Yes...
But you could pay the fee in cash too.

Or you could get a PIN for the GC and load the full value at a WM.

So frustrating... Tried the AMEX GC at CVS in San Diego. Transaction went through perfectly but the lady realized I was using a GC when she put $500 on the reload instead of $495 like I asked (she insisted that if it's not $500, it triggers fraud). She said that the card that I use must have my named embossed on the card... She voided it completely after that.

Here's to waiting 1.5 weeks for the $500 to reload on the GC. :(

I was referring to the use of an Amex gift card. Thanks for the tips on MC/Visa gift cards.

What if you did 300?

Black helicopters.

She says she can only do $500 so black helicopters is right! All else triggers FRAUD! hahaha

I just laughed and left. :rolleyes:

Regardless, she had already done the $500 transaction in the computer and it all happened so fast that I wouldn't have had another try. Once that money is "used", voided or not, it's gone for some time. Cannot try again.

Which CVS were you at? I was in SD a fair amount this fall and bought a few VRs from two different CVSs in town. One on Balboa in Claremont (sp?) and one on Friar Rd in Mission Valley. I was only buying $1k from each store each day.

Buying VR's is fine. I do plenty there with a CC. It was buying a VR with the AMEX GC that do not have your name or anything embossed on the front.

I haven't heard people having good luck using Amex GC, for that one reason, not having your name on it. I haven't really looked into the AMEX GC much..

Got lucky and managed to wash 10 Amex GC's to buy OneVanilla's. Gonna try back tomorrow with 10 more.

"Wash" is a politically incorrect term. The politically correct term is "recycling." You are being green and recycling plastic.:D

Another type of payment form required
 

visiting my regular C. V. S spot yesterday could not buy any VR due to "the system is down" Today the system is back up and working. when i attempted to purchase my 2 VR for a total of less than a $1000, I got a message for "another type of payment is required" I have 3 others spots that i regularly hit, i wonder if anyone of you has gotten this message. BTW i tried different CC with the same outcome.

Went last night for a VR run. First one didn't have any. Second one had a lot of them - i thought id first check to see if any were allowed to be purchased. Get to the counter and i was told that this was now a "cash" product. I think the person was a manager. Anyway, i argued a bit but as usual he didn't budge. So i said ok and walked out. I went to the domino's next to it to get my Pizza. On the way out i saw the manager leaving the store. Thought id give it another shot. Went big this time and brought 4k worth of VRs. The kid at the counter clearly didn't hear my conversation with the manager because he just processed it.

So i am not sure if it's a memo or a call that they have received, but the system will still process the transaction. You just need a willing clerk.

The key is to just finding those few stores that do. Back in Indianapolis, where I go to law school, there is one CVS in particular that will do it no problem over and over (two at a time! :) so no ID scan).

However, I'm doing a trial run like I did in Indy in San Diego, and it's just a hassle waiting for the money to clear after 1.5 weeks. It would have been no issue if the CVS employee told me immediately I couldn't use it; however, she allowed the transaction to go through and voided it herself. She should have just let me do the one transaction and then never again! :)

I bought some yesterday with no issues from CVS. However, Bank of America continues to put fraud alerts on my card, as well call my business cell phone to reach me regarding lifting the fraud alert. BofA sucks, but I want to get my cash back on my Amex with them.