Promotion ending today. Nothing active for this weekend AFAIK.

My town's weekly supermarket circulars show up in my mailbox on Fridays, when most of the weekly sales start. I looked today to see if -- like last year -- there were ANY good X-mas season gift card offers. There weren't: all of the deals were modest and not "game-able" for folks want to buy the Visa/Mastercards. Like one store (I think it was Safeway) would give you $10 in groceries if you bought $100 in gift cards but, if you bought Visas/MCs, you could only buy the $25 and $50 denominations. Another store would make a $5 "charitable donation" if you bought $100 in gift cards.

Seems like somebody at the gift card companies has figured out that these promos can be "abused." I won't be surprised if the Giant/Stop & Shop deals are a thing of the past.

Shoprite gives $15 per plus card if you buy any $100 or more GC exclude ShopRite GC. They use your Shoprite Plus Card to track it so even you got 2 certificates only the first one works. I bought $500 Visa GC for MS cost me $5.95 but gain $15 GC plus 3000 Hilton points. Today is the last and you have to use it from 12/7 - 12/13 and you have to buy at least $15

Your Shoprite lets you buy GCs?

I can confirm mine do (NJ outside Philly). Limit to 1 per day, $500 max. Mixed messages if the $5.95 fee has to be paid with cash/debit (I've had both, by the same manager at different times). Limit is soft, i.e. not hard coded into register, but all CSR's know there is a 1/day limit. which means am/pm trip to same store, or schlepping to multiple stores. not very scaleable...

Yes I bought GC by credit card twice. The first one $100 JC Penney GC with $20 promotion on Saturday 11/29. The second one I bought $500 Visa GC for $15 promotion and this time the cashier had to call in someone to key in and asked me for ID.

I had my wife pick up some gift cards at a giant in KOP area tonight and the CS desk said they had 3 people come in and purchase gc with stolen credit cards in the past week. They prevented the one guy but the other two got away with it. They had to call up the manager to process the transaction for my wife. I'm sure this happens all the time but hopefully it doesn't kill buying gc with cc at giant anytime soon

Thanks JiffyJiff! I'll drive through NJ on my way back tomorrow and fine some Shoprite stores. Variety is key...That's what i'm trying to achieve here.

Halpham, i should have specifically said Visa or MasterCard...sorry, my mistake.

Yeah, it seems strange to us ("like isn't EVERYBODY buying gift cards for the benefits"), but it does seem like it's still pretty rare -- and that a material percentage of large gift card transactions ARE fraudulent. One of my Staples managers told me that there are only "a few of you guys we can trust," and that most of the other people who try to buy them are crooks! I've always thought she was paranoid, but maybe I underestimate the incidence of fraud. I do know that when I go to a grocery store, the cashiers and other patrons within earshot are often startled when I buy a $500 gift card. If I buy 2, you'd think I was making a million dollar purchase. BTW, they almost always think that I'm buying them as a gift: so I constantly get comments like "Wow -- you're going to make somebody very happy." So the idea that there are credit card benefits that you can get from buying gift cards (much less gas points) is something known to only a tiny, tiny percentage of the population. Probably 99% of the population thinks gift cards are for, well, gifts!

The most common comment I get is, "Can you be my friend?"

-bump-

Gift Cards at Grocery stores
 

YMMV at Shop rite's in upstate NY. One allows at least 2 VGC purchases at 1x. I am only there 1x per week. The manager used to call in to get approval, and then handed me back my Id and went to purchase at register with groceries. He did that 3 weeks in a row. Now they just tell me it's ok to check out w/o him calling. The Shop rite in Danbury Ct (huge)and other Shoprites does not even sell GC.or don't allow CC. Also Hannaford in Upstate NY will sell VGC with CC. And I received all the SRite rewards.. 20.00 on Black Friday weekend for buying 100.00 VGC and 15.00 the following week for buying 100.00 VGC also. Have 2 cards =70.00. But you have to bring receipt and use the following week.

I tell them exactly what its for, if they ask. I usually hand every cashier my card and I.D. Some just glance at it, while others don't even look. I had this lady say "You handed your I.D before i even asked, its okay, i dont have to see it anymore" lol. I build relationships from store to store. At this point, they all know me and they know exactly how much i'm there to get. Managers know me well and understand that i'm not trying to scam their store. It's always good to be friendly...Noooowww, money orders are a totally different animal lol.

Completely Agree
I would like to make the cashier comfortable , no confrontation or argument ever.
Some time even though i know that limit is higher than cashier willing to let me purchase , i just accept and get what is proposed.
Whenever asked , i just tell them exact reason , most of them understand but few may not have clue , but it works.
Again i am not big in MS , i do only when i get some free time to deal with Wally .
Cheers

Shoprite in West Hartford, Manchester and Glastonbury all in CT all sell GC accepting CC.