Originally Posted by satman40 (Post 22426106)

Switch to SERVE walk in load you Serve card with your CC walk out, who cares if they have other cards in stock,

KISS.

Who needs beans, and WM

Originally Posted by craz (Post 22428898)

I usually tell them the last 4 #s before they ask, but have no problems handing them the cc if they want it, with no need to cover up anything. If a person is set on getting the whole # they will, if they get it and use it Im covered and will simply dispute those charges. Besides for many things theyd need the 3 # security code on the back anyways

Originally Posted by GetawaysRus (Post 22428938)

OK, so my curiosity about Serve is increasing. But I have a few questions:

1. I'm assuming that if you swipe reload Serve at CVS, this means you avoid the $3.95 fee per VR, correct? Yes, those fees do add up.

2. Another question about Serve: I have a BB account and so does my wife. When I buy VRs, I can apply them to either account. But if I were to switch both accounts to Serve, would I be able to swipe reload her Serve accout at CVS? Does the CVS cashier check the name on the Serve card?

3. So far, if I understand how Serve works, the thing that has kept me from switching over is that I believe Serve does not offer checkwriting. I am writing lots of BB checks to pay estimated taxes and property taxes. Am I right that I lose checkwriting with Serve? Is there any way to pay taxes from a Serve account?

Originally Posted by diamondeye (Post 22418429)

I expect I'll be publishing this spreadsheet on some cloud somewhere, in the meantime, here's what I'm putting together. To the other DC denizen who knows of cash-beans CVS joints near the Capital, do tell.

I'll be putting one together for Baltimore as well...

http://i.imgur.com/Z7lPd2j.jpg

Originally Posted by mayday23 (Post 22429945)

Does anyone have a good tool that tracks where you hide the VRs? I've got these things planted in numerous different stores and having a hard time keeping track. Any help is appreciated.

Originally Posted by stompey5 (Post 22430673)

anyone's CVS start asking "are you standing in front of me purchasing this card"? My CVS just started asking the other day - saying CVS has been hit with a lot of fraud w GC/prepaids with people calling in...

Originally Posted by jjd477 (Post 22428041)

Well, here's my 2 cents on posting availability info... When OD was selling VR and variable load gc that one could buy with a cc, I posted on a blogger's site which particular store had these in stock. I did that on a Thursday night after buying a usual under the radar amount of 1k. That following Sunday I was driving by the store and stopped in to buy another 1k. The gc rack was empty of what I wanted. Went to manager to see if they had more and he told me no they didn't because they sold out the. $15K worth that they had the day before. He heard somebody say that they were "gaming Chase CC's" to get a five percent rebate and he didn't know when they would get any more.

Bottom line, that was the end of VGC and VR with a CC at OD. So, I guess that I am saying that availability should not be posted with a specific store but could be posted as. 'Available in DC'.

Yes OD did stop selling VR but that ended for me as soon as it started.

BTW, I have two pharmacies that always have VR's for me.......

Originally Posted by DCBob (Post 22431627)

+1. That's a logical conclusion and it's what happened to me at the Vermont Avenue Store in DC. They had HUNDREDS of cards in inventory and ZERO on the racks about a year ago. The hiding of the cards took place the day after I PM'ed a FTer.

The CVS response was first to move them behind the counter (but a inspector from CVS management later told them to stop doing that). That worked fine while it was in effect. In the end, the store manager at the CVS decided to only accept cash for VRs. That's still the rule.

Of course, the hidden cards are now displayed in all their glory on the racks. But someone whose greed got the best of them slaughtered the herd. And, unlike another poster falsely claimed, that is NOT "irrational paranoia" or "flawed thinking." To think that it won't ever hurt to publicly post a list of stores that have a constant availability of VR cards shows naiveté or a lack of experience at best.

Originally Posted by PaulMSN (Post 22432049)

No, that's not a logical conclusion, but rather more flawed thinking. You made a hypothesis based on events that occurred and then decided hypothesis was fact without any corroborating evidence and without examining any of a myriad other possibilities. It's tempting to decide "this must be the reason", but it is only one of many possibilities. You don't have, and can't have, enough evidence to prove your conclusion. There are simply too many variables.

Originally Posted by DCBob (Post 22432094)

Both of us have a right to our respective opinions. Seasoned MS zealots can give us feedback and some have done so. I'd like to hear what others think. I would also like you to give evidence to support your own position, that publicly posting a list of stores with availability won't affect the supply at that store. That seems to be what you are suggesting.

Originally Posted by GetawaysRus (Post 22428938)

3. So far, if I understand how Serve works, the thing that has kept me from switching over is that I believe Serve does not offer checkwriting. I am writing lots of BB checks to pay estimated taxes and property taxes. Am I right that I lose checkwriting with Serve? Is there any way to pay taxes from a Serve account?)