Originally Posted by
jags86
This is not limited to SYW VGCs, it is a limit I've encountered on SecureSpend VGC gift cards and Vanilla VGCs (4097 BINs). I think they somehow are able to identify cash equivalent transactions and deny them. For example, I attempted to fund a 529 via Gift of College and the transaction was declined. They also are blocked by PayPal.
I am convinced the gift card CSRs either lie or just say something to get you off the phone. It's important to remember you are just some random person calling about cash. They are almost always worried about some sort of fraud.
I always use the Secure Spend to load to Amazon. Never had a problem. Just did 10 of them in the last month. Vanilla on the other hand (the ones serviced by BHN)....
SOME merchants require an address to "verify" the card. This is where SecureSpend cards fail.
Vanilla's you can "register" the card with an address and *sometimes* get around that.
And some processors (PayPal, etc.) have managed to load the BINs into their system as they don't people to use the GC (MC or VGC) period. Every now and then someone will be able to squeek one through (ie: Citibank paying with Debit cards, or the Postal Service). Usually lasts for a few hours until they load the new BINs into the blacklist.
But this more appropriate in the MS forum, not the SYW forum at this point, IMO.