joejoe2

I have been trying to buy "happy cards" to take advantage of gift card promos and have run into issues.
Here are my experiences, I was hoping people would have insight, or suggested workarounds. I have had these happy cards for a while and they have balances

At Noodles and Company when I swipe a happy card for food it works fine but when I try to buy a gift card I get asked for an account number and the happy card number does not work.

At Panera when I swipe a happy card in order to purchase a gift card I just get an error. I have asked the cashier to key in the number as credit but both times I tried the cashier told me they got gift cards not allowed errors.

On another thread folks suggested using them at the cheesecake factory for free slices with a gift card purchase but that doesn't interest me

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

ogg

Why don't you call the customer support number and ask? I know the Happy Guys card have to be run as a credit card, not as a gift card, to work. The stores you mention might have other restrictions programmed in--or it might be operator error.

Whittaker

So, I saw this posted out in the open, but I'm not able to try it. Purchase the Happy Guy GC, ckout a VGC @ Home Depot self-ckout, run Happy card as credit. If self-ck doesn't work, just do reg ckout, but run as credit, just don't show card. My grocery store carries a bunch of Happy cards, but not Happy Guy. Why oh why ?

Steve in Olympia

Many stores do not allow gift cards to be purchased with gift cards.

Whittaker

True dat. Not sure what that has to do with my post.

Chelski

It’s a credit card tbf.

radonc1

I am wondering if you bought a meal at Noodles and CO. and then asked at checkout to add a gift card to your bill, would that be a successful method to use your Happy card to get a GC out of it.

How would the cashier know to separate the two different items when submitting the charge? (Of course the cashier could just say no to your adding a GC onto your food bill, but I suspect that they wouldn't.)

Give it a try and let us know how or if that was successful.

Steve in Olympia

Even the Happy folks consider their product to be a gift card.

ogg

Because odds are you won't be able to use a Happy Card to buy a different gift card. I was shown a memo from Home Depot telling managers not to permit Happy Guy cards from being used to buy Home Depot cards (or any other gift cards sold at Home Depot, including Visa prepaid gift cards). You can get away with doing that sort of thing now and then, but it's nothing you should count on being able to do.

Whittaker

Well, if the self-ck method works, they will never know. Even at reg ckout, fairly easy to face the stripe side toward the cashier until you swipe, and simply extend your hand.

Who claimed one could? Also, as I mentioned, I can't even attempt it as my grocer doesn't sell the 'GUY' version.

joejoe2

Thank you for the comments. I tried to buy food at another Panera with the card and it didn't work. I called Happy Card customer service, they saw all rejected transactions, and they told me the two Paneras I went to were not set up for happy cards and the next time I went to Panera if it was declined I should call Happy Card customer service with the cashier present to set it up. I explained that our Panera wasn't really set up that way, cashiers go quickly from one person to the next and would not wait while I called an 800 number. They then told me I should either try other Paneras or the other stores listed on the gift card. After a little more talking about how I shouldn't have to go to a place or store I don't want to to use the card they agreed to send me the full values in a check. I guess I really don't know if it works at Panera since I can't use it for anything. At Noodles and Company I can buy food, no gift cards, or no combined gift cards and food. I might try again next promo

radonc1

Not only does this sound like a card with limited functionality due to category restriction, but also indeterminate acceptance at stores within the specified category.

I would steer away from buying these cards for any reason. Who wants to have to figure out which store in which town is going to accept them.