Non Pharmacy Bean Locations
Mar 9, 2013, 7:43 pm
#76
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: ORD
Programs: US Air, UA BA LH AI DELTA MARRIOTT CHOICE SGP
Posts: 9,883
Mar 9, 2013, 7:44 pm
#77
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Upper Sternistan
Posts: 10,047
Mar 9, 2013, 8:41 pm
#78
Join Date: Sep 2005
Programs: Northwest, United
Posts: 3,257
Hope springs eternal on this one. Especially since on the Vanilla Reload website, they lost WalMart as a place that sells them. So far, though, that has not proved to be true (and if it ever is, they will almost surely require cash/debit for them).
One can still dream.
One can still dream.
Mar 10, 2013, 11:00 pm
#79
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Midwest
Programs: AA LT Gold 1MM ,Hyatt Explorist,Marriott Platinum,HHonors Diamond
Posts: 364
Went on a non CVS bean location tour today,found some at 2 separate gas stations chains ,2 out of 3 of the first one took credit card with no problems ,the second one cash only ...bought 4 total ....2x is better than 1x I guess ...activating the cards however was kinda weird and different than CVS and took about 3-4 minutes ,a line formed behind me waiting for the attendant who was activating the cards manually ...
Mar 11, 2013, 10:05 am
#82
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Washington DC
Programs: DL GM US silver AA GM Jet Blue True Blue
Posts: 240
I had an interesting experience in my ongoing and still unsuccessful beam hunt: found a store with cardboard picture of a beam that said please purchase at the register. I thought the actual beans were behind the counter. Bit the lady begging the counter, who claimed to be the manager, was clueless...so the hunt continues!
Mar 11, 2013, 1:25 pm
#83
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: SFO
Posts: 198
Of the places I've checked in the SF Bay Area, either the racks are always empty (CVS) or they don't carry it (Valero) or they take cash only (Luckys, Walgreens). I knew it was too good to be true when the OD next door was emptied out (this was a while ago), but the Luckys had stacks and stacks of them (clerk was willing to try but couldn't complete the transaction).
I've searched from SF to Oakland/Hayward/Fremont down to San Jose the past few months without ever finding one place to purchase beans with CC. Not quite ready to throw in the towel yet, but getting close.
Has anyone had any luck at all in the Bay Area finding a place that has beans in stock and accepts CC?!? Willing to PM to help me make minimum spend? (I've already prepaid all the bills I can for now.) TIA
I've searched from SF to Oakland/Hayward/Fremont down to San Jose the past few months without ever finding one place to purchase beans with CC. Not quite ready to throw in the towel yet, but getting close.
Has anyone had any luck at all in the Bay Area finding a place that has beans in stock and accepts CC?!? Willing to PM to help me make minimum spend? (I've already prepaid all the bills I can for now.) TIA
Mar 11, 2013, 1:31 pm
#84
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Bay Area, CA
Programs: AA Plat, UA Gold, AS MVP Gold, HH Diamond, SPG Gold, Club Carlson Gold, US
Posts: 956
Of the places I've checked in the SF Bay Area, either the racks are always empty (CVS) or they don't carry it (Valero) or they take cash only (Luckys, Walgreens). I knew it was too good to be true when the OD next door was emptied out (this was a while ago), but the Luckys had stacks and stacks of them (clerk was willing to try but couldn't complete the transaction).
I've searched from SF to Oakland/Hayward/Fremont down to San Jose the past few months without ever finding one place to purchase beans with CC. Not quite ready to throw in the towel yet, but getting close.
Has anyone had any luck at all in the Bay Area finding a place that has beans in stock and accepts CC?!? Willing to PM to help me make minimum spend? (I've already prepaid all the bills I can for now.) TIA
I've searched from SF to Oakland/Hayward/Fremont down to San Jose the past few months without ever finding one place to purchase beans with CC. Not quite ready to throw in the towel yet, but getting close.
Has anyone had any luck at all in the Bay Area finding a place that has beans in stock and accepts CC?!? Willing to PM to help me make minimum spend? (I've already prepaid all the bills I can for now.) TIA
Mar 11, 2013, 1:42 pm
#85
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Atlanta
Programs: Delta Diamond; HHonors Diamond
Posts: 655
I found some unique beans today at a $ location. They were slightly different than what I usually buy at charlie's victoria secret so I didn't follow through. The card looked just like the usual beans, but instead of having the scratch off PIN on the back, the card simply had a bar code on the back. The woman at the register said I would need to hand her my card to be reloaded (i.e., my BB card) and she would ring up the VRs and have them applied to my BB card right then and there. Has anyone used this form of VR and does it work with the BB card? Are there any extra fees from BB to do it this way (the $ store was going to charge only the standard VR fee, as far as I could tell)?
Mar 11, 2013, 1:47 pm
#86
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 801
I found some unique beans today at a $ location. They were slightly different than what I usually buy at charlie's victoria secret so I didn't follow through. The card looked just like the usual beans, but instead of having the scratch off PIN on the back, the card simply had a bar code on the back. The woman at the register said I would need to hand her my card to be reloaded (i.e., my BB card) and she would ring up the VRs and have them applied to my BB card right then and there. Has anyone used this form of VR and does it work with the BB card? Are there any extra fees from BB to do it this way (the $ store was going to charge only the standard VR fee, as far as I could tell)?
Mar 11, 2013, 2:10 pm
#87
Suspended
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 2,998
I found some unique beans today at a $ location. They were slightly different than what I usually buy at charlie's victoria secret so I didn't follow through. The card looked just like the usual beans, but instead of having the scratch off PIN on the back, the card simply had a bar code on the back. The woman at the register said I would need to hand her my card to be reloaded (i.e., my BB card) and she would ring up the VRs and have them applied to my BB card right then and there. Has anyone used this form of VR and does it work with the BB card? Are there any extra fees from BB to do it this way (the $ store was going to charge only the standard VR fee, as far as I could tell)?
Some stores (Dollar stores typically) let you reload at the register instead of selling the actual card.
If you read back far enough, you'll see lots of bashing of clerks at these stores by illinformed and poorly raised FT'ers who immediately assumed it was the clerks fault that they couldn't "load" one of these blanks and walk out with it.
Mar 11, 2013, 3:27 pm
#89
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: SFO
Posts: 198
There are stores which carry the VRs but I do not think anyone would want to divulge their locations these days (I know it's against flyertalk policy, but once bitten twice shy kinda deal here). Firstly, as you know it takes time and effort to find the VRs and secondly I witnessed it first hand when i shared few locations via PM and now I can never find VRs in those stores
Thanks for posting though. At least I know there are beans in the Bay Area so I might continue searching...
Mar 11, 2013, 8:04 pm
#90
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 4,166
I've found VR at Valeros in the Denver area, but they were all cash only. I waas even able to go through the transaction and the computer wouldn't allow a CC at all.
If you're in Denver and have found a place that still sells VR with a CC please PM me. I've gone to almost all WG stores in the entire metro and stores that used to allow CC no longer do.
If you're in Denver and have found a place that still sells VR with a CC please PM me. I've gone to almost all WG stores in the entire metro and stores that used to allow CC no longer do.