks.

I bought over $200 worth of Visa gift cards as presents for my family abroad. They are now all worth $0 because they didn't use them right away. The cards don't expire until 2012, but hidden fees of $2.50 per month were deducted from the value of the gift cards and ultimately, Vanilla Visa gets 100% profit. When I called them, they were rude and basically told me that I should have read the small print. This is a scam!

I went into my local pavilion's market to purchase with a Visa gift card to pay for an online purchase. I bought my gift card from a pavilion stand inside the store, there were many other gift cards but the one that I chose was a Visa gift card for $100.00. I paid cash and was charged an activation fee of $5.95, I came home went online to make my purchase and I was declined. I called the 800 number on the back of the envelope that the card came in and the people who answered the phone barely spoke English and much less understand my question as to the activation of my card . I was told that they do not handle the type of card that I bought.

We thought we were purchasing a visa gift card for someone only to find out that it wasn't. It required registration with personal information, to include SSN and there is a recurring $5.99 charge for every month there is a balance on the card. It is unrefundable once you discover this. The explanation that it isn't a gift card is in small print at the very bottom of the package the card comes in.

I recently purchased a Vanilla Visa Gift card for my own use in the amount of $200. My first transaction was online, with a reputable company for a purchase amount of $77.07. The order was shipped, less one item, for an adjusted purchase price of $74.14. Later, a $2.93 charge was entered to prepay the backordered item with my approval. Vanilla Visa however deducted each transaction from my balance as though each was a different purchase. Instead of a single purchase with one item backordered, they documented these as three totally different transactions. Instead of taking the $77.07 I authorized, they took $144.28 from my balance, claiming it was the merchant who had a hold on these funds.

My son purchased a Vanilla Gift card for me at Christmas I went to use it at Boscov's on 01/01/2010 and was told that it expired 12/09. I called the number on the back of the card and spoke to Don on 01/01/10 @4:10pm. He said he had about 10 calls for expired cards and I would receive my new card in about 7-10 business days. It is now 01/21/10 & still no card. I have called several time and was told it was on its way.

I was given a Vanilla Visa Gift card for the amount of $25. When I attempted to use it, it was rejected over and over again. When I tried calling them, the computer was always down. Finally, the representative told me they charge a $2.50 monthly charge and I have 7 months to use the card before my balance is reduced to a ZERO balance by their monthly charge. I just think this Vanilla Visa Gift card company is a scam company and ripping consumers.

i spent 25 dollars on a vanilla visa card and cvv numbers on the back were bad when i got it, cvs refused to give me a replacement or refund back on it. they ripped me off 25 dollars on this stupid card!