Yeah, I'm only using my Barclay's US Air card because I don't care if it gets shut down. Not at all gonna play around with my AMEX, Chase or Citi cards. I've got 2 first class BA tix, 6 nights in Paris and 4 nights in Sorrento on the line in 2015, i'm not gonna jeopardize that.

Why would they come after any of us? I mean, besides making them SUSPICIOUS of money laundering or whatever activity buying VRs undoubtedly raises, what motive or cause do they have to come after anyone?

See the threads on Citi. The rewards, especially the 5x TYP card, are obviously more than Citi planned, so there were shutting down cards and taking all the points. Obviously with MS, you can spend much more than you would on "normal" spending (because you get the money back) so rewards are that much greater. Some banks choose not to say "Well played!" and take punitive action, whether or not the T&Cs were violated.

Oh I've read that in depth. Along with the Chase UR shutdowns and all of the AMEX FR fun. I was asking more from a legal standpoint or like CVS calling the police, etc.

It's not money laundering if we are creating a paper trail by credit cards. However, it is 'points laundering'. Nothing that big brother would care about but it hurts the bottomline of cc firms.

Some other members have claimed this to be - money laundering. They are wrong. Very wrong.

I don't think points laundering is the right term either. That would apply if I had somehow got points from some illegal activity and I was using VRs to make them legitimate.

Sure. Call it whatever then. I have worked in AML and this is not it.

Store policies and limits are another story but it just ticks me off when 'righteous' clerks and managers at drugstores, gas stations and office stores start policing me against 'fraud' for buying GCs. At one of the office stores near me, all cashiers need a manager approval for buying GCs over $100. Manager is a nice guy but he does a phone approval with cc firm (he has a booklet corresponding to automated phone systems). I have been there severla times but enough is enough! I think I will be going to the next store for future purchases.

:D:D:D I thought I was the only one that did that.
No wait, I have an unmarked windowless old van with a bunch of hostages in it who i have go into stores for me and buy GCs. I force them to do so with fake IDs and if they dont come out in 10 minutes I do evil things lol


oh this ticks me off too... but remember and focus... the very moral and supposedly ethical and timid types are either sitting in the back of the plane on expensive tickets or they are too afraid to fly anyway.

;)

Today i was told by an OD cashier (bless her heart because she really didnt know any better) that all GC had to be cash only because it was STATE LAW.

...

must be in their little caremark handbook cuz I got that one too. I said wrong: MA is a Commonwealth not a state lol

Just a little FYI, if you use a self service kiosk at CVS you don't have to have your ID swiped yet.

Got confused with BB, sorry about that.

Come on MM, beaubo already did the whole pay a bunch of farmers to go back and forth to earn your miles ;).

I bought my first VR las week without any problem and they did not scan my DL, just check my pic and name with the CC :D. I bought my 2nd/3rd in another store (1mile apart) and the same thing).

Two days ago I went to a different CVS located 2 miles from MIA airport (few hotels around that area), I tried to buy 1 VR with my CC and they told me that I can not load $500 with a CC, I didn't ask the max. Should I call Customer Relation and complain about it? the GC rack said that I can buy Prepaid Gift Card with Cash and CC and Gift Debit Cards with Cash only. Looks like lot of visitors took advantage on this particular store.

CVS scanned my ID while buying VR
 

Just wanted to know if this happened to anyone else...

I went to purchase 2 $500 beans from CVS and they asked for my id which I gladly gave them. They checked to see if it was real (using the the lotto machine type checker) and they also inputted by license id number. I thought that was very strange. The only time that they take your id number is when you buy medicine containing sudafed because of all crazy people watching breaking bad trying to make meth labs (jk - tangent).

Has this happened to anyone else?

Check the last few pages.