Air Canada Gift Cards Online Buyatab Site
Nov 29, 2020, 12:16 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Canada
Programs: Aeroplan SE 100K, NEXUS, IHG Rewards
Posts: 69
Air Canada Gift Cards Online Buyatab Site
Has anyone managed to successfully purchase a gift card/egift card from the Air Canada Buyatab site? If so, please tell me how you did it!
I've tried 17 (17!) different ways in the past 5 days and have been unsuccessful every time. I know 2 others who have been continually trying all week, also with no success.
I've tried various credit cards (Aeroplan black Visa, Mastercard Gold, no-fee Mastercard), various amounts ($25 - $1000), various browsers (FF, Chrome, private, regular) and nothing has worked. I've contacted both Visa & Mastercard to confirm they are not blocking the sale (they are not) so the issue is definitely with Buyatab.
The transaction always says completed, but within an hour I receive an email saying
Unable to Complete your Air Canada Online Gift-Card Order #xxxxxx. This e-mail is to notify you that we were unable to authenticate and complete your recent online Gift Card order ( # xxxxxx ). As such, your order has been cancelled.
A temporary hold was placed on your payment method. This is not a charge and will disappear from your card in 2-3 business days.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Prior to attempting another purchase, please contact our Air Canada Gift Card Support.
Air Canada Gift Card Support Contact Information
Toll Free and SMS in North America at 1-855-281-1761.
Please note that this process is in place to ensure the protection and security of all of our customers and their credit card information.
Thank you for your cooperation.
I've called the Customer Support number, and the person I spoke to really didn't care. She kept repeating "there's nothing we can do, if it doesn't go through it doesn't go through, it must be a problem with your card." I told her my bank is approving the transactions (I have seen the pending charges on my account) but Buyatab is later cancelling them. She basically shrugged over the phone and said there's nothing she can do, it's all up to the system.
So, does anyone know the "trick" to buying a gift card online?
(long-time lurker, hardly ever post but am really stumped on this one... )
I've tried 17 (17!) different ways in the past 5 days and have been unsuccessful every time. I know 2 others who have been continually trying all week, also with no success.
I've tried various credit cards (Aeroplan black Visa, Mastercard Gold, no-fee Mastercard), various amounts ($25 - $1000), various browsers (FF, Chrome, private, regular) and nothing has worked. I've contacted both Visa & Mastercard to confirm they are not blocking the sale (they are not) so the issue is definitely with Buyatab.
The transaction always says completed, but within an hour I receive an email saying
Unable to Complete your Air Canada Online Gift-Card Order #xxxxxx. This e-mail is to notify you that we were unable to authenticate and complete your recent online Gift Card order ( # xxxxxx ). As such, your order has been cancelled.
A temporary hold was placed on your payment method. This is not a charge and will disappear from your card in 2-3 business days.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Prior to attempting another purchase, please contact our Air Canada Gift Card Support.
Air Canada Gift Card Support Contact Information
Toll Free and SMS in North America at 1-855-281-1761.
Please note that this process is in place to ensure the protection and security of all of our customers and their credit card information.
Thank you for your cooperation.
I've called the Customer Support number, and the person I spoke to really didn't care. She kept repeating "there's nothing we can do, if it doesn't go through it doesn't go through, it must be a problem with your card." I told her my bank is approving the transactions (I have seen the pending charges on my account) but Buyatab is later cancelling them. She basically shrugged over the phone and said there's nothing she can do, it's all up to the system.
So, does anyone know the "trick" to buying a gift card online?
(long-time lurker, hardly ever post but am really stumped on this one... )
Nov 29, 2020, 12:41 pm
#2
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: YUL
Posts: 1,001
I bought Fairmont cards from that site Friday, it had all kinds of hiccups and error messages, many others reported similar issues. They just seem to be weak at the tech support. Keep an eye on your cc, many went through when they said they did not. Including some multiple purchases.
Nov 29, 2020, 12:57 pm
#3
Join Date: Jul 2020
Posts: 366
Has anyone managed to successfully purchase a gift card/egift card from the Air Canada Buyatab site? If so, please tell me how you did it!
I've tried 17 (17!) different ways in the past 5 days and have been unsuccessful every time. I know 2 others who have been continually trying all week, also with no success.
I've tried various credit cards (Aeroplan black Visa, Mastercard Gold, no-fee Mastercard), various amounts ($25 - $1000), various browsers (FF, Chrome, private, regular) and nothing has worked. I've contacted both Visa & Mastercard to confirm they are not blocking the sale (they are not) so the issue is definitely with Buyatab.
The transaction always says completed, but within an hour I receive an email saying
Unable to Complete your Air Canada Online Gift-Card Order #xxxxxx. This e-mail is to notify you that we were unable to authenticate and complete your recent online Gift Card order ( # xxxxxx ). As such, your order has been cancelled.
A temporary hold was placed on your payment method. This is not a charge and will disappear from your card in 2-3 business days.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Prior to attempting another purchase, please contact our Air Canada Gift Card Support.
Air Canada Gift Card Support Contact Information
Toll Free and SMS in North America at 1-855-281-1761.
Please note that this process is in place to ensure the protection and security of all of our customers and their credit card information.
Thank you for your cooperation.
I've called the Customer Support number, and the person I spoke to really didn't care. She kept repeating "there's nothing we can do, if it doesn't go through it doesn't go through, it must be a problem with your card." I told her my bank is approving the transactions (I have seen the pending charges on my account) but Buyatab is later cancelling them. She basically shrugged over the phone and said there's nothing she can do, it's all up to the system.
So, does anyone know the "trick" to buying a gift card online?
(long-time lurker, hardly ever post but am really stumped on this one... )
I've tried 17 (17!) different ways in the past 5 days and have been unsuccessful every time. I know 2 others who have been continually trying all week, also with no success.
I've tried various credit cards (Aeroplan black Visa, Mastercard Gold, no-fee Mastercard), various amounts ($25 - $1000), various browsers (FF, Chrome, private, regular) and nothing has worked. I've contacted both Visa & Mastercard to confirm they are not blocking the sale (they are not) so the issue is definitely with Buyatab.
The transaction always says completed, but within an hour I receive an email saying
Unable to Complete your Air Canada Online Gift-Card Order #xxxxxx. This e-mail is to notify you that we were unable to authenticate and complete your recent online Gift Card order ( # xxxxxx ). As such, your order has been cancelled.
A temporary hold was placed on your payment method. This is not a charge and will disappear from your card in 2-3 business days.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Prior to attempting another purchase, please contact our Air Canada Gift Card Support.
Air Canada Gift Card Support Contact Information
Toll Free and SMS in North America at 1-855-281-1761.
Please note that this process is in place to ensure the protection and security of all of our customers and their credit card information.
Thank you for your cooperation.
I've called the Customer Support number, and the person I spoke to really didn't care. She kept repeating "there's nothing we can do, if it doesn't go through it doesn't go through, it must be a problem with your card." I told her my bank is approving the transactions (I have seen the pending charges on my account) but Buyatab is later cancelling them. She basically shrugged over the phone and said there's nothing she can do, it's all up to the system.
So, does anyone know the "trick" to buying a gift card online?
(long-time lurker, hardly ever post but am really stumped on this one... )
Nov 29, 2020, 3:08 pm
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Canada
Programs: Aeroplan SE 100K, NEXUS, IHG Rewards
Posts: 69
OK, thanks for the feedback. For the egift cards, how long did you have to wait before it was delivered? I did one 3 hours ago and the transaction hasn't yet been rejected, but I also haven't yet received the email with the egift card, so am not sure if it "took". (All other previous pending transactions on my card have been reversed, but thanks for the warning Bogwoppit!)
Nov 29, 2020, 3:22 pm
#7
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Ontario Canada
Programs: Air Canada 50K - Hilton Diamond - Marriott Platinum
Posts: 282
OK, thanks for the feedback. For the egift cards, how long did you have to wait before it was delivered? I did one 3 hours ago and the transaction hasn't yet been rejected, but I also haven't yet received the email with the egift card, so am not sure if it "took". (All other previous pending transactions on my card have been reversed, but thanks for the warning Bogwoppit!)
Nov 29, 2020, 4:59 pm
#8
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SFO
Programs: AC SE MM, BA Gold, SQ Silver, Bonvoy Tit LTG, Hyatt Glob, HH Diamond
Posts: 44,316
Okay I tried again. 1000 failed. 750 failed. 500 succeeded. Twice.
I wish they offered some kind of SQD for this. Even if it was something like 1/4 the purchase price, I'd probably buy five figures of GCs.
I wish they offered some kind of SQD for this. Even if it was something like 1/4 the purchase price, I'd probably buy five figures of GCs.
Nov 29, 2020, 5:02 pm
#9
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: YYZ
Programs: Only J via Peasant Points, 777HDPeasant or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance and Narcissism.
Posts: 5,951
Sobeys offer them for 15 percent off for the last few years that was a very great deal, this doesn't seem as good as of a deal to me.
Nov 29, 2020, 5:04 pm
#10
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SFO
Programs: AC SE MM, BA Gold, SQ Silver, Bonvoy Tit LTG, Hyatt Glob, HH Diamond
Posts: 44,316
Nov 29, 2020, 5:25 pm
#13
Join Date: May 2020
Location: YYZ
Programs: AC SE, AA PlatPro, Hyatt Globalist, Bonvoy Plat & LT Gold, Hilton Gold, National EE
Posts: 878
Nov 30, 2020, 10:47 am
#15
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: USA
Programs: AC SE100K, F9 100k, NK Gold, UA *S, Hyatt Glob, Bonvoy Titanium
Posts: 5,192
This isn't a new issue. In October 2019, my spouse and I
couldn't buy gift cards during Earn Your Wings but then our minor child could. Tried numerous cards across both our CC billing addresses. At last 20 preauths went through. But 2 or 24 hours later we got cancellation emails.
Escalating repeatedly and offering to have even the AC Concierge office help verify us as higher than average spend elite customers did not help.
Then a week later, after they essentially told me to stop trying I could never buy-- I tried again and $2000 went through
One of the replies "Rita" wrote me back in Oct 2019:
"Upon secondary review of your purchase attempt, our system was unable to complete your recent online gift card order and therefore your order has been cancelled.
Our system uses a combination of internal and external tools, including information from your financial institution. With the information provided, our system was unable to verify"
couldn't buy gift cards during Earn Your Wings but then our minor child could. Tried numerous cards across both our CC billing addresses. At last 20 preauths went through. But 2 or 24 hours later we got cancellation emails.
Escalating repeatedly and offering to have even the AC Concierge office help verify us as higher than average spend elite customers did not help.
Then a week later, after they essentially told me to stop trying I could never buy-- I tried again and $2000 went through
One of the replies "Rita" wrote me back in Oct 2019:
"Upon secondary review of your purchase attempt, our system was unable to complete your recent online gift card order and therefore your order has been cancelled.
Our system uses a combination of internal and external tools, including information from your financial institution. With the information provided, our system was unable to verify"