Vanilla Prepaid Cards Reviews

I received a Vanilla Gift Card from my private school for Christmas and I have no idea why they wasted their money on this company. I'm not the only one who received a faulty card. They are supposedly reviewing my case but never do. It's impossible to talk to anyone because when they see it's my card number they give a message saying this case is under review. Don't waste your money on this company!!!!

My husband normally buys me gift cards for Christmas! I had over $600 saved up to put towards something memorable. The first time trying to use my card failed. I tried to use my $300 card several times more, each time leaving it in my wallet to try at a later date. I called customer service each time and now someone has attached their name to it in the form of a complaint.

Their card numbers were leaked and someone else used my $500. When I reported this to the company and opened a case number they never responded. I repeatedly tried to follow up but no response. So basically they may have a leak in their company like who shares the card information to others and you lose all the money.

In the past, I have sometimes received Vanilla gift cards from a friend. They are always difficult to use, rarely authorize a payment; and now, it's impossible to contact a representative at Vanilla to get it sorted out. Their website doesn't even work... It just reports an error and then says "check back later". Meanwhile, Vanilla gets to keep our money for themselves. Vanilla gift cards are a complete scam.

I was given a Vanilla Gift Card by a family member. I am SERIOUSLY UNHAPPY. It took forever to make certain the gift card was activated. I cannot check my balance online, I have to call in if I want to know the remaining balance, because everytime I attempt to use the website, it allows me all the way through the Captcha verification process only to inform me that there is a technical issue. DO NOT USE VANILLA, it's too much hassle.

I received a Vanilla gift card in July 2023 but didn't know the amount in it. Decided in April 2024 to spend it. Went to the website to check the amount and it had 200.00. Less than an hour later when I tried to use, it had .00 balance. Filed a dispute with the company and waited for 90 days for them to tell me they had researched it and I had no claim. I could see that it was spent at STRAWHAT from the website but could not find any further information on it. No one can tell me that someone at the company could not find any information on it. I think it was an inside scam and would not recommend anyone buy the card again. Shame on scammers.

Useless. It's almost impossible to get all of your funds from this card since it only lets a charge go through if you have more than the purchase amount. The online website doesn't work and the phone number they give you to call leads you to a robot. With the upped "security measures" you can't even add your balance to the most basic online account like PayPal. If you like your friends and family, just give them cash, I'm begging you. It's a waste of money all around.

Absolutely awful! They charge on either side of the purchase and use of the card, and most of the time the things are rejected from sellers. I have been trying to spend the last of a gift card for my daughter and, although it has balance, no one will take it. DO NOT USE! Zero stars, if it was an option.

It’s a scam and a waste of money. They flagged my card and put it on hold. When I called they said they had to send me a new card. He asked me my name and address and said he couldn’t take my card off hold because I couldn’t remember the last place I used it. What sense does that make? Even if I stole the card. You’re still asking me for my address to send the new card. So you’re literally just wasting my time and your company's time. Your “policies” are complete garbage and seriously need to be looked at because it appears a monkey made them will pure basic understanding of how logic is formed.

I purchased a Vanilla Prepaid Visa. My receipt showed the card had been successfully activated. It was declined when I tried to use it. Upon calling Visa customer service I was told that once they have completed their investigation, which could take between 3-30 days I would be notified of the outcome. Meanwhile I am out the value of the card which I have already paid to the vendor for between 3-30 days. When I requested to receive a digital replacement card I was told the the Supervisor that as I purchased a physical card they did not have the ability to provide me with a digital replacement. Terrible service.

All you have to do is google Vanilla visa gift card and notice the absolute RED FLAGS everywhere! 1 star reviews, people out thousands of dollars, customer service reps who are “sorry” for the “inconvenience" who don’t seem too bothered by your inability to use it. These people are BANKING off your hard earned dollars and taking advantage of others and it’s only a matter of time that they reap what they sow. I’m spreading the word far and wide to avoid this “gift” card at all cost!

I was given a Visa gift card by a religious faculty for a $100.00. Card was scammed, had zero balance after so called investigation I received $65.00. What a Joke!!!! Visa should be ashamed of themselves.

After losing my debit card, in a pinch I purchased a Vanilla gift card at CVS to pay my car insurance bill. The vanilla gift card came blank with no credit card number. After speaking with a supervisor and the manager at Vanilla they want to open a case and and have me wait up to 30 days to get a new card from their error. If I don't make my payment my car insurance gets cancelled and I have to get temp insurance at a very high rate for 6 months. Kervin a managing supervisor who can't provide last name came up with no acceptable resolutions after waiting 30 minutes other than wait 5 to 30 days for case review then they would ship me a new card. However, he did apologize for the "inconvenience".

What a scam. Have tried using it online and in person, and declined both times. I’ve tried going online, and keep getting an error message. I also just called customer service, and they said to just try at another in person store. They are just stealing people’s money. I am not sure why they are allowed to continue to sell this as a gift card.

I got a gift card for Christmas in 2023 and it was $500. I went to go use it and it got declined. I went to call the card and it had been used already at a Costco in California. I live in Washington. I called them to try and dispute it and told them what was going on, gave them my card details and everything. They send documents to me via email and It’s now been 7 months and I called to see what’s going on and they tell me they are waiting for documents from me. Mind you I gave them my card number. This was a gift. I don’t have much else. They want my card number and the packaging and the original receipt. I’m like it was a gift from Christmas. I asked if the person that gave it me would look at bank statements from when they bought it would that work they said no and that I need the original receipt. So at this point I think that $500 is just gone which is unfortunate.

The card worked ok with some things, but many places wouldn't accept it. Trying to find a balance on the card kept showing as "an error has occurred, please come back later." Very frustrating to receive a gift card that does not work, especially with anything related to Google Play.

On Dec16, 2023 Our church had a holiday gathering in which multiple leaders purchased approx $3,000 worth of these gift cards and handed them out. After a few days we started getting calls that gift cards were empty. Some had to leave their groceries and gifts because they depended on this money. The cards were purchased at Target (Boston) and they all were sealed. Upon presenting complaint to VanillaGifts. They told us it will take 3months for a respond. I would need to present receipts, cards time and place of purchase. Multiple people purchased these cards. Smh we lost $3,000.00 no refund, no reimbursement. Not even a call.

Scam. I spent multiple days attempting to activate the card. Finally was able to activate and then had to speak to an actual human to use for online purchases. I tried to express my frustration in and with the confusing, time-wasting activation process. I asked the operator where I could leave feedback in regards to user experience/setting up the card (my gift card had a low money value before the activation fee - the time I wasted trying to set it up was almost not worth the frustration). She wouldn't give me an email or number to call to express my frustration. This card was a gift- not worth the hassle I had to go through to activate it.

I don’t know how these “gift cards” are still available to purchase. They are a scam. Most of the time they don’t work. Your total has to be less than the amount on your gift card. And even then, there’s no guarantee they will work. My daughter is trying to buy Robux right now on Roblox. Her gift card amount is more than the total of her purchase, and payment is still getting denied. Visa has to be pocketing millions from left over gift card money that people just gave up on. DON’T buy these!!!

Vanilla Gift Cards are a scam! I was given one as a gift, tried to activate, was declined, called number, they wanted my personal information! No way! I'll report fraud! Vanilla Gift Cards are a scam! Do not give personal information to anyone! Scam!

Vanilla gift card visa is total scam. I got a vanilla gift card from a friend as a gift. I’m trying to use it but it doesn’t work. I’ve called the number on the back of the card. The call goes to India and they don’t even know how the gift card works. Don’t waste your money on this scam.

These people are SCUM! I had fraudulent charges on my card. Took the FOUR MONTHS to rectify and they NEVER called or emailed me like they said they would. I had to initiate every contact. Their phone system is designed so you can almost NEVER talk to someone. I would give my right eye to meet their CEO in a dark alley and share my “thoughts!”

These are crap. Received a $100 gift card for a gift. Did not work. Called. They required proof of purchase. I submitted everything they asked for. It's been a month and a half. Target is the place that sold it to the person who bought it. Ridiculous customer service too. Does not provide help when you call to check up on it only that is "under investigation". What? I submitted the proof!

Where to start? I purchased a $ 150.00 Vanilla Prepaid Card back in January 2024. After going to several merchants who declined card I called customer service. First off we checked balance and found out it still showed a $150.00 balance. I was told they would send me a new card in 2 weeks. I received a new card in 15 days and had the same outcome. It wouldn't work at several merchants. Called again to customer service and received same song and dance. Waited another few weeks and received another card to replace last card. Once again the card didn't work.

These are clearly a scam. They do not work and when I called to ask to activate and check the balance I was told I needed to provide proof of purchase (even though they were a gift). The customer service does not help.

Vanilla cards are a scam! I received a $500 card from my boss, it was declined on the first purchase. When I called to speak with a representative they wanted proof of purchase, full name, address, etc. He said they needed to open an investigation to see if the card legit. Which could take up to 30 days. This is a scam! Why do you need all this information? This was a gift that I can't use without jumping through all these hoops. I can’t use my card and who knows when/if they’ll decide this card is legit. But they got their $500 (+ $6.95) so they don’t really care!

This was a nightmare. I got a $100 gift card for my birthday and went to my favorite restaurant to use it, and it was declined. I called customer service to see what was going on, and they cancelled my card and said they would send out a new one. It took nearly 2 weeks to come. I tried to use the card on Amazon.com and was again declined. I had set the pin already, as they told me to do, on their website. I tried a couple more times, and no luck, so I called customer service again. I was hung up on by the automated system. I called back again. I went through several prompts over and over, trying to get one that would lead to a live agent. After much time and headache, I got someone on the line.

My $300 Vanilla Gift Card was "drained", which means someone drained the funds out of my card without it ever leaving my possession. I figured this out when I finally went to activate my card, and it had already allegedly been used at Home Depot (not one local to me). I submitted a claim and the documentation as evidence to Vanilla. They took 3 months to review my claim, and when I finally heard back from them, this was their message:

Horrible support if you have any problem with a purchased card. I’m on week four trying to get resolution on a card that will not work. Even the store I purchased it from says they are horrible and have all kinds of problems and recommend never buying Vanilla brand cards.

Bought a gift card for my son and came home to check the balance on their website and then my son decided on what he wanted to buy off of Amazon. Went to buy it. Money wasn't on there after using their website. They let somebody steal the money off of my card on some kind of Indian game and then only gave me some of the money back and it was a small portions at that after filing a claim and waiting over 3 months just to get a reply of any kind from them. And then they start saying that they can't give the rest of the money back. Whatever you do, do not buy this card. They allow people to steal your money and they not do nothing about it. And I wouldn't even give it a star but you have to give it something just to place your review.

STAY FAR AWAY FROM THIS CARD!!!! Purchased a $100.00 gift card for a friend as a bridal gift. OMG! I was so embarrassed! When she went to use the card there was nothing on the card. Brought it back to Target where I purchased it with my receipt! Learned then that they would not take the card back! I contacted Vanilla directly and after days, months of sending all the documents that Vanilla wanted, nothing was done! Except someone tried to steal my identity via the internet with the documents I provided to this alleged "Company" called Vanilla.

In January 2024 a $300 Vanilla Visa was purchased as a gift. My son changed his mind about what he wanted so I purchased him a different gift and kept the card. In May of 2024 I went to buy another gift but when I opened the paper "envelope" that houses the card ... The bar code on the back the card was partially gone! The missing numbers from the card were on the envelope the card was packaged in.

Received Vanilla gift card for Mother's Day. I've still not been able to use it. I've called the customer support number. They wanted me to send a verification of my address through email to file a claim. I gave him my address phone number etc, I got nowhere! This is the biggest scam ever! They can get away with this at 70 yrs old. I'm baffled! Do not recommend anyone buying Vanilla Gift Card!

Do not get this card for online purchases. It does not allow a postal code to be assigned. The website is misleading. Under tips on how to use it, it states add a postal code, but the website does not allow a postal code to be added. When you call the Helpline, the agent and supervisor blame the merchant's website. Recommend: Stay away.

This is not a good experience, received a bunch of these cards from my employer as an incentive (reward). These cards are garbage can't get them to work anywhere. Has opposite effect I don't feel like I was rewarded for my hard word just jerked around and hassled. Customer service was no help helping me understand how to get these to work. If you're an employer don't do this to your employees. It's somewhat degrading and will hurt employee moral.

Short answer: DO NOT BUY ANY VISA GIFT CARD. It's a waste of your money and time. You are better off getting a different Gift card or having plain cash in your hand. From my personal experience: It claims for it to work online, but it is barely supported by any website. If you try to use the card online you would get a error message almost every single attempt. From what I heard it only works on Amazon, but don't bother trying to add it to Cash App or PayPal. It is also good to know you would constantly get yourself in a loophole of errors when you try to use it in your Apple device or their services. Customer service replaced my card several times over and it's still a pain to get it to work. I can't believe these cards are being sold to people in stores to this date.

Card would not work. Asked for refund. Took 4 months for me to get my refunds. Had to threaten to take them to court. The entire customer service team are nothing but lies. They refused to let me speak to management. Said they would have them call me back. Still waiting.

If you are reading this review I can only suggest that you DO NOT BUY A VANILLA GIFT CARD. I have had had THE WORST EXPERIENCE WITH THIS COMPANY. I strongly recommend that you buy your gift cards from another card manufacturer. The card I bought was defective and the response to my claim has been poor. I tried to use the card to pay for services at a hair salon and numbers were missing on the card; essentially they sold me defective merchandise. They would not replace the card when I called, they investigated the claim even though they knew the card was never used, a replacement was mailed to me on June 7, and I am still waiting for the card after 10 business days. Why would anyone ever take the chance and buy a vanilla card? It could very well be defective like mine and worthless? Imagine giving a defective card as a gift and think about how much time and effort it takes to get a replacement….which I still don’t have.

I would rate less than 1 star if possible. Given $325 in these e-gift cards and they aren’t accepted with any regularly by Amazon merchants, local businesses when I try to order online. Web site for balance check doesn’t work. When I talked to customer service, they said I needed to use the e-gift card in the store so the merchant can enter in the card number and other info manually. Of course the merchant point of sale terminals aren’t set up to be used that way. I can’t believe this card is allowed to still be sold to customers. I have been trying for weeks to use these cards so I can be rid of them but unable to find any place to accept them as payment online or otherwise.

If I could Rate this card as a −0 I would. I purchase this card and 5 minutes later? Somebody scammed money off of it. I reported it immediately. I have gotten several different stories. As to how long it will take for them to return another card. They have told me 3 to 5 business days, 5 to 7 business days, 60 to 90 days. I keep calling them. They have not yet returned the card today. They said that they would return it via FedEx in 3 to 5 days and then put me on hold and came back and said it would be 7 to 10 days. Yes, US postal service. I then told them that that was not acceptable and that I would be expecting the card by FedEx within 3 to 5 business days. Then they told me it would take 2 days for them to acknowledge and get me a new account number and that I should receive my card by the end of the week.

The gift card kept on getting declined for no apparent reason. This is very embarrassing in person at a retail establishment! The company told me it was on hold ("for safety and security" reasons) and sent me a replacement. That one worked once and then broke again leaving $100 stranded. After being hung up on twice by their customer "service" team they agreed to send me ANOTHER replacement. I honestly don't trust that the replacement card will work. This is ridiculous and such an unfortunate thing for the generous gift giver and for me. Honestly, it feels like a scam where they are hoping you won't bother to get it replaced. I will never use these cards again.

Vanilla Gift Card is a SCAM! I was given a $200 card for a gift in March. I still can't use it. They sent 2 additional cards that didn't work, now I'm supposedly waiting for a refund check to be mailed. I still haven't received it. The Customer Service Escalation team (after an hour of waiting) still tell me it's in the process. What a ripoff. The retail stores need to remove these and a full blown investigation until the $$$$ they've retained in their scam.

Is this card a scam? I have one but every time the operation is declined, I was thought is the store which refuse to pass. The amount are already removed to card. There is a way to contact the customer care?

Bought card as a wedding present April 2023. It is now June 2024. The card didn’t have all 16 numbers been giving the run around OVER A YEAR and they still won’t replace the card. They even asked for my utility bill as a form of verification that I live at the address my license has. I refused to give them my utility bill. They are now saying they can’t send a replacement card.

I bought a Vanilla gift card 2 months ago for a total of $100 us dollars, when I tried to use it at several locations the card got decline multiple times. After calling customer service more than 10 times, they tell me that my case have been escalated but I have not received my money back yet. Horrible way to handle business, please do not buy this cards, so you should not have to beg company to get your funds back when they took them in a second. Total scam, be aware!

Absolute scam. I got a 500$ gift card for a trip and only used it twice. Then I was locked out and they would not answer my phone calls, instead hanging up on me. I would not recommend this to ANYONE.

Do not buy this card. It's a total scam!!! I received a $50 card as a gift. The money wasn't loaded on it. When you call customer service they hang up on you! This is a big scam! Buyer beware! Now I have to dispute this with my bank! If I could give a 0 rating I would.

DON'T BUY THIS CARD! I bought a Vanilla Gift card for my son a year ago, BUT NO RETAILERS WILL ACCEPT IT. I called 2-months ago and was told I would receive a refund in 30-days. I never received it and when I called again, I was assured that I would receive an email regarding my refund within 24-48 hours. Again, I never received it. I called the following week and was again told I'd get a response in 24-48 hours, which I never received. I called today and was told my case is being reviewed and I will get a response on the STATUS of my refund in 10-business days. Is anyone reading this interested in joining my class-action lawsuit?

I don't like that this card holds 20%. Or allow merchants to hold 20% for a possible tip or whatever. Because the total is the total. And that would include any tip that was left. So why the extra hold on funds that are needed to be used or wanting to. So why the extra hold on funds that are needed to be used or wanting. So why the extra hold on my funds. Then have to wait till y'all post or they post a transaction to get the hold back. They don't even do that on my debit card. It's stupid. I will never purchase this card again.

My friend got me a $100 Vanilla gift card and I was never able to use it. I activated it and tried it several places and it never worked. I then called the number on the card and they said they would send me a new one. This was weeks ago. I would never recommend this company.

I can’t believe these Cards are the worst ever, first when the purchases happened by mistake they don’t refund it. Second it stuck on your device. I can’t remove it. I can’t use another new gift card. This experience is really bad.

Company will give an excuse as to why not honoring a transaction.... If you like throwing money away and getting transactions turned down this is the card. If you have a question and call customer service that will even get more frustrating. A gift became a nightmare.

I have sufficient balance to charge something but still doesn't go through. I called them and it's almost impossible to talk to live agent. They didn't help and made me feel I am the one who doesn't know how to use it. Terrible gift card, stay away from this!

I have never had a bad experience in my life with a gift cards and customer service. The worst possible gift card and DO NOT BUY ANYONE AS A GIFT!!!! Customer service does not know the information and how to do their job. There is no option for 0 stars to give!!!

I got my card in March, which never worked. I’m still waiting to find out if I’m even getting a replacement. The customer service reps were understanding, etc., but come on! I’ll never get another one. All I have right now is an expensive piece of plastic.

Scam company. You can only use these cards at some places, if you have a remaining balance and if you can't use it they refuse to give a refund. They told me it was declined because the transactions weren't for the exact amount. These scammers get you to pay for the card and then they profit off the unused balance people can't use. I had an agent tell me they would give a refund and it was a complete lie. They gave me a case ID and said it would be 3-4 weeks. When I called back they told me the case doesn't exist and they don't give refunds. And they lied saying transactions were denied because the amount was above the limit. I tried above, below, the exact amount, none worked. They claimed the one for the exact amount was from a "blocked" location. It was an animal rescue.

SCAM! Do not give your money to these people. The company is profiting off your gift! The card is not operable and they are keeping your money! Dealing with customer service is impossible to get your money back. Total SCAM!

SCAM SCAM SCAM!!!! I purchased this card to keep track of birthday money to teach my son, before we used it, it was depleted $300. Had to wait over 90 days for a replacement after providing documents and long wait phone times to finally receive another card that still didn't work with fraudulent charges. After more phone calls and obstacles waiting for resolution.

These cards are a total scam. You are not able to use them online or at the store. I tried using it as a credit card and the card declined multiple times everywhere. It declined online and at different retail stores. I tried Target, Macy's, Walmart, Lowe's, Loft, Ann Taylor, TJ Maxx, Home Depot, etc. and they all declined. I tried setting up a pin online to use the card as a Debit Card and the card still declined. I went online to check the card and read the instructions on how to use it and there was a "Hold" on the card. I called Customer Service and they were not helpful. They are in South East Asia and they said that the card had been canceled for possible fraud activity.

If I could I would give it 0 stars. They are a scam. I have bought 3 cards from there one for my daughter's friend and she was only able to use half of the money for some reason. I bought 2 for myself. They were both 100 dollars and both of them wouldn’t work. Whenever we would call them they would say they put it on security hold. I requested to get another card because it was giving me too much problems but even those didn’t work so I requested a refund. They told me it would come in 1-2 weeks so it was suppose to come in the first week on may but now it’s June. I just called them again and they said I would get my refund in 7-10 days. I don’t believe that. Don’t buy this card. They are a scam.

Do not buy this card or any card from this company. It does not work, it's a waste of money. You can't even register a zip code and customer service is horrible. All they told me was that they can't help me.

To give them one star is too much. These cards are trash! I received about 15 Giftcards for my birthday on May 3 2024. The cards valued at $25 and $50 all worked. But the cards valued at $100 do not work and I have $700 worth. Called Vanilla and spoke with Reps 3 times. Each rep stated replacement cards would be expedited in 3 business days. Today is May 29th and I have not received anything. Called again today was told the same thing. Based on these ratings, I guess that is money down the drain. This is a shame how they are literally embezzling folks' money!

Absolutely terrible. I've tried using 2 and both didn't work and nothing worked. The customer service is terrible no people trying to help. A cheap business who need to revaluate how they go forward with these Vanilla gift card. I would rather drink a whole carton of vanilla protein powder at once than use vanilla gift card. And I don't like vanilla protein powder.

I bought $200 gift card for a relative of mine. After few months, I heard that the gift card doesn’t go through for online or in person shopping. Very embarrassing and time consuming. Next time will just e-transferred money and save extra activation fee.

I tried to use a card I bought online and hadn't given as a gift. It was refused. Website said system error when I tried to check balance. ** customer service claimed activation issue. They said that they will investigate and send me a replacement card. Judging from other reviews, which I wish I'd read before I ordered, I am not optimistic. But I will update this review if happily I am wrong. In the meantime, I am embarrassed that I have given several of these cards to friends as gifts.

I have had this USELESS PIECE OF CRAP CARD SINCE CHRISTMAS 2023. I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO USE IT IN: a restaurant, food store, clothing store, online for merchandise, you name it. I called to have it replaced 2 weeks ago. Guess what, the NEW ONE DOES NOT WORK EITHER. For Mother's Day I received two more - after I told people DO NOT BUY THIS BRAND. Now I have THREE USELESS CARDS and NO HUMAN BEINGS TO TALK TO. Someone needs to shut them down and take them off the racks.

This is worst gift card to give anyone. Rating should be less than 1 star. Gave to friend. It didn't work. She got replacement card. Still didn't work. Customer service no help. I have never had so much trouble with gift card.

Purchased a card for $100. Used $5 and the card no longer worked, although their webpage shows the card has a $95 balance. 3 phone calls 17 days later, still no replacement card. At first I was told it would be sent Fed-Ex 3-5 business days. Then I was told I wouldn’t receive it for 10 days. Today the guy just said I need to wait longer. I have always used Vanilla Gift Cards and send them to family members for gifts. Thankfully this happened to me and not them.

DO NOT PURCHASE. These cards and company are a scam. They take your money and can’t activate the card. When you call they want you to send them all kinds of personal information which should not be necessary to activate a card. Card was a gift, and the gifter threw away his money.

Worst company. All a scam. You can't register these card so you can't use them. They took $300 from my family and I am unable to pay the bill online. This is false advertising and they are robbing hard working Americans out of our money. These people need to be investigated. Ask them about their new policies then they tell you how you loaded an unregistered card and no will accept that. SCAM ARTIST. SCAM ARTIST. SCAM ARTIST.

✂✂. Worst card ever. I'm pissed. I believe they purposely stress you out to keep your money. Don't buy or you'll regret it, that I promise you! They're obviously are out of India. Which means they don't care!

These cards I put 200.00 each on 2 cards. Never again. Remember I'm a senior so VANILLA gift cards Stole my 400.00. Left me with penniless for one whole month. They keep blocking it stressing me out. I'm disabled and handicap senior. They don't care. I told them I'm a senior. Bunch of young foreigners from whatever country they from messing with a American citizen. Remind you I'm a disabled and handicap senior disable since birth. Is this how they treat 67 years olds who is physically disabled and all stressing us out and me then we should get our monies back with a check.

Given $50 Vanilla gift card. Called to activate. Twice listened to recorded voice to transfer for $100 free gift card to Walmart. Said no twice. Voice started again, pressed 0. Went to India. Went through 3 times repeating card #, 3 digits on back and my name. Another recorded voice for my name then spell it, card number, 3 digits on back. Repeated three times then back to India. This time he asked if I had bank credit/debit card. Said yes. He wanted to verify the card number. Said no. Promised not to personally use it or he could lose job, demanded bank card number. Went through same ordeal four times. Told him no four times, said I'm trashing card, letting people know of scam and dropped call which was 30 minutes long.

NEVER use these cards! They are nearly impossible to redeem. I think they hope the people will just give up. I tried using it at a Home Depot. It got declined. I tried using it on Amazon, it got declined.

HORRIBLE!!!! DO NOT PURCHASE THESE CARDS!!! I received a $100 Gift card for Christmas. I tried 4 different stores (including online). Not 1 could get the card to go through. I called CS issuing a new card and have now called 3x and each time, "It's on its way, give it 2-3 more days." This is a scam! I'm pretty sure the company is hoping customers to give up so they can keep the $$. NEVER, EVER purchase these cards.

1 star only because I had to give a star to write a review. Where do I begin? I purchased a $100 Vanilla gift on 12/09/2023 to give as a birthday gift. The person I give it to didn't open the gift card packaging until sometime in Jan. 2024, at which time she discovered the packaging had previously been opened and then glued back in place (couldn't tell by looking at it). Needless to say, the packaging had stuck to the card and made the numbers illegible, the magnetic strip was damaged and the serial number across the bottom had been scratched off.

I purchased a $50 gift card back in January and it was used in CA before my sister whom I gifted it for was able to use it. I've sent in all my documents as requested to the company and I never received any response back. It's now May. It's disgusting how this company is still in business and able to sell these gift cards. They're stealing people's money!

Stay away from Vanilla visa cards, bought one for my daughter's field trip and card was declined and she was as unable to buy food or drinks for the day. A friend of hers also had the vanilla visa card and hers and as also declined. I checked the balance online and it said active with the full $50 listed as the balance. I tried it at four other stores the next day and declined as well. Customer service is clearly being ran out of India, difficult to understand and said a new card would be mailed to me in 5-7 days, I'm will not be shocked if the new card doesn't work after reading all these bad reviews. Will get a MasterCard gift card next time!

I was given a $100.00 gift card for Christmas. When I tried to use it, the money was already gone. Called Customer Service to report the fraud. They opened an investigation, gave me a case number, and told me to contact them in three months. Waited the three months, called them, and they said they found no evidence of fraud. Nothing more is going to be done as they closed the case. Complete Scam! Will never buy a gift card from them. I'm disappointed in Visa that they still do business with Vanilla Gift.

Bought a $500 gift card for my wife to use and she thought she had $183 left on the card. It kept getting refused. Turns out there was only $8 left on card because someone charged 175 at Target in Washington. We don't live anywhere near Washington and don't plan to be. Any other credit card company would have been on the phone telling us they think it's fraudulent. But no...not Vanilla. I checked the balance and then called, then filed a dispute, which is how I found out about the charges. They said the charges were outside of the time period so I'm out $175. However, they provided NO detail about the transactions and I have no idea what their policy is. DO NOT BUY FROM THESE PEOPLE! It's almost like they WANT to have fraudulent transactions.

Have a Vanilla Visa card and immediately registered it online. Luckily I did as a fraudulent purchase was attempted with the number. I called because when I actually tried to use it, it had been placed on a no access. I called the company and I was told I would receive a new card in two to three business days by Fed Ex.....5 days later, no new card. No access for the old one. I keep getting the run around. I asked for a tracking number and what do you know....They can't give me one. Reporting as fraud.

Worst card and service ever. My card got fraud sent in all the information they requested never heard back. Still waiting. On the phone for 1 1/2 hours. Got transferred to 5 different people. Nothing happened

I received this card $100.00 gift card as a retirement gift. When I cut it out of the package & went to use it, it was already used. I called & an investigation was done and they said nothing could be done. I waited 90 days for them to tell me I was supposed to call the merchant for my $ back when it's supposed to be their job as the investergatos, which I don't believe they even investigate. Horrible company!!!!

This company is 100% a absolutely demonic company and used to scam all in this world. Please use a different option when trying to reward your staff for anything. I had a 200 dollar gift card purchased for me and I spent more time trying to chase the money the there was money on the card to use. In the end I choose to let it go as it was just not worth the hassle. Clearly they are ok, with working with demonic forces as most companies in this world are.

My daughter got a gift card gift from her birthday worth 50$ and totally sealed..I bought it from her because she want cash to put it in her coinbank ..But when I use it to order online it's error...So we call the Vanilla company and they said the balanced is 6.25$..There was a purchase on a GAP store... They said we need to call back after a week...We call back and nothing they can do...My friend spend 55$ with activation plus I bought it from daughter....and what? We got nothing....So ridiculous....

Complete false advertisement!! Claim they can be used as any debit card yet it's unable to even be used online at pay for anything and can only be physically swiped in some places to even work!! Worst waste of money at all for charging $4 to get $25.

These are the most worthless gift cards ever. DO NOT BUY. Although if you are looking at reviews you are probably in the same boat. They advertise as being compatible with apple pay, google, and samsung pay. They do not. They also don't work on amazon, ebay, instacart, paypal, or nearly any online business. So essentially you get an egift card you can't use anywhere after paying a HUGE service fee to the place you bought it from. I spent almost 7 hours with defensive Walmart, gift card department and then the Vanilla gift card customer service to try to get my 200 gift card refunded. I lost out on the service fee. This company is clearly predatory and a scam. I would honestly be annoyed to receive a Vanilla gift card as a gift, and I will never ever buy one again. Customer service tried to.

Do not buy a Vanilla Gift Card. Either online or an actual card. Both will be declined and it takes days to reach anyone to get a resolution. It is a call center in India and the people are very hard to understand. This company should be banned to do business in the USA. They are terrible!

Terrible!! DO NOT BUY THIS CARD!! I received 2 of these at Christmas. Neither of them worked! When calling to ch do I was told there was an activation issue and they couldn't open a case because the people who had given them to us didn't keep the receipt. Therefore, they are no good!! Please don't waste your money as this happened a few years back also to my son. What a scam! With reviews like this I'm shocked they can still sell these!!

Is there a way to give 0 stars? This card is completely useless. I have two Vanilla cards I received as a gift. They are activated, they are NOT expired, and I tried to use them for the amount that’s on them. Both at a merchant and online. I checked the card status again and again with Vanilla online, right before trying to use them. Yet they keep getting declined. The toll free number only gives automated answers. There’s no way to talk to anyone. NO RECOURSE. This card is a complete fraud!!!

DO NOT BUY THIS VANILLA GIFT CARD!!!! I REPEAT. Do not waste your money. I purchased a $50 vanilla gift card, and everywhere I tried to use it, it declined. It was hard being able to speak with a customer agent (I had to press option 5 for multiple card issues.) An agent answered and told me that my card had been compromised and there was nothing they or I could do but wait to get another card issued which would take 3-5 business days and then when I told them I didn’t want another card to send me the check they said they already had issued me a new card and I had to wait until the new card came then contact them back and then wait three weeks for a check to come by mail.

We received $100 Vanilla gift card and could not use it online or in any store. I called the number on the card and put in my card number - BE SURE TO PRESS 0 after following prompts to get to a LIVE PERSON. They sent me another card, which also did not work. I opened a case and was told they would send me a check instead. They have now told me that the check is in the mail and to wait another week. That was a week ago, and still no check. They claim it was sent on 4-19-24.

Don’t get it!! It’s doesn’t work. Bought it for my daughter for a field trip the next day and wanted her to try it with me (her first time swiping a card and using a pin). Grabbed some snacks, went to pay and couldn’t make a pin, cashier didn’t know that was wrong and had me go to guest service, tried a new card and the same thing. I asked for a refund she and she said, "Sure. Be right back." She came back only to say she can’t do it, I have to call visa. Ughh.

I have been trying to find a way to reach out to someone to complain. I bought a Vanilla gift card for my daughter's field trip to Raleigh yesterday. She tried to use it on her field trip today and it kept declining. She went the ENTIRE field trip with no money and no resources because the $200 that I put on the card was not accessible! She returned home, I reached out to customer service and they told me that the card was blocked due to suspicious activity. That is INFURIATING because I bought the card specifically for her to use on her Raleigh field trip.

Never ever EVER purchase one of these cards... I was given a Vanilla card yesterday as a gift. Set it up and it shows balance of $200. Went to use it but cards keep declining. Lousy customer service!!!

This e-card is absolutely useless!! I have not been able to find one place where I can use it!! It is impossible to use because there is no zip code. I called customer service and got no help. I registered it online and still can't use it anywhere. You cannot put it on Venmo, Google pay, Samsung pay, Google wallet none of them!! Worthless!! These cards should be illegal!

Absolutely atrocious! Never in my life have I experienced the frustration I feel with my new gift card. I am not allowed to order online because there is no zip code established when you buy these!!!!

DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS CARD OR COMPANY! My son received $100 gift card for his birthday, A month later when he went to use it, it said that he didn't have enough funds. Someone had already used the funds even though the physical card was in our possession sealed with the CVV number blocked. Reported the fraud to the customer service. They waited 2 months to tell us that there was no fraud (I don't know how they came to the conclusion as no reason was provided to us) and sent us a new card with $1.54 balance. If I have the physical card and they determine no fraud was done, then why would they send a new card with the balance engraved on the front of the card?

I have several Vanilla Gift Cards that I got from friends and family. When I finally ventured on to spend the money on the card, they kept getting declined. The customer service is not at all helpful and just asks me to go to different store. On top of not being able to use the money on the gift card, I am not wasting my time to call and wait on to receive customer service which it appears to be very lousy.

I purchased a Gift Card 4 days ago; the card was activated, and the balance on the card was $100. I tried to use the card in various online stores, but the card did not work; it said Error. Likewise, I Called Support 3 days in a row and got the same answer: "We can't help you Try again in 24 hours.ʼʼ But after I waited 24 hours and tried again, nothing changed. Very Unsatisfied Attitude Support Staff: I was very unsatisfied with the attitude support staff because they were unable to help resolve my questions AND refused to refund the purchase of their gift card. I do not recommend anyone waste their time and money with this gift card company!!!

Absolutely terrible gift card. I still have yet to use the money to purchase ANY online items from ANY website. It will decline every time. I called customer support and they said "use it at these online stores". Most of which I don't frequent however, still was declined. Open to suggestions but most likely getting a refund and moving my business elsewhere.

I have received 3 Vanilla Gift Cards since December 2023 and none of them have worked the first time I tried to use them. Received replacement cards rather quickly but after successfully using one of the replaced cards a few times it stopped working again. A third replacement card is now on the way. I do not recommend buying a Vanilla Gift Card!

Horrible gift card. I will never purchase one again. I've never been denied so many times from trying to use a gift card. It's insane. If you try to use this gift card for a online purchase good luck. It never works. They lock the card and then you have to call to have it unlocked for them just to lock it again when you try a different website. I even asked will this work on Amazon. Yes it will. Then guess what? It doesn't. Horrible card! Stay away.

These guys are CROOKS! First they froze my card after first use....It took 2 months to get a new one as they wouldn't activate it. Then after getting a new one, they say I have no balance after using a little more than half of it! I would NEVER use these crooks!

There is just no words to express how angry I am using Vanilla Cards. It sucks that I get them as gifts. Every single time there is a issue whether it be with the pin or it malfunctioning when you swipe it. However thought it was a good idea to make these cards, stop it. I will never....ever, ever, ever buy one for anyone ever! Unless I feel the need to torture them.

Terrible, buyers beware. VanillaGift Card is a scam to get and keep your money. You purchase the Vanilla gift card with money, for a gift but can't use the gift card in any store or online. There's no customer service representative to talk to.

Received a GC for Xmas that was used fraudulently. Over 90 days to receive replacement card which also does not work and required a new case to be opened and all docs again. Customer service is nice but the process is unbearable. It’s like they don’t want you to use the money gifted to you.

Worthless garbage. They don't warn you that they put a massive and unnecessary delay that can be WEEKS long on transactions if you try to shop online with these cards, which makes them all but useless. The vendor only held my cart three days to wait for this falsely advertised junk to complete the transaction, so I missed out on the discounts. They usually don't work offline either, so you need to send yourself a money order to get a refund because the Vanilla customer service is so bad that it is literally barely legal, and arguably not even that in some places. Joker cards have the least amount of issues of all these shady pre-paid cards that I've tried.

Contacted customer service, missing Vanilla card. Would not help because her excuses are no receit can not help, no card number can not help, no fraud number of claim can not help. The customer service already has my name, address, email address and fraud case number. There thould be no reason they can not help me. She must of wanted a $500 shopping day. I don't have the card or anything attached to it. GIVE ME BACK MY MONEY OR A NEW CARD.

I have not had nothing but problems with this card. It worked then all of a sudden it stopped. Denied my purchases while it was active and I had $200 on the card. I called customer service could not understand them. They spoke another language. They said, "Your card is active. Go try somewhere else. It won’t be denied." For two days I went to other stores and was denied. I told them I want a pin for ATM so I can get money. They said, "We can not do that, we can give you refund. It will be mailed in 3 weeks. We can mail new card. It will be mailed to you 3-5 business days." @Vanillagift.com Your card sucks and so do your rules. #vanillagift.com Do not buy this card. You will have issues.

Worst gift card experience on more than one occasion. It is unreliable. Most of the customer service is not helpful. You trust this card with hundreds of $ and they make it hard for you to use and don’t accommodate for any inconvenience. I pray no one ever gives me a lump sum amount on a Vanilla gift card. I will say yeah it works in some cases but it should work in all.

Scammers! Everyone who works for this company should be ashamed of themselves for working for thieves. My Dad bought me one of their cards and when I tried several times to use it, no success. Their website is garbage, and when I called them, all they came back with was “someone else before you claimed it was their card”. Not only do they charge for the value on their card, but they also charge an activation fee! I’m surprised big names like Metro sell their cards! They should be taken to court! DO NOT BUY THEIR CARDS!

I received a $100 VISA gift card and have tried to use it three times with no success. According to Vanilla Gift, the card is valid. I called their customer support number and verified there was a $100 balance (automated system, no human contact). What a waste of time! I'm going to send it back to the person who gave this "gift" to me.

The worst company and customer service ever!!! They put glue above the card numbers so the customers won’t be able to use it until they raise a case and send a replacement card a different day than the day you were supposed to use the gift. They expect that people will give up without taking the money so they can keep it! DO NOT BUY FROM THEM. YOU JUST THROW YOUR MONEY

VANILLA PREPAID VISA CARD,.. DON'T BUY IT, DON'T BUY IT, DON'T BUY IT. NEED SAY NO MORE! Recommend this card,.. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER. Couldn't add the receipt because I can't find it but let's just say it was for a few online payments and purchases I was gonna make And I seriously don't understand why I have yet to be able to use it, everywhere I've tried it's been declined. God bless.

These “Vanilla” cards are terrible. They say “Visa” and “Debit” right on the front of the card yet they are unusable most often especially for online purchases. When you call customer service, they say repeatedly that they have systems in place to protect your security. They are a scam and I don’t know why Visa still allows them to use their credentials. Your money is being used by Vanilla. They have a positive balance while they hold your money hostage

Second time I have problems with the Visa Vanilla prepaid. First I lost 50$ on February 04, 2024 operations complain and Never heard of them. Rip off and now 10$ is Block on a second card and nobody at customer services can fix That so don't buy those cards because if you have a problem with it you're just gonna lose your money. Very bad product.

Bought a Visa gift card from a CVS for $100. When I went to use it there was no security code on the back of the card. I called the customer service line and was told they would reissue me a card through USPS and it could take 10-14 business days to get it. I told them it was crazy I had to wait 14 business days to get my money back for a mistake they made. I was told USPS is their only shipping option. I will never use this company again and will recommend anyone else not to.

Rip off!!! It's been almost 2 years and got nowhere with this crap company. I contacted many people and companies that were involved, regarding our funds being drained. (Christmas gifts) Visa (whose name is on it) says they are not the same company. I contacted the store we purchased at....and the stores where the cards were fraudulently drained, no one cares!!!

Paid cash for the card to make an online purchase and wasn't able to. Tried using the card in stores several times to no avail. Called customer service and have to wait a week for them to send me a new card. I've been carrying around a $100 piece of useless plastic for a couple weeks now.

I received a Vanilla Visa gift card for my birthday. I have attempted to use it for groceries, Amazon, online stores, & for car repairs. All transactions were declined. I called customer service & they assure me my card is active & can be used anywhere. I am beyond frustrated. This should have been a cool gift that I could buy something I wanted, but instead I am just hoping I can find somewhere that will take the card.

Absolute garbage!!!! Bought my daughter $150 card for her birthday and the money wasn't loaded on it. I emailed a copy of the receipt and card, and checked my claim number online 10 days later, and it says it under review and estimated date is 6 months from now!!! What is there to review??? Will never purchase a Vanilla Visa gift card EVER again!

This company is crap, the instructions that come with the card clearly say you should add your postal code to use the card online, however when you try to do so on the website a warning will pop up stating that something went wrong and to try again later. I tried six times before calling their helpline. I have to say the representative who answered was possibly the most useless person I have ever had a conversation with.

Gift cards are no longer what they used to be. While all gift cards claim to be accepted anywhere debit cards/credit cards are accepted that is a terrible lie. I’ve bought so many gift cards for my business as a thank you and every single one of them had issues with being accepted. It’s absolutely terrible. Please stay away from any and all gift cards especially Vanilla.

I tried to activate the card and it consistently stated, "A system error has occurred. Please try again." I tried this several days in a row. I have called and waited hours and still no answer. There was $250 on this card and I'm a single mom who kept it for an emergency and was put into a bind because I relied on it.

BUYER BEWARE!!!! SCAM SCAM SCAM/ DO NOT PURCHASE VANILLA GIFT CARDS GIVE CASH INSTEAD ***Read the reviews first before purchasing on every platform.**** Hands down the WORST purchase ever. Purchased a few gift cards for my daughter as she went out of state on a school trip. We activated them, set up a pin and thought she was good to go.

I purchased 11 Vanilla visa gift cards for which I was charged for on March 6th and tracking said my order was completed on March 8. IT IS NOW APRIL 2ND AND I STILL HAVE RECEIVED NO CARDS. I have phoned customer service 5 times and even was issued a case number on my complaint. I asked for an email confirming this and that new cards had been mailed to replace - I received no email confirmation. When I called again last night they said they called me twice - I received NO message so I said "If you called what was your message?" They had no answer. I said it is too late for me to gift them now so IF they did send them cancel the numbers and refund my money. They said they could not do that. I have now reported them so I can get my money back. I even gave them the opportunity to FedEx them overnight to me - they wouldn't do that either. I recommend you order Amazon gift cards from Amazon - I ordered them this morning and they are already out for delivery.

I highly recommend NEVER using this company to purchase your visa gift cards. I currently have 4 that I received as birthday gifts and Christmas gifts. I attempted to use them at multiple locations including online, Lowe's, grocery stores, and at a gas station. Each time the cards were declined. I went right to the website and checked the balance, and each had an active balance and had never been used before. I did however, go to Home Depot and had a purchase of $16 and was able to use my $25 gift card. I attempted to call customer service but being a weekend was unable to get a hold of a human. Once again, I attempted to use one of the gift cards at the grocery store and it was declined. I went back onto the website and set pins for all of them even though the website says you do not need to set a pin. They still did not work.

Remaining balance cannot be used, either in-person or online. The online "Check balance" feature is perpetually out of service ("A system error has occurred. Please try again later"), but "later" never works either. The customer service line does not work: they ask you to type two numbers, for example 8 1, and when you do that, it says "that is incorrect," and after three times of typing the CORRECT number, the system hangs up on you. This company is fraudulent and should be shut down, and the owners prosecuted.

These cards do NOT work in most stores or Amazon. Sent card & required docs back to Vanilla who confirmed receiving. Their emails stated 10 days for a refund. Cust Svc Rep tells me 28 days or more.

Vanilla is the worst gift card company I have ever experienced. I was given a $100 gift card for Christmas 2023. Upon activation and initial use, that card was declined. We contacted customer service and they explained that someone already used the card balance. The case was escalated and we waited for several weeks as they investigated the issue. Several weeks later we called to find out about the resolution. Vanilla Card representative said they would send a replacement with a $100 value. Several weeks go by and we never received a card. Upon calling again, they told us to wait another 24-48 hours and call back. After a short time, we called Vanilla again and they stated that they would send another card with the $100 balance.

I received a gift card as a gift. The was is defective and has does not have a card number on the back. I called customer service and they refused to help because I there is not a number on the card. Since it was a gift there is no receipt. They refuse to use the photos as proof of a defective card

These cards are a scam. I was able to make a purchase for about half the balance on my card, but after that, everything is declined. I tried to check my balance on the website, but the website is broken at the captcha point. I tried calling, and the customer service line is slow and unhelpful. They should be shut down.

Don’t buy it ever! When we opened it, somebody erased some numbers in the card number and security code. Such a fraud. It was a gift card for my daughter and she never could use it. I had to give her money so she wouldn’t feel bad about not being able to use her gift card.

I received this card as a birthday gift, I would NEVER purchase this because it’s the worst ever! I tried to purchase gas, I had to swipe the card twice, because it would not go through, the cashier said I needed to contact Vanilla card customer service (What a waste of time). I end up paying with my debit card. I called Vanilla card and before I spoke with a customer service Representative, I heard my balance Which was zero!! Needless to say even though the card said it didn’t go through, The damn thing did go through so I paid double, this is from 2/20/2024. I’ve submitted All requested documents from my bank, and then called to check the status Of this dispute, of course they have not received my documents, I was told to send it to another Email address! PLEASE BE AWARE THE COMPANY DOES NOT CARE! I’m still waiting on my money!

I hate whenever I get gifted these cards. Every single time “declined”, “invalid card”. This gift card has as much value as a ** on the side of the road. It only works at the most specific time of the day like how you can only smoke at 4:20.

This card is the WORST EVER!!! DO NOT BUY!!! I got it as gift and have been UNABLE to use it! I’ve tried using it at multiple stores and for online purchases, but the transactions would NOT go through. I've called customer service to report the issue and asked for a replacement card, but the guy refused to send me one. He keeps telling me to try the card with online purchase and that it should work, but it DIDN'T. I called back and had to jump through multiple prompts just to have my call disconnected because they couldn't recognize my card number. I've tried going to their website to report the issue but their site is just as BAD as their customer service, NO HELP AT ALL!!! This card was a total waste of $$ and time! It’s a rip off!!! Very upset and unsatisfied with this company!!!

Total waste of time. Purchased at a grocery store, read the directions to select a PIN the first time used. Declined. Tried at 3 different places. Called customer service and they say a new card has been issued and sent but they cannot give me any tracking information. I ask them to send it UPS Next Day Air or FedEx over night. Nope, 3-5 business days. I also ask for the 5.95 fee to be refunded. Apparently a supervisor/manager only can authorize. I was on hold for 20 minutes waiting so I called back. I also called the grocery store where I purchased it and complained to them.

I received birthday gift, A Vanilla prepaid gift card, I try to use it at store, spa, nail place etc…. Everywhere declined and when I call the number listed below nothing they could do and asking all my personal info which I didn’t share. Not relevant at all. I just throw it away and I do not wish anyone else to go through wat I went through. No store should sell that card at all.

I received 2 Vanilla gift cards from my children to purchase a computer. One was for $500 and the other was for $300. When I went to use them I found that they were hacked and there was no balance left on them. This was 2 days after they were purchased. I filed a complaint online stating what happened and opened 2 cases one for each card. Online was the only way to do this, if you called you were told to go online and file.

Do not buy these gift cards. Cannot use them anywhere reputable. No chips so can use them where chips are applicable. Additionally, you cannot add a zip code so can’t use them online. Waste of money. It's a total bait and switch. You think you are giving something of value yet its value is zero.

I bought a digital card. It doesn't work, there is only automated messages when trying to fix the problem. I finally got an actual person on the phone who couldn't help me at all, and told me to call back. I called back twice neither time could they fix or even locate the problem. There is no option for a refund. They said the card hadn't been used, the complete balance was available. It simply doesn't work. Please don't waste your money with Visa.

Avoid purchasing Vanilla gift card if you value your time and sanity. My company purchased several of the prepaid gift cards as holiday gifts. Three of the seven cards the funds were already depleted as soon as the cards were activated at Vons by the time my colleagues went to go use it they had zero balances. My boss has kept the receipt so I decided to assist to submit the fraud claims online. It’s been three months and my we still haven’t received replacements. Customer service is not helpful and literally give me the same spiel each time about well look into the issue about why you haven’t received the replacement cards please call back in 48 hours.

Swiped 3 times, and it said pin failed. There's no options online to handle such issue, same with their customer service number, 3 options is all you got. Click an option that isn't your issue and will wiggle your way to a human. They did send us a new card. Once we did that we went Walmart and found an item equivalent to the amount on the card and bought it. The card worked but we figured we had 3 swipes before they locked it again. Anyways took the item we bought to an another Walmart and got it refunded on a Walmart card. No we can't spend it anywhere but at least we can spend it. We can't stop the corporations from being corrupt but maybe this will get to the right person and help them find a way around the system.

These cards are useless. When you go to the store and try to use it it comes up invalid. When you go to check your balance following that experience it removed that amount anyway. Even though you paid for it with something else. Trying to call and get help is pointless and is completely automated. A waste of money for the person who gave the gift.

I bought a $500 Vanilla gift card from CVS Laguna. I got a receipt. I tried to use it the same night to load a secured credit card called Open Sky. It didn't work. I believe I accidentally forgot to activate the card maybe, but I didn't remember having to activate others I'd purchased before. After that, I could neither access the funds nor get a refund or transfer it to a new card, everything was just an error. The employees quoted me 30 days for resolution. It's been almost a year!!!! I'm so broke and I really resent Vanilla Gift card for doing this to me and others. They said they were doing research on it but a CVS manager said they don't ever even contact them so what are they researching. I guess it's a fraud case but it's not because the money hasn't even been spent.

I bought a gift card, put all my money on it, couldn't use it. They told me they were having technicalities but they needed a different credit card in order to send me a gift certificate that I had to pay for and then the next day when the card was wiped out clean of only two cents left on it they told me they needed another credit card. Obviously I didn't want my money bad enough because I wouldn't provide one.

Contacted customer support twice because I wasn't able to use my prepaid card at an online merchant. This is a Canadian gift card I'm trying to use on a US site. 1st Rep said it was activated but can't be used internationally. I questioned that because the phone system literally just told me that it CAN be used internationally. He apologized and said he was wrong about that. I also told him the status of the card was not Active when I log into the Vanilla Prepaid account page. He said to wait 30 min for it to be funded. I waited a day and still can't use it.

Security is apparently not a priority with these Visa gift cards. They are made so that thieves can steal the ID number, then use the card as soon as it is activated. Then, suspicious transactions are not blocked. For me, before I was able to use the card, thieves drained it to a $0 balance with multiple suspicious transactions at a store 500 miles away. Want to give the gift of a worthless plastic card (with a $0 balance) to someone? If so, by all means purchase and gift one of these. Vanilla still gets their money, so what do they care about security?

Second time this has happened. I buy a card for hundreds of dollars. It won't work online. I go to their website to "activate card". Go through two screens to prove I'm not a robot. And nothing happens. But you do get the chance to play "I am not a robot" all damn night with screen after screen of picking objects that don't match the others. And if you call the online number, it's total graft - a set up to buy something else. Once I'm free from work hassles I guess I'll start a lawsuit. Wonder how many others they've effed over. TOTAL SCAM. DO NOT BUY.

Gift was unable to be used online and could not verify card balance on the website. This was embarrassing to give as a gift. I will never buy a gift card from Vanilla again and I would recommend that no one else buy from Vanilla either. Would give zero stars as possible.

We used to buy these to give them as monthly spiffs to our sales reps. Now we are getting more and more of them that cannot be used, no balance, or security so tight that all purchases are blocked. Plan on losing whatever you spend on them; they won’t work.

I purchased an Incomm/Vanilla Electronic Visa Gift Card on 12/26/2023. I attempted to use it multiple times and the CVV three digit code was NOT valid. I immediately reported this to Vanilla/Incomm and THEY cancelled the card saying it was a FRAUD issue. The card never worked in the first place; this had nothing to do with FRAUD. I have called their customer service at least ten times since I purchased the card and submitted PII (Personally Identifiable Information) they requested to them MULTIPLE times; I still do NOT have my money back!!! The hardship this has caused me makes me request they pay me $50,000.00 in compensatory damages!!! Vanilla AND InComm are the criminals who steal people's money and need to not only re-imburse them, but also pay damages.

I recently received a Vanilla Visa Gift for $100, I went to local restaurant where my bill total prior to tip was $128.36. My server was instructed by me to run the gift card for the $100 and the remainder on my credit card. He returned and said he tried to run it for $100 and it declined, then $90 and it declined, he then ran it for $80 and it went through. Upon arriving home I looked up the balance on the gift card online and it showed $96 pending (I understand the 20% additional hold for tip applied by merchant).

I need to pay for some legit purchases online. It will not let me. Refusing to accept any more Vanilla gift cards. Why even register a card with my name and address if I can't make an online purchase. What a worthless service they provide.

I am completely and utterly shocked regarding customer service at the Vanilla Gift card company. My husband received 2 nice gift cards last year from a work client, each for 100.00. When we tried to use them back in September, the balances were down to 20.00 on one and 40.00 on another. With some change. We called them and did our own research and found out they were used in a different state, and we were able to see the purchases and stores. We did not have the original receipt, in the future I will no longer throw those out. We filed complaints with the Vanilla gift card company and were told what to send in. (Driver's license and copies of the cards.) We called weekly and emailed. They do not respond to emails and the agents are hard to understand and know nothing and tell you to keep waiting, that it could take up to 90 days for them to investigate. If you try and ask for a supervisor, they put you on hold and the calls drops after some time.

I got a gift card for a gift and it worked once and stopped working anywhere I tried....I called and they said there was an issue with the card now and I would have to wait 14 days for a amount that was declined from going through to clear and then I could CALL THEM BACK to request a card that would be MAILED to me...So I or anyone you buy one of these cards for can use this money maybe a month from now!! AND THEY DON'T CARE AT ALL....THEY DON'T STAND BEHIND THEIR CARDS AND CUSTOMER SERVICE IS AWFUL.

I can use the card at any run down corner store but I can't use it at a ** dispensary and ** is no different than cigarettes now. They're both recreationally legal. I can buy cigarettes and alcohol but not **. That's bigotry and fascism and judgmental and just wrong goes to show the kind of racist pieces of junk that own that company.

I received a Birthday Vanilla Gift Card for $200 in November, 2023. I could not use it since the number on the C.C are blurred, and the magnet is crushed. I have called more than three times to follow up on my case since I have not received the replacement as of today February 26, 2024. Today they said my case is closed. I have not received anything yet. Terrible experience. I never will buy this as a gift. It is better to give cash.

Tried using the gift cards three times without limited success. Tried resolving with customer service which apparently is only in India. Nothing bad about India but connections are spotty and their English is a bit different than American English so communicating is difficult at best even when both parties are trying to understand one another.

This is a huge disappointment to a child who wants to purchase something online. A gift turns into a bad experience. I will never purchase from this company again. I also paid extra money to activate the card only for it not to work! It should clearly state on the card that it cannot be used online!!! Next time I will purchase a gift card from the merchant instead.

I have two Visa Gift Cards from Vanilla Gift Cards, one with $20.00 balance and the other with $9.98 balance. Both cards were not used for 5 months, but I called in and checked online both had the correct balance. Both cards were put on a hold. Every purchase I tried to make was declined by Vanilla Gift Card. I talked to several folks, the last fellow I talked to said he would credit the $30.00. I never received the credit or a check. I feel Vanilla Gift Cards are crooks. Who cares about $30.00 right, but multiply that by let's say 100,000 customers and quite possibly millions of dollars of customers' money Vanilla Gift Cards keeps each year.

The absolute worst everything. Second time I was given a gift card as a gift and it was already used. Filed reports and was told because they were gifts and I didn’t have a receipt, too bad so the people who gave me $ 100 and $50 gift cards threw their money in the trash. Plus, I lose out. I did all the copies, placed tons of calls, waited on hold for literally hours only to be told too bad. Omg. I am going to tell everyone to NEVER buy or give me or anyone one of these horrible cards issued by thieves.

I purchased a $500 gift card for a friend whose son was diagnosed with cancer so she could fly back and forth to help him. Sadly the card was hacked prior to her being able to use it. When I opened a dispute with Vanilla, it seemed like it would be easy to receive a replacement card. That was false! I have waited for 2 months. Was told it was shipped on 2 separate occasions, but never received. I have been lied to every time I call customer service. Told it's shipped, then told it wasn't. Had to wait 30 bus days to get it escalated. Still being lied to. Told it shipped, then spoke to a supervisor and told it was not and had to wait more with no time frame or any other info.

My mother purchased a few Vanilla prepaid gift cards at CVS for her grandchildren for Christmas on December 5, 2023. After watching a news story on gift card draining, she checked their balances and 2 of them were drained within 4 days of purchasing them. She reached out to the company to request reimbursement, but they never responded. Now the gift cards have made their way into my hands for resolution, and I see the same information - cards drained days after they were purchased, except now I can't even dispute the transactions anymore because it has been more than 60 days. I am unable to see any other way to get resolution. Is there anyone putting together a class action suit in Massachusetts? I would definitely be on board with that, if so! Stay away from this company...

Yesterday we tried to use a Vanilla gift card at a store, and it was invalid (brand new $100 card!!). I was on the phone with the representative for a while and he voided the card out and is sending me a new card within 7 to 10 business days. No reason for why this happened. Then today, we tried to use another vanilla gift card for $100 and it was a fraudulent card that was missing four numbers that we didn’t notice when we purchased it back in December. They want us to provide the original receipt and have opened a case but this is a lot of legwork on our part when it isn’t even our fault. Steer clear of vanilla gift cards!

I have been trying all day to get help. The automated system is no help. The talk to a person had me on hold for at least fifteen minutes, twice, before the call was discontinued. I have gone online several times, watched videos, and tried all recommendations with no results. The balance on the card is correct, yet I can't use it because it keeps getting rejected. I tried to pay my cellphone bill and it tossed it out because it wanted an address. Using the zip code thing doesn't work. My personal credit card was compromised so I purchased the card to get me thru until my new credit card comes in. Had I ever known how difficult this would be I would have never purchased the card and will never do it again. I should have checked the reviews. I did not but I am certainly going to warn people who do.

Poor online balance verification service. Have had many gift cards, but have used few due to this very poor online service. I have instead given them away to avoid having to go through the experience.

Purchased a $100 Vanilla gift card from Walmart. Went to use this card and it was declined many of times. Vanillagift.com online balance shows $100 available. Called the company. They demanded I give them my personal Bank Account information in order for them to let me have access to my vanilla gift card. I refused to provide my bank account information. As nothing in Walmart or on the packaging states I have to provide my Bank account info, and how this demand is sounding like fraud! They told me then there’s nothing they will do, and they will keep my money, then hung up. This is Fraud/Scam! Don’t trust Walmart to provide safe gift cards!

Was given the card as a Christmas gift. Tried it at 3 stores, didn't work. Contacted the company. They said there's a problem with the card, got my email, address, etc. They wanted me to send copies of the card and the receipt. The receipt is not available to me. They said, "In that case the problem cannot be resolved." All money lost. BIG SCAM.

On 12/13/2023, I purchased a Vanilla VISA gift card from CVS located at the intersection of New Bern Ave and New Hope Road in Raleigh, NC. The packaging of the card appeared to be intact, and I didn't suspect there were any issues. I loaded $100 on the card and was mildly surprised when the cashier didn't provide a receipt for my purchase or a gift card activation confirmation. My intuition nudged me to force the issue, but I didn't. Besides, I'd also purchased a nice nativity ornament with baby Jesus being cuddled in the arms of the Virgin Mary so I kind of thought I was divinely protected with this transaction.

Purchased 2 g Vanilla gift cards for my grand children for Christmas. When they went to use them they had been covered numbers had been scratched. They were told the company could see money was there but was unable to process, and to call company. After many frustrating attempts contacting the company, case was set up. A year later received 1 replacement card. Emailed them that they had only replaced 1 card and they requested the same info again. Another year has gone by and still no response. I will never purchase these cards again.

I received this card as a gift. I attempted to use the full $50.00 at a restaurant. Card was declined, twice. The Vanilla site says the card has $50 but it won't let the user spend the $50. The rules are geared so that only a small portion of the card can be used. I see other reviews where people are throwing the card away since they can't use it. The company is scamming people. I've written a letter to Vanilla Gift card asking for a full refund in Check form so I can deposit into my bank. I've also filed a complaint with the FTC concerning the fraud being perpetuated by Vanilla using the Visa name and logo to claim legitimacy. I recommend everyone file with the FTC so that this card scam can be shut down.

My friend has given me a $100 Vanilla Gift Card for my 60th Birthday. After, few months when I try to activate the card, VanillaGift.com website shown me a System error. Tried after couple of days and I received the same error. When I called their Customer Service Rep at 1-833-322-6760, it went to India and they have told me that there is an issue with the card and I need to provide all my Personal information that includes Fname, Lname, Billing address, DOB and the receipt where this card had been purchased.

After hours on with customer service, a replacement card, multiple failed attempts to use card at grocery stores and restaurants, I am throwing away my $50 gift card this morning. Every time I called they would say there was a different problem with expiration code or the way it was being entered. The last call they were asking for information that was not tied to the card like my birthday so it felt like it could be part of a bigger financial scam than just taking the money to provide a card that does not work anywhere.

Vanilla has made it impossible to add a ZIP code to the card, and you can't use it anywhere without including the ZIP code. It's impossible to add it to Google Wallet. I've wasted hours of my life trying to access these funds, and it's become clear that I'm never going to be able to use this money. A federal agency needs to sue Vanilla into oblivion for false advertisement. What they're doing is no different from theft.

Please don't buy this card. I call customer service to activate my card and they said it was activated when to use it, someone made a purchase on it. It had to be customer service, they were the only I tell my card number to. Scam. It was used at Target.

Double scoop of Horrible...horrible! Website continously states card is active and $25 is available for purchases. So far have been denied at 12 different merchants. Please update your FAQ's list to #1 What level of incompetence is allowed or encouraged at Vanilla?

I had to make dispute and it's taken them 3 months to put my money on my card. They are the wrong company to deal with. They can hold money and not put it back. Never go to a store and put your card in zip code b.

I received a gift card for a generous amount and could not use or activate the card. The card number was not complete and was missing four digits. Other tampering was also discovered. Customer Service is nearly impossible to reach, and both their recordings and the website send you in circles. After my first marathon hold (one hour +) and a brief description of my issues, the rep decided to feign a bad connection, alternating between "Hello?", "Can you hear me?", and pressing buttons on the phone. After about 10 seconds of that, she just disconnected. Another marathon hold netted me a case number, but I was asked for personal information and provided a suspicious email address for forwarding copies, including my driver's license -- not happening! I've spent literally hours online and on hold without a resolution. I plan to share my experience with every retailer I see carrying their cards. This company should be shut down.

I have had multiple issues using my Vanilla gift card, starting with having issues reaching customer service via phone. Another issue is most of the customer service agents did not speak fluent English, and when checking my balance online, the information provided was not up to date. Lastly, I was informed by the supervisor that my account would be credited a refund, the supervisor provided me the date that I would see it reflected on my account, but I never received the refund. In the future, I will not use vanilla gift cards and I highly discourage anyone from putting their trust in this company.

I received a gift card as a gift for the holidays. They claim to have security features to prevent fraud. Well that is not the case. My card information was stolen and someone used the money that was put on the card. I tried to contact customer service and they are THE WORST!!! Takes forever to get someone if you can and then when you do they give you the run around. They want documents, copies of your IDs and other paper work so essentially I have to chase the money to get it back.

I received this gift card for Christmas from my daughter and it has been a nightmare trying to use it. I have only been able to use it at Zaxby's as all other retailers error message is not accepted. Talk about embarrassing! the customer service department is unreachable and to be quite honest, I don't want $100 worth of Zaxby's food. What a joke! DO NOT PURCHASE ANY OF THESE CARDS!!!

I purchased these gift cards from Sam's Club and paid an activation fee. I gave them out as gifts to my customers for Christmas. I purchased about $4,000.00. The cards does not work anywhere. The money appears to be in the card, but they just would not work. We have called the company who seems to be in India, had bad phone connections several times and had to keep calling. We have never been able to get this problem resolved. Sam's Club will not take the cards back.

Horrible! I have not been able to use my $500 gift card. I’ve been talking to the company for numerous days. They’ve hung up on me, been rude, told I couldn’t use the card for a month and even told to call 800-555-1212 which sends you to the national directory information service. I believe it’s a front for fraud. They treated me as if I was a dumb **. Read the reviews.

I’ve never been so tired of dealing with Vanilla gift cards, there have been missing numbers, Nothing on the magnetic strip and have been looking at my balance (two different times) just to find out Someone else has used the card to purchase a hotel room stay in China, and electronics in another state. After finally getting a hold of a live customer service person who for the most part was helpful in getting a new card mailed to me. Unfortunately it takes a while to receive the card back. I can’t find any reason to buy or tell anyone to use this company to purchase a gift card.

Received this gift card; tried to use it and more than half the value has disappeared, due to fraud. Company does not offer any resolution without a receipt which I don't have; it was a gift. While I was on the phone with them, they said someone was trying to use it at Target. I told them it wasn't me. I don't know if there was any funds on the card as they said my first purchase would not be approved for 3 more days. There may not be any funds on this $100 gift card. I found the ratings and reviews on this company are 1 star.

Was given a 250.00 Gift card for Christmas. I used it once at ACME for an 11.00 Purchase. Went to use it on January 2,2024 and they said that I had insufficient funds on my Card. I Called Vanilla Gift card and they have been giving me the Runaround since then. I even had a Manager at Acme contact them today. Someone used My card at Walgreens and 200.00 was spent at BATH and Body. Neither Purchase was by Me!

6 people I know around Christmas time received Vanilla Gift Cards, all of them compromised and drained of funds. I was given $300 card as gift, and there was $.73 balance on the card when I went to register with fraudulent charges. How is this company allowed to operate as I see a list of similar experiences?

A few weeks ago, a friend of my wife was nice enough to give her a Vanilla Gift Card from Walmart as a token of her appreciation. However, this gift card has turned into a gift card from hell! It all started when I went to BJ’s to purchase gas for the car. I went to the pump and tried to use the gift card and it was declined. I then went to the attendant’s window at BJ’s where a teenager was on his iPhone for almost 5 minutes before I cleared my throat to let him know someone needed his assistance. The attendant acted like he was not happy about me interrupting his TikTok session and I decided to leave before I put him over my lap for a good spanking!

So far, I am up to four cards I gave away for the holidays that either had their #s wiped off or someone already spent the money on the card! Either way, the cards were unusable! Funny thing is after reading people's comments, this is a problem throughout multiple states (even though I was told it was segregated to my state). It's almost like Vanilla is aware of the loopholes and they give you such a hard time trying to get your money back, that you just end up giving up! Very unprofessional.

Purchase a Vanilla credit card gift card at Cvs pharmacy… Wealthy St… and Lake Drive GR, MI…. Went to used it … Credit card was empty… I was scam… Is been going on three weeks trying to see if get money back…. Called the number of back card can get no one to speak with… Shame on this businesses. They take your money and they are not able to get your money back… Never again…

I was trying to link the card I bought for my son to my PayPal account because he was wanting to make a large purchase online, and I feel safer having our purchases protected with PayPal. I kept receiving the error that the card was being declined by the card issuer. I called customer service and the man stated that they do not allow cards to be linked with PayPal anymore. He said that customers try to get cash off of them that way, and it's not allowed. First of all, what does that matter? People spend their money, they should be able to do what they like.

I received a $50 gift card for my birthday, and every time I've tried to use it, it says the card is invalid. I've tried contacting the company, and there is no way to speak to anyone. It asks for the card number and then sends you in a circle of entering the card number and then hanging up. I've reported them to the FTC. Based on what I'm seeing on this website, maybe more people should do the same. This feels very predatory.

Myself and three other family members received Vanilla gift cards for Christmas on 12/24/2023. When opening them, three of them had the last 4 digits of the card # and the security code wiped off/scratched off. However, the package had not been tampered with. But the cards were clearly unusable. We talked to customer service that day and filed a case - with all three cards on the same case #. We had to individually send in emails with a variety of copies of documents, which we all did that day. So far as of 1/18/2024 we have only received one card replacement.

I found an vanilla gift card in my wallet. I went to check the balance on it and noticed there were a ton of 99cent transactions on it. I called customer service and did the run around. Got a case number for it, was told I would receive an email with info to fill out. Cool. Waited three days, never got an email. So I tried calling customer service back and now I can't get ahold of anyone because the card already has a case number and I can check the status online (which says, awaiting documents). I've tried for two days now and just keep running around in a circle. Also discovered that there are major issues with the cards being easy to scam. Save yourself the headache. Don't buy for yourself or anyone ever.

I purchased a gift card and the card did not have all the numbers on it. I gave the company all the information requested and have not heard back from them in over a month. Every time I call, they say they have not received my email with the requested documents. This company is a scam.

Received a Vanilla Gift Card for Christmas. Opened it up to find the numbers scratched off and the security code. Tried to use it and there was no balance. Employees there or the company is just taking your money. Do not buy, give your loved ones cash instead! Photos are of what the card looked like when I opened it.

I received a Vanilla Gift card and attempted to activate online and on the first valid attempt, it was declined. Called customer service who refused to refund or activate unless I sent a photo of my DL to an out of country server.

Over Christmas, my relatives gave me 3 vanilla gift cards as gifts. 1 for $200.00 and 2 for $25.00. We decided to put $250.00 towards appliances at Best Buy. We went online before going to Best Buy and checked the balances. We created 4 digit pin codes. We gave the gift card to Best Buy at check out. Ran 1st card. Declined. Ran 2nd card. Declined. Ran 3rd card. Declined. I asked the clerk to use my 4 digit pin. We ran at as credit and debit. All declined.