Feb 8, 2014, 2:22 pm
Last edit by: weezl
please be aware the Target breach cards are currently on the black market, as always be aware of activity on all accounts
Purchase in store. Each store seems to have just one lane that has them on display (unlike the AMEX GC which are at most lanes). Package is larger than other gift cards, silver and red.
Not available in all states. Search here for possible locations
Note: Unlike AMEX's restriction on BB/Serve/Redbird where one person can only hold one of those, you can have an AFT (2, actually) while holding a BB, Serve, or Redbird
Need DL to purchase.
Max 1 purchase per ss# per day--this means one person can actually have 2 AFT cards, which is why there is a $5000 total limit for 2 cards (see below).
Max initial load $500 + $3 load fee.
May reload temp card as soon as verification of identity is complete, may take 48 hours. You can use an ATM with a temp card as soon as you're able to view your temp card PIN online. If you're unable to view your PIN online, you won't be able to use an ATM until you have the permanent card, which takes about two weeks.
Many stores now limit reloading to the service desk, and no longer at cashiers. The card must be swiped at a cash terminal to reload, not scanned! Ask cashiers to try if they don't seem to recognize the card. Ask if loading at service desk is a policy, it might just be a knee-jerk response from cashiers that don't know about the card. I have been told that a few times, "You need to go to the Service Desk," it has never been true. Say please and thank you.
Limits & Fees
Loading
Codes as purchase on all cards.
Load fee $3
Max $1000 per card in 24 hour period.
Max $5000 total for both cards per 28 day rolling period.
May load any card *until* balance is $2500 for 28 day period (not *up to*)
System will allow a $1000 load on a card with a $2000 balance so long as you are under $5000 for all cards over 28 day period. See below for optimal load sequence, $15/$5k a month after 1st month and $15k in 65 days for new cards.
Unload via ATM
Max $400/card/day (resets sometime in the wee hours of the morning)
First ATM w/d per month per card is free, based on 1st of the month (not rolling)+ any ATM owner fee.
Additional ATM w/d fee $3 + ATM fee.
When asked 'from account' choose 'checking.'
Possibly helpful link:
Free and Low-Cost ATMs
Unload by purchases
No fee. No cash back.
Additional information
Optimal load pattern for least number of $3 fees after first $500 load is $3k/$2k.
New accounts can load $15k in 65 days. 4 trips in a week for new cards, 3 in a week once a month after that.
Load always means load $1000. 28 day load total in parenthesis. 'Dropped' means that load is past the 28 day mark.
Day 1: Purchase card #1, load $500
Day 3: Purchase card #2, load $500; Load card #1 ($1500)
Day 5: load card #1 ($2500); load card #2 ($1500)
Day 7: load card #2 ($2500)
*********************************wait************
Day 29: ($2000)($2500) day 1 dropped
Day 31: ($1000)($2000) day 3 dropped
Day 32: load card #1 ($2000) ; load card #2 ($3000)
Day 33: ($1000)($2000) day 5 dropped
Day 34: load card #1 ($2000); load card #2 ($3000)
Day 35: ($2000) ($2000) day 7 dropped
Day 36: load card #1 ($3000), ($2000)
*********************************wait************
Day 61: load both cards, day 32 dropped
Day 63: load both cards
Day 65: load one card.
Repeat Loads waiting 29 days between loads, if you loaded both cards 29 days ago load both now, if you loaded one card, load one now. So next load date is 61+29= Day 90
FAQ
Q: Will this show up as a CA?
A: No, Target is not a financial institution.
Q: Even with xxxx cards?
A: Yes, no cards will be charged a CA.
Q: Can I load with Visa/MC/Amex Gift Cards?
A: Yes. Also the balance can be detected and drained if you ask to load more than the value on a prepaid it will just prompt you to give a second payment form. Great for draining random balances.
Q: How about Target gift cards?
A: The register prompts not to allow Target gift cards. They may not be hard coded, though.
Q: Will I get 5% off if I load with a Target Red card?
A: No. Sorry, I wish.
Q: Can I load multiple cards in one transaction?
A: Yes. Up to 3 cards can be loaded in one transaction, but each card will be charged $3.
Q: Why load multiple accounts in one transaction?
A: to avoid multiple $1003 transactions on same CC in minutes. This may trigger a fraud alert.
Q:Is there a max number of payment swipes?
A: Yes. Maximum swipes for split payments is 7, though other users have reported being able to swipe at least 10 gift cards for payment without problems.
Q: Any reason not to load multiple cards in one transaction?
A: Yes, when you have multiple small value gift cards to unload because of 7 swipe limit.
Q: The title says withdrawals are 1.3%, is that true?
A: No. Do the math. I'm not very good at math. Under 1.3% includes Costco ATM fees. It is not possible to edit a thread title, the fees are lower due to the ATM limit now being $400.
Q: What are the lowest possible fees with a fee-free ATM available?
A: For 2 cards, each loaded with $2.5K each over 2 months ($10K in total), you would pay $30 in loading fees (10 load fees of $3 each) and $63 in ATM fees (25 total withdrawals, with 1 free withdrawal per card each month, resulting in 21 ATM fees of $3 each).
Official fund loading from T&C
You may load funds to your Cards using your Funding Source until the Available Funds on any Card purchased by you equals $2,500 and on all card purchased by you equals $5,000... Not more than $1,000 may be loaded to any Card purchased by you in a 24 hour period using your Funding Source, not more than $5,000 may be loaded to all Cards purchased by you in any 28-day period using your Funding Source.
IMPORTANT MESSAGE IF YOU LOADED YOUR PREPAID CARD AT TARGET DURING THE CHRISTMAS SECURITY BREACH: It is important to have AMEX reissue your cards (just phone the number on the card and ask for a new card). Thieves have the numbers and pins and can drain your account at any time. AMEX does not appear to be using software to block suspicious activity, so they can drain it all. If you loaded your prepaid card at Target between November 27 and December 15, 2013, you are at significant risk of having your money stolen (several reported cases in April and May).
Purchase in store. Each store seems to have just one lane that has them on display (unlike the AMEX GC which are at most lanes). Package is larger than other gift cards, silver and red.
Not available in all states. Search here for possible locations
Note: Unlike AMEX's restriction on BB/Serve/Redbird where one person can only hold one of those, you can have an AFT (2, actually) while holding a BB, Serve, or Redbird
Need DL to purchase.
Max 1 purchase per ss# per day--this means one person can actually have 2 AFT cards, which is why there is a $5000 total limit for 2 cards (see below).
Max initial load $500 + $3 load fee.
May reload temp card as soon as verification of identity is complete, may take 48 hours. You can use an ATM with a temp card as soon as you're able to view your temp card PIN online. If you're unable to view your PIN online, you won't be able to use an ATM until you have the permanent card, which takes about two weeks.
Many stores now limit reloading to the service desk, and no longer at cashiers. The card must be swiped at a cash terminal to reload, not scanned! Ask cashiers to try if they don't seem to recognize the card. Ask if loading at service desk is a policy, it might just be a knee-jerk response from cashiers that don't know about the card. I have been told that a few times, "You need to go to the Service Desk," it has never been true. Say please and thank you.
Limits & Fees
Loading
Codes as purchase on all cards.
Load fee $3
Max $1000 per card in 24 hour period.
Max $5000 total for both cards per 28 day rolling period.
May load any card *until* balance is $2500 for 28 day period (not *up to*)
System will allow a $1000 load on a card with a $2000 balance so long as you are under $5000 for all cards over 28 day period. See below for optimal load sequence, $15/$5k a month after 1st month and $15k in 65 days for new cards.
Unload via ATM
Max $400/card/day (resets sometime in the wee hours of the morning)
First ATM w/d per month per card is free, based on 1st of the month (not rolling)+ any ATM owner fee.
Additional ATM w/d fee $3 + ATM fee.
When asked 'from account' choose 'checking.'
Possibly helpful link:
Free and Low-Cost ATMs
Unload by purchases
No fee. No cash back.
Additional information
Optimal load pattern for least number of $3 fees after first $500 load is $3k/$2k.
New accounts can load $15k in 65 days. 4 trips in a week for new cards, 3 in a week once a month after that.
Load always means load $1000. 28 day load total in parenthesis. 'Dropped' means that load is past the 28 day mark.
Day 1: Purchase card #1, load $500
Day 3: Purchase card #2, load $500; Load card #1 ($1500)
Day 5: load card #1 ($2500); load card #2 ($1500)
Day 7: load card #2 ($2500)
*********************************wait************
Day 29: ($2000)($2500) day 1 dropped
Day 31: ($1000)($2000) day 3 dropped
Day 32: load card #1 ($2000) ; load card #2 ($3000)
Day 33: ($1000)($2000) day 5 dropped
Day 34: load card #1 ($2000); load card #2 ($3000)
Day 35: ($2000) ($2000) day 7 dropped
Day 36: load card #1 ($3000), ($2000)
*********************************wait************
Day 61: load both cards, day 32 dropped
Day 63: load both cards
Day 65: load one card.
Repeat Loads waiting 29 days between loads, if you loaded both cards 29 days ago load both now, if you loaded one card, load one now. So next load date is 61+29= Day 90
FAQ
Q: Will this show up as a CA?
A: No, Target is not a financial institution.
Q: Even with xxxx cards?
A: Yes, no cards will be charged a CA.
Q: Can I load with Visa/MC/Amex Gift Cards?
A: Yes. Also the balance can be detected and drained if you ask to load more than the value on a prepaid it will just prompt you to give a second payment form. Great for draining random balances.
Q: How about Target gift cards?
A: The register prompts not to allow Target gift cards. They may not be hard coded, though.
Q: Will I get 5% off if I load with a Target Red card?
A: No. Sorry, I wish.
Q: Can I load multiple cards in one transaction?
A: Yes. Up to 3 cards can be loaded in one transaction, but each card will be charged $3.
Q: Why load multiple accounts in one transaction?
A: to avoid multiple $1003 transactions on same CC in minutes. This may trigger a fraud alert.
Q:Is there a max number of payment swipes?
A: Yes. Maximum swipes for split payments is 7, though other users have reported being able to swipe at least 10 gift cards for payment without problems.
Q: Any reason not to load multiple cards in one transaction?
A: Yes, when you have multiple small value gift cards to unload because of 7 swipe limit.
Q: The title says withdrawals are 1.3%, is that true?
A: No. Do the math. I'm not very good at math. Under 1.3% includes Costco ATM fees. It is not possible to edit a thread title, the fees are lower due to the ATM limit now being $400.
Q: What are the lowest possible fees with a fee-free ATM available?
A: For 2 cards, each loaded with $2.5K each over 2 months ($10K in total), you would pay $30 in loading fees (10 load fees of $3 each) and $63 in ATM fees (25 total withdrawals, with 1 free withdrawal per card each month, resulting in 21 ATM fees of $3 each).
Official fund loading from T&C
You may load funds to your Cards using your Funding Source until the Available Funds on any Card purchased by you equals $2,500 and on all card purchased by you equals $5,000... Not more than $1,000 may be loaded to any Card purchased by you in a 24 hour period using your Funding Source, not more than $5,000 may be loaded to all Cards purchased by you in any 28-day period using your Funding Source.
IMPORTANT MESSAGE IF YOU LOADED YOUR PREPAID CARD AT TARGET DURING THE CHRISTMAS SECURITY BREACH: It is important to have AMEX reissue your cards (just phone the number on the card and ask for a new card). Thieves have the numbers and pins and can drain your account at any time. AMEX does not appear to be using software to block suspicious activity, so they can drain it all. If you loaded your prepaid card at Target between November 27 and December 15, 2013, you are at significant risk of having your money stolen (several reported cases in April and May).
AmEx for Target: $400/week credit card ATM withdrawals for 1.3%+ in certain cities
Apr 5, 2014, 12:17 pm
#1471
Join Date: Feb 2013
Programs: WN A-List, AA, UA
Posts: 219
AmEx for Target: $400/week credit card ATM withdrawals for 1.3%+ in certain cities
Could be location specific too. I load in irvine, CA. Maybe I'll try other OC locations!
Apr 5, 2014, 2:53 pm
#1472
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 647
went to 5 targets - 1 had about 6 in stock went to buy it at the cashier and she didn't know how to do it. 2 more cashiers tried but no luck..
Went to customer service and manager didnt know how to do it. She looked it up and it said the card was not sold at that store.
anyone work at Target can comment on how to ring it up?
Went to customer service and manager didnt know how to do it. She looked it up and it said the card was not sold at that store.
anyone work at Target can comment on how to ring it up?
Apr 5, 2014, 3:27 pm
#1473
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 51
went to 5 targets - 1 had about 6 in stock went to buy it at the cashier and she didn't know how to do it. 2 more cashiers tried but no luck..
Went to customer service and manager didnt know how to do it. She looked it up and it said the card was not sold at that store.
anyone work at Target can comment on how to ring it up?
Went to customer service and manager didnt know how to do it. She looked it up and it said the card was not sold at that store.
anyone work at Target can comment on how to ring it up?
Apr 5, 2014, 3:31 pm
#1474
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 51
If someone who can edit the wiki wants to...
It looks like I can't edit the wiki. (Or, at least, I don't see a link to edit it anywhere.) But I can contribute something: no, you can't do this with target gift cards. In fact, the first thing that comes up after the initial swipe of a card is a window on the register telling them not to allow Target gift cards.
Apr 5, 2014, 4:04 pm
#1476
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: KWI
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 806
went to 5 targets - 1 had about 6 in stock went to buy it at the cashier and she didn't know how to do it. 2 more cashiers tried but no luck..
Went to customer service and manager didnt know how to do it. She looked it up and it said the card was not sold at that store.
anyone work at Target can comment on how to ring it up?
Went to customer service and manager didnt know how to do it. She looked it up and it said the card was not sold at that store.
anyone work at Target can comment on how to ring it up?
Apr 5, 2014, 9:38 pm
#1478
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 27
$1000 loads
Thank you I appreciate your response!
Another question:
I have read that the register is smart enough to automatically drain a GC, and prompt for additional slide to complete transaction.
If you ask to load $1000.00 from say an AGC, that is a $2000 card, how do you prevent the register from draining $1003? Do you have to specifically ask to do a split-tender transaction?
OR
Is it better/easier to load from $1000 AGCs only? Regsiter should auto drain your $1000, and prompt for an additional payment for the $3 load fee?
Another question:
I have read that the register is smart enough to automatically drain a GC, and prompt for additional slide to complete transaction.
If you ask to load $1000.00 from say an AGC, that is a $2000 card, how do you prevent the register from draining $1003? Do you have to specifically ask to do a split-tender transaction?
OR
Is it better/easier to load from $1000 AGCs only? Regsiter should auto drain your $1000, and prompt for an additional payment for the $3 load fee?
Last edited by repvip; Apr 5, 2014 at 9:39 pm Reason: spelling error
Apr 6, 2014, 12:18 am
#1479
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: KWI
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 806
Thank you I appreciate your response!
Another question:
I have read that the register is smart enough to automatically drain a GC, and prompt for additional slide to complete transaction.
If you ask to load $1000.00 from say an AGC, that is a $2000 card, how do you prevent the register from draining $1003? Do you have to specifically ask to do a split-tender transaction?
OR
Is it better/easier to load from $1000 AGCs only? Regsiter should auto drain your $1000, and prompt for an additional payment for the $3 load fee?
Another question:
I have read that the register is smart enough to automatically drain a GC, and prompt for additional slide to complete transaction.
If you ask to load $1000.00 from say an AGC, that is a $2000 card, how do you prevent the register from draining $1003? Do you have to specifically ask to do a split-tender transaction?
OR
Is it better/easier to load from $1000 AGCs only? Regsiter should auto drain your $1000, and prompt for an additional payment for the $3 load fee?
Apr 6, 2014, 12:20 am
#1480
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: KWI
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 806
Apr 6, 2014, 5:56 am
#1481
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 647
Thanks... I will go buy the card and take it to another to reload...
Apr 6, 2014, 8:24 pm
#1482
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Austin TX
Posts: 276
It looks like I can't edit the wiki. (Or, at least, I don't see a link to edit it anywhere.) But I can contribute something: no, you can't do this with target gift cards. In fact, the first thing that comes up after the initial swipe of a card is a window on the register telling them not to allow Target gift cards.
I can add it.
Apr 6, 2014, 8:30 pm
#1483
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Austin TX
Posts: 276
In the wiki what does "dropped" mean? I assumed that it means withdrawing from the ATM but why wait so long to withdraw and how is he "dropping" 1000 at a time or whatever when the limit is 400 per day?
Looking at it again I guess he means that is over 28 days since the load day and you can now load again as that day.
Looking at it again I guess he means that is over 28 days since the load day and you can now load again as that day.
Apr 6, 2014, 8:47 pm
#1484
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 27
It will try to bill for the total amount including fee if funds are available. I asked once about a split transaction and the clerk seemed willing, but they were extremely reluctant to on a GC. (The one time they freaked out about GCs.) I usually just let it drain the total including fee and then when the GC is short use a second CC.
I loaded $500 today from AGC onto a newly purchased AFT and was pleasantly surprised that, for the $503.00 total, and only having $500.00 on the AGC, the transaction was not cancelled, and the swipe terminal popped up with an option for "I would like to pay with an additional way" or something to that effect, which let me select it and proceed with the transaction. Cashier asked how much to put on each card. Easy!
Here I was thinking my area was heavily MS'ed, but it seems doubtful when dealing with amex for target--nobody at target knows anything about them!
Apr 6, 2014, 8:52 pm
#1485
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Austin TX
Posts: 276
Loading multiple cards in a single transaction will still result in a $3 fee for each card. If identical transactions cause a decline, loading multiple cards in one transaction might help.