Jun 22, 2013, 10:42 am
Last edit by: ChrisFlyer66
There is a new thread for 2017: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/manufactured-spending/1819569-pin-available-now-visa-mc-prepaid-debit-cards-2017-a.html
Federal Reserve interpretation of Dodd-Frank financial reform regulations has resulted in Visa/MC gift cards getting PINs as of April 1, 2013.
Setting PINS
At Walmat, many MCs default to credit(and fail) and require pressing a button to change the payment type to debit. Here are the workarounds:
Old POS systems (monochrome black on green terminals and replacement color terminals):
1a. Screen shows "Insert or Swipe Card Quickly" with "Espanol" button in lower right (note if your screen blinks)
1b. Swipe card
1c. Screen shows "Waiting for cashier..." with with working animation in lower center and "Cancel" button in lower right
2. Press "Cancel" on the screen or red button on pad (if your screen blinks, do not hit button until after blink)
3. Press "ATM/DEBIT" from upper left
4. Press "No Cash Back"
5a. Enter PIN
5b. Screen shows "Waiting for cashier..."
6. Cashier hits blue (not green) Debit button on their side.
New POS systems (color terminal):
1. Swipe GC
2. Press "Change Payment" on screen (Yellow button on pad should also work, but screen works better for some. Timing is critical.)
3. Press "DEBIT"
4. Press "No Cash Back"
5. Enter PIN - Screen showing another 'Waiting for cashier...'.
6. Ask Cashier to hit blue color Debit button on the screen
When splitting transactions among multiple cards at a Walmart register, make sure to have the cashier hit the debit button on their physical keypad. If they hit the debit button on the touchscreen, it will not work. If your transaction got declined, try having the cashier hit 'Debit' using the physical keypad on the right of the screen.
As of 6/19/2014, Walmart rejects Debit attempts above $49.99 on all cards issued by InComm/ITC Financial Services, namely all Vanilla VISA and OneVanilla. There is no workaround.
Error Messages
DEBIT NOT AVAILABLE
Not enough funds available to cover whatever amount was typed in, or most likely NOT typed in.
DEBIT NOT APPROVED
Received when the card's monthly load limit had been reached.
HOST TIMEOUT
Connection problems. The GC may be drained but the transaction should reverse itself, and funds will become available again.
Federal Reserve interpretation of Dodd-Frank financial reform regulations has resulted in Visa/MC gift cards getting PINs as of April 1, 2013.
Setting PINS
- MetaBank VISA or Sunrise VISA -use the last four digits of the card number (or to set personal PIN call 888-524-1283)
- US Bank VISA and Mastercard - Newer cards come with a PIN printed on cardstock inside the package. To set/reset PIN, call 866-952-5653. One person reports: VISA that has pre-set PIN locks PIN on first use if not previously reset; always call to set PIN before use. If you forget to reset the pin and you can't unload the funds to your BB, call the toll free # and ask rep. to "reset" the card and they will do some magic and you should then be able to unload the funds at WM.
- Vanilla VISA and OneVanilla(not MyVanilla, etc) - selection of 4 digits on the first transaction becomes the PIN
At Walmat, many MCs default to credit(and fail) and require pressing a button to change the payment type to debit. Here are the workarounds:
Old POS systems (monochrome black on green terminals and replacement color terminals):
1a. Screen shows "Insert or Swipe Card Quickly" with "Espanol" button in lower right (note if your screen blinks)
1b. Swipe card
1c. Screen shows "Waiting for cashier..." with with working animation in lower center and "Cancel" button in lower right
2. Press "Cancel" on the screen or red button on pad (if your screen blinks, do not hit button until after blink)
3. Press "ATM/DEBIT" from upper left
4. Press "No Cash Back"
5a. Enter PIN
5b. Screen shows "Waiting for cashier..."
6. Cashier hits blue (not green) Debit button on their side.
New POS systems (color terminal):
1. Swipe GC
2. Press "Change Payment" on screen (Yellow button on pad should also work, but screen works better for some. Timing is critical.)
3. Press "DEBIT"
4. Press "No Cash Back"
5. Enter PIN - Screen showing another 'Waiting for cashier...'.
6. Ask Cashier to hit blue color Debit button on the screen
When splitting transactions among multiple cards at a Walmart register, make sure to have the cashier hit the debit button on their physical keypad. If they hit the debit button on the touchscreen, it will not work. If your transaction got declined, try having the cashier hit 'Debit' using the physical keypad on the right of the screen.
As of 6/19/2014, Walmart rejects Debit attempts above $49.99 on all cards issued by InComm/ITC Financial Services, namely all Vanilla VISA and OneVanilla. There is no workaround.
Error Messages
DEBIT NOT AVAILABLE
Not enough funds available to cover whatever amount was typed in, or most likely NOT typed in.
DEBIT NOT APPROVED
Received when the card's monthly load limit had been reached.
HOST TIMEOUT
Connection problems. The GC may be drained but the transaction should reverse itself, and funds will become available again.
PIN available now for Visa/MC prepaid debit cards(2013-2016).
May 11, 2016, 5:04 am
#4336
Join Date: May 2009
Location: East Coast
Programs: SPG-Hyatt-IHG-UA-AA-MR-UR
Posts: 123
May 11, 2016, 5:05 am
#4337
Join Date: May 2009
Location: East Coast
Programs: SPG-Hyatt-IHG-UA-AA-MR-UR
Posts: 123
the third interface/screen comes up only if you are quick enough to press the cancel button soon as you swipe your VGC. only then will the screen for other payment methods come up and if you press the DEBIT button, PIN screen will come up next to enter your PIN. follow succeeding prompts and you'll see APPROVED if transaction is successful.
so sad to see the death of Kate. gone too soon.
May 11, 2016, 11:25 am
#4338
Join Date: May 2009
Location: East Coast
Programs: SPG-Hyatt-IHG-UA-AA-MR-UR
Posts: 123
the third interface/screen comes up only if you are quick enough to press the cancel button soon as you swipe your VGC. only then will the screen for other payment methods come up and if you press the DEBIT button, PIN screen will come up next to enter your PIN. follow succeeding prompts and you'll see APPROVED if transaction is successful.
May 19, 2016, 12:44 pm
#4339
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,837
Does anyone know how some groceries are able to tell that a VGC was used?
Yesterday, I need to unload my VGC not at my regular goto grocery. I pretended to bot know how much they were. So I asked for an amount included with the fee would be $500. After the transaction went through, csr asked what kind of debit it was and wanted to see it. I grabbed my bank debit and she didnt compare the numbers and gave my MO.
This is the 2nd time with the same grocery franchise where it looks like the screen showed a VGC was used.
Yesterday, I need to unload my VGC not at my regular goto grocery. I pretended to bot know how much they were. So I asked for an amount included with the fee would be $500. After the transaction went through, csr asked what kind of debit it was and wanted to see it. I grabbed my bank debit and she didnt compare the numbers and gave my MO.
This is the 2nd time with the same grocery franchise where it looks like the screen showed a VGC was used.
May 19, 2016, 1:18 pm
#4340
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 3,688
at my go-to grocery store for MOs, the receipt says Debit cards whether I swipe just one or six cards so I won't mind if any cashier/manager ask to see my card(s). I use my CU reloadable prepaid most of the time since it has my name on it except when WAG has a sale on vanillas and I get busy buying a lot of MOs that week. So far, none of them has asked to look at my gebits 
May 19, 2016, 11:50 pm
#4341
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 4
Does anyone know how some groceries are able to tell that a VGC was used?
Yesterday, I need to unload my VGC not at my regular goto grocery. I pretended to bot know how much they were. So I asked for an amount included with the fee would be $500. After the transaction went through, csr asked what kind of debit it was and wanted to see it. I grabbed my bank debit and she didnt compare the numbers and gave my MO.
This is the 2nd time with the same grocery franchise where it looks like the screen showed a VGC was used.
Yesterday, I need to unload my VGC not at my regular goto grocery. I pretended to bot know how much they were. So I asked for an amount included with the fee would be $500. After the transaction went through, csr asked what kind of debit it was and wanted to see it. I grabbed my bank debit and she didnt compare the numbers and gave my MO.
This is the 2nd time with the same grocery franchise where it looks like the screen showed a VGC was used.
May 20, 2016, 9:53 am
#4342
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,837
Have you ever seen on receipts where you've paid with a real credit/debit card and it prints your Last,First name on the receipt? Some POS terminals when showing transaction details will show the name on the screen, very briefly in my experience. I don't know first hand with a VGC, but I know that with a MCGC the card owner "name" will come up as "You, A Gift For". So yeah, if that pops up on screen its pretty easy to tell you're paying with a GC.
Jun 10, 2016, 9:50 pm
#4344
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 22
Could anyone advice how to unload MGC? Thanks.
Jun 12, 2016, 11:57 am
#4347
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2005
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Programs: AA Lifetime PLT, Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, Hilton Gold
Posts: 11,453
Jun 15, 2016, 6:54 pm
#4350
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: EWR-SEA-IAD
Programs: UA 1P MM, AS MVP G*, SPG Gold, Hyatt Plat, IHG Plat, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 977