Jun 22, 2013, 10:42 am
Last edit by: ChrisFlyer66
There is a new thread for 2017: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/manufactured-spending/1819569-pin-available-now-visa-mc-prepaid-debit-cards-2017-a.html
Federal Reserve interpretation of Dodd-Frank financial reform regulations has resulted in Visa/MC gift cards getting PINs as of April 1, 2013.
Setting PINS
At Walmat, many MCs default to credit(and fail) and require pressing a button to change the payment type to debit. Here are the workarounds:
Old POS systems (monochrome black on green terminals and replacement color terminals):
1a. Screen shows "Insert or Swipe Card Quickly" with "Espanol" button in lower right (note if your screen blinks)
1b. Swipe card
1c. Screen shows "Waiting for cashier..." with with working animation in lower center and "Cancel" button in lower right
2. Press "Cancel" on the screen or red button on pad (if your screen blinks, do not hit button until after blink)
3. Press "ATM/DEBIT" from upper left
4. Press "No Cash Back"
5a. Enter PIN
5b. Screen shows "Waiting for cashier..."
6. Cashier hits blue (not green) Debit button on their side.
New POS systems (color terminal):
1. Swipe GC
2. Press "Change Payment" on screen (Yellow button on pad should also work, but screen works better for some. Timing is critical.)
3. Press "DEBIT"
4. Press "No Cash Back"
5. Enter PIN - Screen showing another 'Waiting for cashier...'.
6. Ask Cashier to hit blue color Debit button on the screen
When splitting transactions among multiple cards at a Walmart register, make sure to have the cashier hit the debit button on their physical keypad. If they hit the debit button on the touchscreen, it will not work. If your transaction got declined, try having the cashier hit 'Debit' using the physical keypad on the right of the screen.
As of 6/19/2014, Walmart rejects Debit attempts above $49.99 on all cards issued by InComm/ITC Financial Services, namely all Vanilla VISA and OneVanilla. There is no workaround.
Error Messages
DEBIT NOT AVAILABLE
Not enough funds available to cover whatever amount was typed in, or most likely NOT typed in.
DEBIT NOT APPROVED
Received when the card's monthly load limit had been reached.
HOST TIMEOUT
Connection problems. The GC may be drained but the transaction should reverse itself, and funds will become available again.
Federal Reserve interpretation of Dodd-Frank financial reform regulations has resulted in Visa/MC gift cards getting PINs as of April 1, 2013.
Setting PINS
- MetaBank VISA or Sunrise VISA -use the last four digits of the card number (or to set personal PIN call 888-524-1283)
- US Bank VISA and Mastercard - Newer cards come with a PIN printed on cardstock inside the package. To set/reset PIN, call 866-952-5653. One person reports: VISA that has pre-set PIN locks PIN on first use if not previously reset; always call to set PIN before use. If you forget to reset the pin and you can't unload the funds to your BB, call the toll free # and ask rep. to "reset" the card and they will do some magic and you should then be able to unload the funds at WM.
- Vanilla VISA and OneVanilla(not MyVanilla, etc) - selection of 4 digits on the first transaction becomes the PIN
At Walmat, many MCs default to credit(and fail) and require pressing a button to change the payment type to debit. Here are the workarounds:
Old POS systems (monochrome black on green terminals and replacement color terminals):
1a. Screen shows "Insert or Swipe Card Quickly" with "Espanol" button in lower right (note if your screen blinks)
1b. Swipe card
1c. Screen shows "Waiting for cashier..." with with working animation in lower center and "Cancel" button in lower right
2. Press "Cancel" on the screen or red button on pad (if your screen blinks, do not hit button until after blink)
3. Press "ATM/DEBIT" from upper left
4. Press "No Cash Back"
5a. Enter PIN
5b. Screen shows "Waiting for cashier..."
6. Cashier hits blue (not green) Debit button on their side.
New POS systems (color terminal):
1. Swipe GC
2. Press "Change Payment" on screen (Yellow button on pad should also work, but screen works better for some. Timing is critical.)
3. Press "DEBIT"
4. Press "No Cash Back"
5. Enter PIN - Screen showing another 'Waiting for cashier...'.
6. Ask Cashier to hit blue color Debit button on the screen
When splitting transactions among multiple cards at a Walmart register, make sure to have the cashier hit the debit button on their physical keypad. If they hit the debit button on the touchscreen, it will not work. If your transaction got declined, try having the cashier hit 'Debit' using the physical keypad on the right of the screen.
As of 6/19/2014, Walmart rejects Debit attempts above $49.99 on all cards issued by InComm/ITC Financial Services, namely all Vanilla VISA and OneVanilla. There is no workaround.
Error Messages
DEBIT NOT AVAILABLE
Not enough funds available to cover whatever amount was typed in, or most likely NOT typed in.
DEBIT NOT APPROVED
Received when the card's monthly load limit had been reached.
HOST TIMEOUT
Connection problems. The GC may be drained but the transaction should reverse itself, and funds will become available again.
PIN available now for Visa/MC prepaid debit cards(2013-2016).
Jan 6, 2014, 10:55 am
#2926
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Raiegh, NC
Posts: 300
For Walmart it's 4 cards max per transaction. I ask for slightly less than $3K, and ask for the first MO to be a separate transaction. Works well.
Jan 6, 2014, 11:01 am
#2927
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: DCA/IAD
Programs: HH Gold-IHG Plat
Posts: 390
do I tell them to do split transaction and to use the button on the keypad not the button on the screen?
Jan 7, 2014, 12:46 am
#2928
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: PHX & AGP
Programs: AA Lifetime PLT, Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, Hilton Gold
Posts: 11,463
Why do people only go to WM for money orders? For me the extra .25 cents I pay at my grocery store is well worth me going there, the clerk knows me and does not have a problem with my multi GC.. Granted it takes a while to build the repore with the clerk but it works and I don't have to worry if the WM cleark will "run me out" becasue I'm using a GC...
Jan 7, 2014, 8:35 am
#2929
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: NYC
Posts: 415
Why do people only go to WM for money orders? For me the extra .25 cents I pay at my grocery store is well worth me going there, the clerk knows me and does not have a problem with my multi GC.. Granted it takes a while to build the repore with the clerk but it works and I don't have to worry if the WM cleark will "run me out" becasue I'm using a GC...
Jan 7, 2014, 8:51 am
#2930
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 367
So - since Thanksgiving I have not been tracking this thread too closely... I have come back multiple times and I thought I hit all the pages in my backlog - but I am not finding too much information about the following:
At least one of the big bloggers, and several reports on FWF are stating that WM is now requiring ID for any loads above $500. Additionally, reports state that at WM's with working kiosks, those kiosks are either closed, or direct people over to Customer Service if they try to load.
Since I don't hear much talk here about this - should I assume these reports are over-rated? I had shifted much of my spend over to VRs, but may need to go back to some GC loads.
What's the consensus on the current state?
tia
At least one of the big bloggers, and several reports on FWF are stating that WM is now requiring ID for any loads above $500. Additionally, reports state that at WM's with working kiosks, those kiosks are either closed, or direct people over to Customer Service if they try to load.
Since I don't hear much talk here about this - should I assume these reports are over-rated? I had shifted much of my spend over to VRs, but may need to go back to some GC loads.
What's the consensus on the current state?
tia
Jan 7, 2014, 9:27 am
#2931
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 1,710
So - since Thanksgiving I have not been tracking this thread too closely... I have come back multiple times and I thought I hit all the pages in my backlog - but I am not finding too much information about the following:
At least one of the big bloggers, and several reports on FWF are stating that WM is now requiring ID for any loads above $500. Additionally, reports state that at WM's with working kiosks, those kiosks are either closed, or direct people over to Customer Service if they try to load.
Since I don't hear much talk here about this - should I assume these reports are over-rated? I had shifted much of my spend over to VRs, but may need to go back to some GC loads.
What's the consensus on the current state?
tia
At least one of the big bloggers, and several reports on FWF are stating that WM is now requiring ID for any loads above $500. Additionally, reports state that at WM's with working kiosks, those kiosks are either closed, or direct people over to Customer Service if they try to load.
Since I don't hear much talk here about this - should I assume these reports are over-rated? I had shifted much of my spend over to VRs, but may need to go back to some GC loads.
What's the consensus on the current state?
tia
Jan 7, 2014, 9:43 am
#2932
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 1999
Posts: 24,153
Why do people only go to WM for money orders? For me the extra .25 cents I pay at my grocery store is well worth me going there, the clerk knows me and does not have a problem with my multi GC.. Granted it takes a while to build the repore with the clerk but it works and I don't have to worry if the WM cleark will "run me out" becasue I'm using a GC...
2- if using GCs then its as you said but again if max is $500 per MO then it costs you 2x in fees. When swiping 2 GCs @ Wallys will cost only $.70 since you will be walking a way with 1 $1k MO and not 2 @ $500 so if you are paying .95 per $500 MO 2 will cost you $1.90 while it will cost you only .70 at Wallys thats an extra $1.20 do enough and the savings will be there. Of cause if Wally is 1/2 hr away and you are driving there just for MOs the gas and time will outweigh the savings.
A YMMV issue all depending on how many MOs a person is getting and how many Wallys are close by, I could hit 3-4 Wallys in a given day for $2k each, w/o going way out of my way and whiel driving from 1 to another hit some places to p/u some more GCs and VRs if they have them
If a person is gonna be doing a ton of MOing it will add up in the end
Jan 7, 2014, 9:51 am
#2933
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 367
Most of the discussion on those changes are over in the "Walmart enhances gift card purchase policies" thread (yes that doesn't make a lot of sense but that is where the discussion is). Basically it seems $500.01 and higher in a single transaction with BB does lead to cashiers asking for ID. It seems separate transactions at the same register don't (there is some conflicting information on that). Conflicting information on kiosks (mine are all dead currently so cannot test) but some report they now fail with BB reloads with the error "Please see representative, more information needed" or something like that. Others say they are still working as before. I have had no problem using cashiers to do BB reloads $500 at a time.
Jan 7, 2014, 11:53 am
#2934
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: DCA/IAD
Programs: HH Gold-IHG Plat
Posts: 390
Why do people only go to WM for money orders? For me the extra .25 cents I pay at my grocery store is well worth me going there, the clerk knows me and does not have a problem with my multi GC.. Granted it takes a while to build the repore with the clerk but it works and I don't have to worry if the WM cleark will "run me out" becasue I'm using a GC...
any idea on max cards they take??
Last edited by ac921ol; Jan 7, 2014 at 1:05 pm
Jan 7, 2014, 12:43 pm
#2935
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: ATL F-Terminal
Programs: Hilton C, Marriott Pt, Delta Pt
Posts: 249
Jan 8, 2014, 2:36 am
#2936
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: PHX & AGP
Programs: AA Lifetime PLT, Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, Hilton Gold
Posts: 11,463
Maybe because that's their only option? Why do some people buy GC from the grocery instead of just going to CVS for VR? Because where they live, they don't have a CVS or their CVS won't accept CC. Same situation for MO at Walmart. All my local grocery stores only accept cash for MO. So I would gladly pay the extra quarter if you would just show me where to go...
Jan 8, 2014, 2:36 am
#2937
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: PHX & AGP
Programs: AA Lifetime PLT, Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, Hilton Gold
Posts: 11,463
Jan 8, 2014, 2:39 am
#2938
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: PHX & AGP
Programs: AA Lifetime PLT, Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, Hilton Gold
Posts: 11,463
Krogers/Fry's is $750 max per MO, so if you are going to $200 GC, then 3, the clerk I know, knows how to split the transcation, and I pay the .49 fee... If I do my MO's, I only get 2 at a time for the max, $750.
Jan 8, 2014, 11:18 am
#2939
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: RDU
Programs: A few
Posts: 5,499
there are many, many places that sell MO's and do debit card billpay other than WM... however for me my local WM happens to have some of the best/friendliest staff. but knowing alternatives, backup options etc is always important
and yes i am now asked for ID at wm for BP, but it's just a quick glance and not a scan a la cvs
and yes i am now asked for ID at wm for BP, but it's just a quick glance and not a scan a la cvs
Jan 8, 2014, 5:32 pm
#2940
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: DCA/IAD
Programs: HH Gold-IHG Plat
Posts: 390
grocery store just let me use 5x200 VGC to purchase $1000 MO for a fee of $1.00
I bought 2 $1000 MO I am going back for my last set of GC's tomorrow.
Im happy to know I can just drive a mile and unload my GC's for MO at grocery store.
Only issue is that I pay $6.95 per GC at Staples, but I do get x5 at Office supply stores. so to MS 5k it would cost me $173.00 but I would yield 25k UR points a month.
anyone know of an cheaper option to get GC or is that my only option for office stores. wish they had $500 giftcards, lol
I bought 2 $1000 MO I am going back for my last set of GC's tomorrow.
Im happy to know I can just drive a mile and unload my GC's for MO at grocery store.
Only issue is that I pay $6.95 per GC at Staples, but I do get x5 at Office supply stores. so to MS 5k it would cost me $173.00 but I would yield 25k UR points a month.
anyone know of an cheaper option to get GC or is that my only option for office stores. wish they had $500 giftcards, lol