je67836

Has anyone ever sent a request to corporate for their official stance on accepting cc to purchase gc at places such as Safeway or Riteaid? Seems like if the systems allow these purchases then it should not be so store specific. Anyone think this is a bad idea requesting an official letter?

pyrotalk

YES BAD IDEA.. Dont you ever call or send a letter otherwise it will backfire and they will change the POS like walgreens.

particlemn

I agree this is abad idea, just as bad as sending a leter to amex, citi, or chase to officially bless buying cash equivelants with a credit card to earn points.
we have no right ot these stratigies we use to manufacturer spend, we are exploiting the loopholes the corporations have not thought to close. best thing to do is get what you can and if you are told no, thnak the clerk and come back later when they are not there

prasha11

Not a bad idea if the tone is more as an 'inquiry' and not a complaint. If there is clear +ve response (high probablity) then put a PDF here, the cashier problem solved for everyone!

Anyone really believes that CVS corporate does not know the competition? What is Walgreen, Safeway or Riteaid policy?
Anyone really believe that there are no CVS agents here monitor this forum?

WhateverDude

This is terrible advice. Never ask a question you might not want to know the answer to!

TheDapperDon

I agree. Find a place that lets you do it, and move on.

KYBOSH

Is it a bad idea if the policy is to accept CCs for these items?

Dad to GO

I think it's a bad idea because it brings attention to it. Let's say corporate doesn't realize that some stores ARE accepting credit cards even though they shouldn't be. Next thing you know we have a Walgreen's issue and it's hard coded into the register to NOT take them everywhere. It's not worth it. If you have a place you are successful using them just keep on doing it and be happy.

KYBOSH

Maybe... Im not familiar with the Walgreen's story.
Did someone around here screw the pooch?

Im with prasha... an inquiry is better.
I wouldn't send it in writing though...
I would call the 1-800 number and ask if it was okay to buy GCs with my CC.
Of course they will say yes. Then you ask if its okay to buy those new fangled debit cards you see on TV. They'll say yes. Then you'll ask "Can you check to see if there are any exclusions?"

CS calls of soon forgotten.
Letters to corporate... not so much.

jmw

What we're doing is not illegal, but it costs the businesses involved money. We are exploiting loopholes. Even worse, the same loopholes might be helpful to the bad guys such as the suburban mom in the news today running a pot farm. She should not have paid the power bill with cash... LOL. Our activities as well be illegal. Never call, write, or otherwise get the attention of the higher-ups. Find a friendly store and keep using them.

Since we're on this subject, never call the airline or business if there is a mistake fare or mistake price on an item. Just buy the item and hope the purchase is not cancelled. The key is to hope the item ships before the store notices the mistake and cancels the orders.

shel

Do you honestly believe it's win-win-win-everywhere when you "manufacture" spending?

Looking no further than this sub-forum, you can see that AMEX is denying cash rebates to VR purchase in CVS. It's very likely denying other reloads in other stores too. (I will be 100% sure after my June statement closes.)

Once AMEX has the ability, IMHO it's just a matter of time for all other "cash equivalents" to be on the chopping block.

So attracting more attention to this "manufactured spending" will only tip off the parties that are really paying.

KYBOSH

Does that include if you were overcharged?

lwildernorva

I call all the time. Like to B6 corporate to see if they really meant that $120 RT fare from EWR-SFO. And to Hilton to see if they understood that some third-party site computers were showing that the Hilton Financial District San Francisco was selling rooms for $25 a night. But, my favorite was a couple of years ago when I called Chase on a Monday asking if they really intended to increase the CSP signup bonus from 50K to 100K. They really appreciated the call.

In case the above isn't sarcastic enough, DON'T CALL. There is no benefit in calling. There isn't going to be a consistent corporate policy on this. Some places will allow you to purchase by credit card. Some won't. Some may allow more than two per transaction. Most others won't. You might have noticed that CVS is the only drugstore that allows purchases of VRs by credit card. Don't take the risk of endangering that avenue by making corporate aware of a policy that they might decide is more trouble than it's worth.

If you want the game to be easy, apply for credit card offers you see on TV or in the mail and use the points you accumulate to fly from JFK to ORD.

But don't screw it up for the rest of us because you want some consistency in how a third-party chooses to allow you to buy something. Because you might find that consistency to be the consistent policy at Office Depot or Walgreens or Rite Aid.

TTnC4me

Yes, the pooch was screwed at Walgreens, and OD so far.
As has been stated, a very bad idea.

nwflyboy

People are amazing, aren't they?