Originally Posted by cjw2001

I'd try buying an Amazon gift card exactly equal to the balance on the card rather than trying to apply it toward a larger purchase..

If you don't want to or end up not being able to do that, try a retail store purchase like a grocery store. Dining purchases tend to be problematic since they often automatically try to hold 20% extra for tipping and therefore approvals can be sketchy.

Originally Posted by phare

There is likely a security freeze on the card. You are going to have to call the number on the card and probably sit on hold for 20 or 30 minutes (I had to wait 45 minutes once) to speak with a CSR... The Vanilla cards are very fraud alert sensitive in my experience. For that reason, I no longer buy them and get US Bank cards instead. I too was not able to use one at Amazon, or PayPal, and when I spoke with a representative she said that Amazon and PayPal are "restricted merchants" and that I should try using the card somewhere else!?! The cards also have a cool-off period after you buy them. You can't use them for a certain period of time (30 or 45 minutes if I recall). If you tried to use the card immediately after purchase, that may have been what triggered the fraud alert.