Vanilla Reloads!
 

After a depressing decline from 7/11 for Vanilla Reloads with a CC (which I didn't realize before going wasn't even possible), I decided to try CVS today in my town after being out a couple of days ago and seeing them at a different store in my area. Much to my delight, the store I went to today had tons of Vanilla Reloads, just like the other one. I bought one and wanted to try it to make sure everything worked since it was my first time and only put $100 on it. I felt like I had won the lottery when everything went through since I know some people have issues! Yay!

Also, a question. A lot of people have difficulty finding the cards. Is that because they're looking in big cities? Because every store I went in had loads of them (in South Jersey btw). If that is the case, does anybody know of any CVS stores in the Los Angeles area that usually has cards and allows them to be bought with CCs? I'm moving there at the end of the month and want to know that I'll be able to continue out there!

Thanks!

you would be crazy to move now that you finally found a store that will sell them to you with a cc.

Big metro areas tend to be harder because (1) more fraud, and therefore stores more hesitant to sell on CC, and (2) of the limited stores remaining, much higher demand for a limited supply of VRs.

Or you can move to the middle of nowhere like me, where nobody blinks at selling VRs but I have to drive over two hours to get to the nearest real airport.

Let's just say you won't have to drive far in LA to find a CVS selling beans with CC. =)

I think a lot of CVS's have them, its just being able to use a CC that isn't always possible. In OKC where i live, i have found 1 out of about 15 that will accept a credit card. They know me on a first name basis and know that i always buy 2 cards for $495.

Do you know of a store in LA that lets you buy with a cc??? PM me??? :)

I didnt ask you where in South NJ a person can buy them , nor did you post where we can

My advice is simple before you hit LA, go online to cvs.com use a zip code where you will be and bingo a bunch of addresses will pop up.Then 1 by 1 hit them

How many PMs will you reply with where in SNJ you can get them? thats about how many folks should PM you where in LA.I assume the answer will be ZIPPO

worse comes to worse like me on Sun you drive into a CV only to leave empty handed eventually you will find a few just like I did as I was doing my errands

You're positing that FTers are selfish folk. I don't think we're all like that.

I'm quite willing to share that the CVS in downtown Madison and the one out on Mineral Point Rd. let you buy VRs with CCs and both keep them behind the counter, not on the racks. Plus the cashiers at the downtown CVS have been nice, friendly and helpful.

Now, this doesn't help maddie5218 one bit, but the thought is there.

LA is a big place, and there are lots CVS there, i have only found one that wont let me use a credit card

No I wasnt saying FTers are selfish if anything its the very opposite. Its just before I would have started a thread or even asked on an existing thread, where in Madison can I get VRs with my CC. I would have gone onto cvs.com put in a zip and see how many stores came up and how far apart they are from 1 another

Assuming there arent many I would have hit 2 that are cloe to one another or are closest to where I will be staying and sees what gives. If and only if I stuck out after hitting 3-4 places then I might have come onto FT saying boy I hit 4 Cvs while in Madison and they all were ca$h only are there any place nearby to score any. I could also see if a person posted I will be staying at XXXXX and the nearest CV is 25 miles away does anyone know if I can use my CC there,Id hate to waste all that time and gas and walk away empty, yet when they get there the store may be out.

But there was a new thread just started for Miami as well. Been down there a few times since I started MSing you wont find a single post asking anyone for the addresses of the stores, I simply went put in the zips where I will be and hit them as well as others as I past them. I would also understand if VR didnt list the names of places to get them and a person had no idea. Its not rocket science and I havent read where any of these new posters said, hey if anyone will be heading to my neck of the woods _____ PM me for the places I get them using a CC

yet I told the OP 1 very good piece of advice go onto cvs.com put in the zip and bingo there will be more places in LA theyn they will have time to go to.I didnt tell the OP to go ____ I told them exactly what I do and did and its worked every time , although not at every store, but if a person wont invest some time doing the homework they dont belong in the game.

Besides a place Ive never had any problems getting 4 using 4 different CCs today was only 1 CC. the 2nd place where it was 1 CC took 4, and my #1 place was bone dry. what good is it to know Main & 3rd only to get there and its bone dry or they run into what I did. Then theyd be back here asking any other places besdies Main & 3rd. My way they will have a list of 25 places that are closest to where they will be, and 1 by 1 hit them

There's this old saw about reinventing the wheel. If I have the info, I'll share it if it means someone else doesn't have to wander all over town.

I see no virtue in doing unnecessary legwork, and I don't need a quid pro quo.

Thers also an old saying you can either feed a person or teach them how to fish so they can feed themselves besides the 1 meal you provide.

I have no doubts that all these new folks asking for PMs of the places will simply keep making new threads each time they head to a different city. Im only trying to teach them how to provide for themselves so that they wont start numerous threads about each city

For the heck of it I put in Madison and it returned 25 stores of cause only the 1st 3 are within 6 miles the 4th is 9 miles and then bingo 32 miles. In parts of LA 25 may be in LA itself although that could mean a 15 mile drive in between. So what good does it do if I say the store on Main & 3rd when that will be 12 miles from where they are gonna be, and had they simply went to cv.com and input the address they would have found 10 with a 20 min walking distance. Which is what I did 1 day while overnighting at LAX, my luck the 2 CVs were bone dry but I passed by 3 7s when the 7s were still working and was all :-)

To me its like someone asking help in finding a Saver award and didnt even bother to check the carriers site themselves they just arent interested in doing any homework.If that person isnt shown how to find award space they will always be back here asking for someone to do the work for them

But the least these folks should have done was offer to PM anyone where they get theres near where they work or live and say if anyone plans on being in or near Baldwin,LI,NY PM me and I will PM you back the places I go to.Not 1 did that

It's a lame saying when you're talking about simple information. What I get is that you want others to conform to your standards before you're willing to help them. I simply don't understand such a point of view.

Meh. Some people just want the exclusivity of the deal they just found out. If everyone thought like that, we wouldn't have sites like FT and SlickDeals where people share best practices with others. Isn't the whole purpose of the Internet to share information?

That's OK I don't understand those who don't care if a person isn't willing to do the work themselves to spoon feed them and have who knows how many others start threads asking for PMs for each and every city.Whats lame is if something is so simple why ask for the info.

We simply will have to agree to disagree on what help should be provided to someone who 1- doesn't want to do the simple work for themselves and 2 doesn't offer others the info they know about but want others to provided to them that which they know

You know neither 1 nor 2. You are just assuming them.

Agreed. South Jersey is where everyone looking for VRs should be. I'm rounding up all those snowbirds cramping my style in South Florida and packing over the Jersey state line!

Nope I know #1 and #2

1- please show me in which post of the OPs they said hey I live in Baldwin,LI,NY (or wherever) and Id be glad to answer anyone who PMs me asking me where my reg places are near by my home and work where I score the VRs with a CC I never saw such a statement on behalf of the OP but I did read asking for others to provide just that same info

2- if they did in fact go to the website input an address then they would have said below are a few CVs I found can anyone please let me know if any of those listed allow CCs to be used and which to avoid. Again I dont recall seeing anything like that. Nor did they provide any details where in LA they will be staying. If Im staying in NYC on 126th St and theres a CV down on Wall St what good does that do me. Or if by you the CV that is 32 miles away from Madison allows CCs. its 1 thing ifa person will be driving taht town otherwise I highly doubt anyone would simply drive 70+ miles just to maybe buy some VRs,I say maybe since until they get there they wont know if there are any in stock

to me 1 + 1 = 2 can I prove it nope, others can does that mean Im assuming everything nope , however common sense is not so common it seems

OP, SoCal will not be a problem for MS. Welcome!

Not 100% true, have you tried in and around Whittier for 1 place.For the longest time its been Ca$h only at any CV.Also ran into it near Riverside and Norco where some were Ca$h only others took a CC. Those that were ca$h only the last time took a CC while the opposite for those that took a CC previously. Ran into that also in Upland but in general I agree more places will take a CC then not and the next CV isnt usually that far of a drive anyway

1) Logic fail. Poster does not have to declare in a post that he or she is willing to help for that to be true. You're assuming a negative on no proof either way.

2) How is asking a simple question being lazy? If I want to know the number of the place where my co-worker ordered his lunchtime his hoagie, I ask him. That's simply being efficient -- there is no need to repeat work that is easily imparted by someone in the know.

Why you believe that others need to conform to your "do it the hard way" methods is beyond me. Someone asks me, "Hey, where is that store where you get the VRs?" and I answer with the address. No hard task for me, doesn't cost me more than a few keyboard strokes and makes life a tiny bit easier for someone else. Why do you think this information must be jealously guarded?

I would guess OP would be more than happy to share that info about SNJ...especially since there is an upcoming move cross country and spreading that info wouldn't direct affect him.

1- you are assuming that the OP would be willing now (rather then after they moved out and wont need the stores any longer) to share the info. I guess you are allowed to assume and Im not Got it

2- theres alot more to FT then just MS (maybe not) so I may have thought differently had the OP posted elsewhere that wasnt simply looking for info about MSing But I feel its best to help a newbe w/o doing all the work for them, you feel differently no problem thats your right just as Im entitled to mine

I dont hide anything and have shared plenty via PMs of cause the person didnt just join or have a single digit post count and all with MSing. Most times people wrote what they tried or where they went to and if I have any info I reply back to them be it a 7, or CV or Wally etc etc. If going onto a site inputting an address or zip is the hard way then these folks are in the wrong game. Of cause if I lived in Madison where they are all of 3 CVs its nota problem, besides how many folks are coming to Madison. Why do I feel if you were LA,SF,NY,FL based it would be very different as your Inbox would always be full of people wanting to know where you go.If that wouldnt be a problem for you,Great

Now since you arent gonna change my way of thinking , nor will I change your way, theres no sense for me to comment any longer nothing to be accomplished

OK Id agree with that, however since theres still 3 weeks to go, my guess would be they share the info much closer to the time that they will be departing unless they have no more plans to buy any more

The OP's question was more along the lines of "Are city CVSs generally different?" If the answer was no, OP needed no further info.

P.S. Here's hoping you run a voice-to-text app for yer replies...

yikes, that's kinda rude. Before even reading your post, I just actually replied to 2 people telling them where to get them.

If anybody wants to know, feel free to PM me and I'll tell you where they were like a nice person would.

*applause*
I'm with Paul all the way on this.

But, it could just be that we Madisonians are a friendly, polite, and giving bunch. :cool:

No, I'm not. I made no assumption about it at all, because it's not something that matters to me. But you condemned him based on your assumption.

Not sure if mentioned before, I bought four VR at CVS. Then scratched off to reveal the pin using a coin. The scratch off material smeared into a black streak and I could barely see the pin numbers. Freaking out was an understatement.

I was able to make out the numbers, but boy does it suck. I was careful and all, but for sure it is a product deficiency.

I was not in the mood to have $2K tied up. Not buying anymore from that CVS, although they have a huge inventory of VR.

Why do you blame CVS?

between eating the bucket of KFC and scratching off the VR pin, it is recommended that you wash your hands with soap or at least wipe them very good. Ink used to print the VR pins does not interact well with KFC chicken juice.

I ran into a similar situation with iTunes GCs where I pressed too hard and erased 1/2 the numbers. In that case, I wrote to Apple, explained what happened, and provided them with a receipt, bar code, and as many numbers as I could make out. They credited my account a few days later.

I imagine, but have not had the misfortune of testing, whether the same would hold true for VRs.

You must have scratched really hard, or used a brillo pad or something.

Ice cream is now available at duane reades.

Duane Reade is owned by Walgreens. I would be shocked if they allowed purchase of a VR with a credit card. Did you only see them on the rack or did you actually buy them with a CC?

Well, I just want to let you know that you can no longer purchase VRs at the CVS at 2 Bedford Street in downtown Madison. I visited your very fine city on a Frontier mileage run ($98 R/T from DCA) and stopped into that CVS on January 31, a very cold day.

I went to the front counter and showed the cashier a used VR card and said I needed to buy 2 more. She seemed very knowledgeable and was very polite. But she informed me that the store had been putting in regular orders for VR cards and the last 3 or 4 were never filled. It seems that CVS may no longer be stocking VR cards, at least in some parts of the country.

When is the last time you actually purchased a VR card at the downtown CVS in Madison??

Brillo pad! LOL!

I can't help but laugh at this. You're telling OP that they're crazy to move because they found a store with a bunch of VRs that allows CC purchases? Man, your priorities are screwed up royally.

I'll bet you 20 VRs that he was being sarcastic.