Watch Those gift Cards

QUINNSCOMMENTARY · Post by **QUINNSCOMMENTARY** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 8:27 am

Last December my employer gave out $25 "All Access" Visa gift cards with a face value of $25. Printed on the card is says $25.00 valid through December 2009.

Well a few weeks ago I went to use it and guess what, it is not worth $25. It is worth $7.33. How the heck did that happen?

I went on the cards website and sure enough after you have the card for 6 months they start taking out a monthly maintenance fee of $2.97, what for I have no idea, but my employer paid twenty-five bucks and if a use it today I will get $7.33.

There is absolutely nothing on the card in any form to warn of this fee or the declining value of the gift card. So if you get one of these, use it soon.

In addition, if you get a store gift card, use it soon as well because if the store files for bankruptcy you go to the bottom of the list of creditors and it is likely you will be frozen from using the card.

Have a Merry Christmas....get cash! :rolleyes:

Kindle · Post by **Kindle** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 8:41 am

Due to all I've been reading about the potential problems with gift cards, I am giving a few people cash this year instead of one of them.

It always fits. It is right color. And the only exchange that one needs to make is to turn it into something the person "really" wants. :-6

CARLA · Post by **CARLA** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 9:14 am

I switched to cash gift cards are a sham unless they are used immediately.

OpenMind · Post by **OpenMind** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 12:55 pm

QUINNSCOMMENTARY;1093098 wrote: Last December my employer gave out $25 "All Access" Visa gift cards with a face value of $25. Printed on the card is says $25.00 valid through December 2009.

Well a few weeks ago I went to use it and guess what, it is not worth $25. It is worth $7.33. How the heck did that happen?

I went on the cards website and sure enough after you have the card for 6 months they start taking out a monthly maintenance fee of $2.97, what for I have no idea, but my employer paid twenty-five bucks and if a use it today I will get $7.33.

There is absolutely nothing on the card in any form to warn of this fee or the declining value of the gift card. So if you get one of these, use it soon.

In addition, if you get a store gift card, use it soon as well because if the store files for bankruptcy you go to the bottom of the list of creditors and it is likely you will be frozen from using the card.

Have a Merry Christmas....get cash! :rolleyes:

Surely if it says $25 valid through December 2009, they are in the wrong for giving you less than that, particularly if there is nothing written on the card to either show that their statement is a lie or pointing to a website where you can find out that the statement on the card is a lie.

Unless there's something else I don't know about, I think you have them bang to rights, Quinn.

Richard Bell · Post by **Richard Bell** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 9:47 pm

Last year, the Ontario government outlawed any fees, deductions or expiry dates on gift cards. (Actually, the gift cards our store sells still have an expiry date on them. It's 3025. I'm not kidding. I guess the system was set up with an expiry date, so they just made it 1016 years in the future.)

The latest gift card scam consists of stealing the unactivated cards merchants display in their stores, (they are worthless at this point), recording the numbers on the back, then taking them back to the same store and replacing them on the display.

Then, they check on-line to see if any of their stolen numbers have been activated, and for how much. When they get a hit, they shop on line and quote the gift card number.

So, if you are buying a gift card, be certain to get one from behind the counter, rather than grabbing one from the aisle.

Odie · Post by **Odie** » Thu Dec 25, 2008 6:21 am

QUINNSCOMMENTARY;1093098 wrote: Last December my employer gave out $25 "All Access" Visa gift cards with a face value of $25. Printed on the card is says $25.00 valid through December 2009.

Well a few weeks ago I went to use it and guess what, it is not worth $25. It is worth $7.33. How the heck did that happen?

I went on the cards website and sure enough after you have the card for 6 months they start taking out a monthly maintenance fee of $2.97, what for I have no idea, but my employer paid twenty-five bucks and if a use it today I will get $7.33.

There is absolutely nothing on the card in any form to warn of this fee or the declining value of the gift card. So if you get one of these, use it soon.

In addition, if you get a store gift card, use it soon as well because if the store files for bankruptcy you go to the bottom of the list of creditors and it is likely you will be frozen from using the card.

Have a Merry Christmas....get cash! :rolleyes:

Visa charges for everything!

Mastercard does not.

Shocked your employer didn't know that one.

I hope you brought this to his attention.

I always buy them from major stores.....never a problem.

Odie · Post by **Odie** » Thu Dec 25, 2008 3:48 pm

the gift certificates I buy are bought on line, no shipping charges, no hassles in the stores!:D

and non have expiry dates anymore.

QUINNSCOMMENTARY · Post by **QUINNSCOMMENTARY** » Sat Dec 27, 2008 12:38 pm

OpenMind;1093254 wrote: Surely if it says $25 valid through December 2009, they are in the wrong for giving you less than that, particularly if there is nothing written on the card to either show that their statement is a lie or pointing to a website where you can find out that the statement on the card is a lie.

Unless there's something else I don't know about, I think you have them bang to rights, Quinn.

That's what I thought and I am checking the conteact under which nearly two hundred of these cards were purchased, but I think it is in the fine print somewhere, but not on the card thats for sure.

QUINNSCOMMENTARY · Post by **QUINNSCOMMENTARY** » Sat Dec 27, 2008 12:40 pm

Scrat;1093562 wrote: This has been common knowledge for years, wassup?

I hate shopping, I'd rather play in heavy traffic on I-5 than go to a shopping mall. I hand out 20s, 50s and 100s. And not too many of those.

Common knowledge? You know more than I do that's for sure, I never heard of it.

OpenMind · Post by **OpenMind** » Sat Dec 27, 2008 12:42 pm

QUINNSCOMMENTARY;1094421 wrote: That's what I thought and I am checking the conteact under which nearly two hundred of these cards were purchased, but I think it is in the fine print somewhere, but not on the card thats for sure.

I wouldn't be surprised if they've covered their backs somewhere along the line.

I won't confess to knowing your laws as I don't, but I'd have thought that any cut-off date affecting the value should have been on the card somewhere. And what do they do with the money that paid for the card?