Originally Posted by DTASFAB

And why would the GC issuing bank want customers to enter a pin on a POS terminal that can just as easily process the transaction as credit rather than debit? Their swipe fee on a pin-based transaction is less than for a signature-based transaction. I just don't see any upside for the issuing banks to offer a pin/debit option. I remember a time when the Bancorp Vanilla cards did not offer pins at all.

Originally Posted by DTASFAB

I just don't see any upside for the issuing banks to offer a PIN/debit option.

Originally Posted by DTASFAB

I agree with this. People should stay the hell off the phone.

However, looking at it from a purely profit standpoint, why don't the GC issuing banks want this to happen exactly? First, they get their activation fee regardless. If you use the card as intended, say for example, for 10 standard signature-based "credit card" type purchases of $50 each, they also get their swipe fee on each transaction. This makes the bank happy. But if they prohibit MS'ers, they don't get their activation fee either. Are they afraid that fraud complaints will make it not worth their while to allow this type of transaction?

The entire pin-based system being linked to these gift cards doesn't make sense to me unless the banks want to surreptitiously encourage people to drain these cards for cash equivalents. I mean, how many retail locations accept debit but not credit? And why would the GC issuing bank want customers to enter a pin on a POS terminal that can just as easily process the transaction as credit rather than debit? Their swipe fee on a pin-based transaction is less than for a signature-based transaction. I just don't see any upside for the issuing banks to offer a pin/debit option. I remember a time when the Bancorp Vanilla cards did not offer pins at all.

As far as the post office is concerned, I don't think they're likely to give a crap as long as they get their money. Their policy is that you can't buy a money order with a credit card, in part because you might dispute the charge and it could get reversed, and in part because they don't want to help credit card customers circumvent cash advance fees that they'd otherwise have to pay if they used the credit card to purchase a cash equivalent. Using a PREPAID gift card that has the word DEBIT printed on the front of it and works as a debit card with a four-digit security pin fits the basic description of a debit card for all intents and purposes of the post office. The main difference between an anonymous prepaid Visa debit gift card and a real ATM/debit card linked to your traditional checking account is simply the nature of the figurative or virtual "container" or "shoebox" holding the money. That's not really the post office's concern, because the money is already held by the bank that's authorizing the transaction in either case. This is unlike a credit card, which is effectively initiating a loan every time it's used to make any type of purchase. Look at it this way - if you had a standard traditional checking account with Bancorp and you used the linked ATM/debit card to purchase a money order, is that really any different than using a Vanilla Visa GC for the same transaction? In either case, Bancorp is authorizing USPS to debit $500 and Bancorp then transfers the money to USPS. It's essentially the same transaction, at least on the post office's end.

Originally Posted by hickson

DP @ Southern Cal, today no more MO by Meta and GiftCards.com in post office.

Originally Posted by mag0r

Been at least 1 month in SoCal that USPS MO is Vanilla/onevanilla only. Better to know asap to avoid the headache!

Originally Posted by comeflyaway

Can anyone confirm that Meta VGC will still be usable to buy MO at WM in Northern California?

Originally Posted by 1353513636

I have a feeling that the cards that are being blocked are being blocked at the request of the issuing bank because I can't see why USPS would block cards on their own.

Originally Posted by mensday

One PO in Maryland accepts OV and vanilla, another one mile away does not accept GCs of any kind. Says no funds available. Wondering how soon it will be gone completely.