Jan 22, 2014, 3:27 pm
Last edit by: XP1
Warning: The T-M website contains an apparent Bill Pay function. Attempting to use it to pay credit card bills, or probably any significant $ amount bills of any sort, will get your account frozen. Ditto large scale ATM or MO withdrawals. The one method of unloading likely to keep you under the radar is small scale WM BP. Also likely to get you shut down, according to consensus reports, is running much more than $5K a month thru your account. You ignore this advice at your own risk.
SUMMARY
1. FAQ's
2. Free to use for TMo customers.
3. Issued by Bancorp
4. Load at T-mobile store (Registers are HARD CODED not to accept anything other than cash.)
5. or Reloadit, (find a grocery store that sold reloadit cards with a cc)
List Stores hard coded for cash or Credit Card accepted
T-Mobile (cash only)
Home Depot (cash only, hard coded)
Harris Teeter - Bought with CC on 2/16/14, hard coded denied CC on 5 APR 2014
Winn-Dixie - Hard coded for cash (debit may work, untested) as of Oct-2015
Meijer (Cash/Debit including VGC)
Giant Eagle/GetGo (Cash, Debit including VGC )
Safeways/Vons/Pavilions in California - most only Cash
Food Lion - Manager override now required. Many stores cash or bank debit only, but registers are not hard coded.
Save-A-Lot: Hard coded cash only
BigY: At least some stores have gone cash only as of 1/8
Acme in PA: Hard-coded cash only (Source)
Note on ReloadIt Cards
These come in two main flavors, up to $500, and up to $950 (there are ones that go up to $50, too). Both are $3.95 load fee. The older grey cards, have CASH ONLY on them. Even if the cash register is coded to accept it, many cashiers will be hesitant to even try, or get shut down by manager.
The maximum value reload will be $2,500.00. There is no maximum number of times you may value reload your Card Account per day; however, the maximum dollar amount of value reloads you may make to your Card Account in one day is $2,500.00. We will accept direct deposits larger than $2,500.00, but any direct deposit value reloaded to your Card Account will count against the $2,500.00 daily limit.
Value Reload Fee: Each time you value reload $300.00 or more to your Card Account in a single transaction, you will receive a credit for any fee you paid. If you are a T-Mobile Wireless Customer and value reload your Card Account at a participating T-Mobile Wireless location, you will receive a refund at the register (and will pay no fee for your value reload). If you value reload your Card Account for $300.00 or more via another method, we will issue a credit to your Card Account in the amount of the fee you paid.
In practice, a ReloadIt >= $300 loaded via the safe will receive credit for the fee. However, the terms formally state "Please note: Value reloads made from Reloadit Packs that have been placed in the Program Manager’s Reloadit `Safe' are not eligible for any fee credit." so this is not guaranteed.
The Limits:
Daily limit: $2500 during a rolling 24 hour period
Monthly limit: ?
Annual Limit: ?
Max Bill Pay (per transaction): = $5000 (tested March 6th, can do 'at least' a second for the same amount to the same payee momment later).
Daily ATM limit: $500 (rolling 24 hr rather than calendar day)
Total monthly bill pay limit: ?
The maximum value of your Card Account is restricted to $10,000.00
T-Mobile Prepaid Customer Service Email: [email protected]
If you need to escalate to the FDIC, Bancorp's registered FDIC# is 35444.
If you want to try to open an FDIC complaint or investigation you can send one in electronically at
http://www2.fdic.gov/IDASP/DIRSInfoRequest.asp
Alternative FDIC link to file complaint
https://www2.fdic.gov/starsmail/index.asp
FAQ
SUMMARY
1. FAQ's
2. Free to use for TMo customers.
3. Issued by Bancorp
4. Load at T-mobile store (Registers are HARD CODED not to accept anything other than cash.)
5. or Reloadit, (find a grocery store that sold reloadit cards with a cc)
List Stores hard coded for cash or Credit Card accepted
T-Mobile (cash only)
Home Depot (cash only, hard coded)
Harris Teeter - Bought with CC on 2/16/14, hard coded denied CC on 5 APR 2014
Winn-Dixie - Hard coded for cash (debit may work, untested) as of Oct-2015
Meijer (Cash/Debit including VGC)
Giant Eagle/GetGo (Cash, Debit including VGC )
Safeways/Vons/Pavilions in California - most only Cash
Food Lion - Manager override now required. Many stores cash or bank debit only, but registers are not hard coded.
Save-A-Lot: Hard coded cash only
BigY: At least some stores have gone cash only as of 1/8
Acme in PA: Hard-coded cash only (Source)
Note on ReloadIt Cards
These come in two main flavors, up to $500, and up to $950 (there are ones that go up to $50, too). Both are $3.95 load fee. The older grey cards, have CASH ONLY on them. Even if the cash register is coded to accept it, many cashiers will be hesitant to even try, or get shut down by manager.
The maximum value reload will be $2,500.00. There is no maximum number of times you may value reload your Card Account per day; however, the maximum dollar amount of value reloads you may make to your Card Account in one day is $2,500.00. We will accept direct deposits larger than $2,500.00, but any direct deposit value reloaded to your Card Account will count against the $2,500.00 daily limit.
Value Reload Fee: Each time you value reload $300.00 or more to your Card Account in a single transaction, you will receive a credit for any fee you paid. If you are a T-Mobile Wireless Customer and value reload your Card Account at a participating T-Mobile Wireless location, you will receive a refund at the register (and will pay no fee for your value reload). If you value reload your Card Account for $300.00 or more via another method, we will issue a credit to your Card Account in the amount of the fee you paid.
In practice, a ReloadIt >= $300 loaded via the safe will receive credit for the fee. However, the terms formally state "Please note: Value reloads made from Reloadit Packs that have been placed in the Program Manager’s Reloadit `Safe' are not eligible for any fee credit." so this is not guaranteed.
The Limits:
Daily limit: $2500 during a rolling 24 hour period
Monthly limit: ?
Annual Limit: ?
Max Bill Pay (per transaction): = $5000 (tested March 6th, can do 'at least' a second for the same amount to the same payee momment later).
Daily ATM limit: $500 (rolling 24 hr rather than calendar day)
Total monthly bill pay limit: ?
The maximum value of your Card Account is restricted to $10,000.00
T-Mobile Prepaid Customer Service Email: [email protected]
If you need to escalate to the FDIC, Bancorp's registered FDIC# is 35444.
If you want to try to open an FDIC complaint or investigation you can send one in electronically at
http://www2.fdic.gov/IDASP/DIRSInfoRequest.asp
Alternative FDIC link to file complaint
https://www2.fdic.gov/starsmail/index.asp
FAQ
- My fee did not get refunded. Has there been a policy change? ReloadIt Fees are processed overnight and could take 24 hours after you reload the card. As of 9/2015, ReloadIt cards added to the safe prior to loading on T-Mobile will still get the $3.95 refunded.
- What is a safe transaction amount? There is no definite safe or unsafe amount. However, starting the last week of Jul 2015, people have been reporting the account frozen after transactions larger than $1K.
- Can I use the BP Feature? It works well for some people. Many have reported getting shutdown after using it. A few have reported having the payments lost. Like all MS activity, use at your own risk.
- Should I mix in some regular spending to make it look like this is my primary card? If it makes you feel better, go for it. However people who do this still get shutdown.
- I can't log in. Did I get shutdown? Possibly. But more likely the website is having technical issues. Call in, o try to make a swipe purchase and test it out.
- If I pay my taxes with this card, will I get shutdown? Large purchase raise red flags. Taxes are no different and there are reports of people being shut down for doing this.
- What is a T-Mobile wireless customer? A qualifying T-Mobile wireless customer can be either a postpaid or prepaid customer. Source: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/24790705-post3703.html
T-Mobile Visa Prepaid - Bluebird Competitor for MS! (May not load w/CC)
Jan 14, 2016, 9:21 am
#4186
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 287
i got the same by trying to open an account for a new user online, but i purchased a card in the store and it let me activate the card and said it was mailing a physical card. same address/ssn/zip i was denied on.
Jan 22, 2016, 5:50 pm
#4187
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,784
RIP For Me
I had only one store that would sell me RLs, a local Vons, all of the rest had gone "cash only" one by one.
According to a store manager at a different local Vons, a week ago someone called a different Vons and convinced the person who answered the phone that they were calling from Corporate. They had him activate $5K in AMEX GCs, and give them the numbers of the cards, as part of a "Corporate investigation of problems with GCs"
A couple of minutes later the scammed employee woke up to reality, called AMEX to cancel, but the money was already unloaded ie. gone beyond recall.
So a couple of days ago, Vons removed all variable GCs from all of their stores. Now the max $ amount you can buy is $100. But they did not remove the "cash only" RLs from the stores.
Fast forward to today: I went to my 'go to' Vons, and tried to buy a $495 RL. The charge went thru to my cc, but the RL did not activate. Manager was called to help out.
Of course my cover is now blown "they've been selling you these with a cc?" What could I say, there were 3 cashiers standing there who have been selling them to me. "Yes, for over a year, and it's never been a problem."
Manager was very kind, and said, let's just cancel the sale of this card, and charge it to another RL. Same result, no activation. But both of the RLs started with the number 3XXXX. So he found one from a series that started with 1XXX, thinking it was just a bad batch of cards.
Nope, still wouldn't work. They refunded the charge back to my cc, and very nicely sad "sorry we couldn't get it to work for you". Such nice people, not a word about "what the heck are you doing tricking our cashiers into selling you these with a cc".
They still think it's a bad shipment of cards, but I've been using cards from that rack every few days. I'm quite sure Corporate hardcoded their system against cc purchase for RLs. But they screwed up the hard code, and instead of refusing the sale outright, it just prevents an activation, after the cc has been charged.
Unless someone posts here that they can still buy Rls at Vons with a cc:
End of the line for T-M for me.
Probably still end of the line anyway, now that the Manager has seen that they have "cash only" printed right on the front of them.
To add insult to injury my local Albertsons also removed all of their high value variable GCs. Now the highest value ones are $100, and if you try MSing those low value cards the purchase fees will eat you alive. CVS still has Vanilla cards, at least when I checked yesterday, but of course you can't use those for MOs at WM. So I can meet the min spnd on new cards with those, by getting MOs with them at my local independent grocery store.
But the $20K a month of MS I was doing, half thru T-M for free, and half thru MetaBank Visa GCs from Vons and Albertsons and turned into MOs at WM has come to a sudden halt.
Maybe I'll come up with something new, but right now?
v
According to a store manager at a different local Vons, a week ago someone called a different Vons and convinced the person who answered the phone that they were calling from Corporate. They had him activate $5K in AMEX GCs, and give them the numbers of the cards, as part of a "Corporate investigation of problems with GCs"
A couple of minutes later the scammed employee woke up to reality, called AMEX to cancel, but the money was already unloaded ie. gone beyond recall.
So a couple of days ago, Vons removed all variable GCs from all of their stores. Now the max $ amount you can buy is $100. But they did not remove the "cash only" RLs from the stores.
Fast forward to today: I went to my 'go to' Vons, and tried to buy a $495 RL. The charge went thru to my cc, but the RL did not activate. Manager was called to help out.
Of course my cover is now blown "they've been selling you these with a cc?" What could I say, there were 3 cashiers standing there who have been selling them to me. "Yes, for over a year, and it's never been a problem." Manager was very kind, and said, let's just cancel the sale of this card, and charge it to another RL. Same result, no activation. But both of the RLs started with the number 3XXXX. So he found one from a series that started with 1XXX, thinking it was just a bad batch of cards.
Nope, still wouldn't work. They refunded the charge back to my cc, and very nicely sad "sorry we couldn't get it to work for you". Such nice people, not a word about "what the heck are you doing tricking our cashiers into selling you these with a cc".
They still think it's a bad shipment of cards, but I've been using cards from that rack every few days. I'm quite sure Corporate hardcoded their system against cc purchase for RLs. But they screwed up the hard code, and instead of refusing the sale outright, it just prevents an activation, after the cc has been charged.
Unless someone posts here that they can still buy Rls at Vons with a cc:
End of the line for T-M for me.
Probably still end of the line anyway, now that the Manager has seen that they have "cash only" printed right on the front of them.
To add insult to injury my local Albertsons also removed all of their high value variable GCs. Now the highest value ones are $100, and if you try MSing those low value cards the purchase fees will eat you alive. CVS still has Vanilla cards, at least when I checked yesterday, but of course you can't use those for MOs at WM. So I can meet the min spnd on new cards with those, by getting MOs with them at my local independent grocery store.
But the $20K a month of MS I was doing, half thru T-M for free, and half thru MetaBank Visa GCs from Vons and Albertsons and turned into MOs at WM has come to a sudden halt.
Maybe I'll come up with something new, but right now?
v
Jan 22, 2016, 6:02 pm
#4188
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 287
sorry RH. I went to purchase 2500 at tom thumb (vons/safeway) here in dfw around jan 10th and it rung up, charged my cc, but did not activate. CSR tried a few things, then called over another manager. They said blackhawk couldn't be activated and they were pulling them all. They refunded me, and I figured it was just a glitch. Reading the safeway thread it looks like they are all now hardcoded against cc.
I have a local albertsons affiliate that sells them still, 2500 at a time, no questions asked as long as you have id. I don't know if real albertsons is hard coded or not as i haven't tried, but this place works for cc, and apple pay. I guess its game on until I cannot load univision anymore.
Currently I'm filling up 2x netspend savings at 5k after that, i'm back to simon mall and staples along with walmart billpay.
I have a local albertsons affiliate that sells them still, 2500 at a time, no questions asked as long as you have id. I don't know if real albertsons is hard coded or not as i haven't tried, but this place works for cc, and apple pay. I guess its game on until I cannot load univision anymore.
Currently I'm filling up 2x netspend savings at 5k after that, i'm back to simon mall and staples along with walmart billpay.
Jan 22, 2016, 11:10 pm
#4189
Join Date: Sep 2005
Programs: Northwest, United
Posts: 3,257
"Invalid Pack" - RIP Reloadits
Figured I would give my local Safeway a try, to see if they still sold ReloadIts. All the variable load gift cards were gone, all replaced by a bunch of new cards all valued at $25, $50, none higher than $100. Amazingly, there were ReloadIts. I figured I'd see if one would work.
Cashier rung it up, I have the activation slip, all looks good. I'm relieved. Drive home, scratch off the number, go online to reloadit.com. I enter the pack number carefully and the amount...
"Invalid Pack"
My credit card WAS charged.
Cashier rung it up, I have the activation slip, all looks good. I'm relieved. Drive home, scratch off the number, go online to reloadit.com. I enter the pack number carefully and the amount...
"Invalid Pack"
My credit card WAS charged.
Jan 22, 2016, 11:20 pm
#4190
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: ANC
Programs: AS, UA, IHG, HH,
Posts: 171
Figured I would give my local Safeway a try, to see if they still sold ReloadIts. All the variable load gift cards were gone, all replaced by a bunch of new cards all valued at $25, $50, none higher than $100. Amazingly, there were ReloadIts. I figured I'd see if one would work.
Cashier rung it up, I have the activation slip, all looks good. I'm relieved. Drive home, scratch off the number, go online to reloadit.com. I enter the pack number carefully and the amount...
"Invalid Pack"
My credit card WAS charged.
Cashier rung it up, I have the activation slip, all looks good. I'm relieved. Drive home, scratch off the number, go online to reloadit.com. I enter the pack number carefully and the amount...
"Invalid Pack"
My credit card WAS charged.
Jan 22, 2016, 11:34 pm
#4191
Join Date: Sep 2005
Programs: Northwest, United
Posts: 3,257
Wife just tried with 2 other ReloadIts purchased last week. Exact same results. Yikes.
Either there's a glitch in the system, or else Blackhawk has killed all ReloadIts (even those sold & activated before the death of most good things at Safeway yesterday). I'll hold out a tiny hope and give it a few days, but it appears that Blackhawk has done something to invalidate any ReloadIt that a Safeway activates (or activated in the past).
It's one thing to stop loads from taking place going forward. It's a whole other thing to render valueless cards that had been previously loaded.
THAT is some nasty mojo.
If it stays this way, gonna be a lot of people burned badly - anyone who is sitting on ReloadIts is gonna be mighty pissed. Wife sheepishly tells me she has two from last week she hand't loaded yet. I tell her all the time that sitting on these things is asking for trouble, and you gotta unload them quickly. She got tired of that lecture. At least she has the receipts (the OTHER lecture). I have a feeling this is not going to be resolved quickly or easily with these guys.
Beware folks - these things seem to be radioactive now.
Jan 23, 2016, 12:31 am
#4192
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: ANC
Programs: AS, UA, IHG, HH,
Posts: 171
Not fatfingered, I got all the numbers right. I've been doing this a while.
Wife just tried with 2 other ReloadIts purchased last week. Exact same results. Yikes.
Either there's a glitch in the system, or else Blackhawk has killed all ReloadIts (even those sold & activated before the death of most good things at Safeway yesterday). I'll hold out a tiny hope and give it a few days, but it appears that Blackhawk has done something to invalidate any ReloadIt that a Safeway activates (or activated in the past).
It's one thing to stop loads from taking place going forward. It's a whole other thing to render valueless cards that had been previously loaded.
THAT is some nasty mojo.
If it stays this way, gonna be a lot of people burned badly - anyone who is sitting on ReloadIts is gonna be mighty pissed. Wife sheepishly tells me she has two from last week she hand't loaded yet. I tell her all the time that sitting on these things is asking for trouble, and you gotta unload them quickly. She got tired of that lecture. At least she has the receipts (the OTHER lecture). I have a feeling this is not going to be resolved quickly or easily with these guys.
Beware folks - these things seem to be radioactive now.
Wife just tried with 2 other ReloadIts purchased last week. Exact same results. Yikes.
Either there's a glitch in the system, or else Blackhawk has killed all ReloadIts (even those sold & activated before the death of most good things at Safeway yesterday). I'll hold out a tiny hope and give it a few days, but it appears that Blackhawk has done something to invalidate any ReloadIt that a Safeway activates (or activated in the past).
It's one thing to stop loads from taking place going forward. It's a whole other thing to render valueless cards that had been previously loaded.
THAT is some nasty mojo.
If it stays this way, gonna be a lot of people burned badly - anyone who is sitting on ReloadIts is gonna be mighty pissed. Wife sheepishly tells me she has two from last week she hand't loaded yet. I tell her all the time that sitting on these things is asking for trouble, and you gotta unload them quickly. She got tired of that lecture. At least she has the receipts (the OTHER lecture). I have a feeling this is not going to be resolved quickly or easily with these guys.
Beware folks - these things seem to be radioactive now.
Jan 23, 2016, 2:25 am
#4194
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 559
Not fatfingered, I got all the numbers right. I've been doing this a while.
Wife just tried with 2 other ReloadIts purchased last week. Exact same results. Yikes.
Either there's a glitch in the system, or else Blackhawk has killed all ReloadIts (even those sold & activated before the death of most good things at Safeway yesterday). I'll hold out a tiny hope and give it a few days, but it appears that Blackhawk has done something to invalidate any ReloadIt that a Safeway activates (or activated in the past).
It's one thing to stop loads from taking place going forward. It's a whole other thing to render valueless cards that had been previously loaded.
THAT is some nasty mojo.
If it stays this way, gonna be a lot of people burned badly - anyone who is sitting on ReloadIts is gonna be mighty pissed. Wife sheepishly tells me she has two from last week she hand't loaded yet. I tell her all the time that sitting on these things is asking for trouble, and you gotta unload them quickly. She got tired of that lecture. At least she has the receipts (the OTHER lecture). I have a feeling this is not going to be resolved quickly or easily with these guys.
Beware folks - these things seem to be radioactive now.
Wife just tried with 2 other ReloadIts purchased last week. Exact same results. Yikes.
Either there's a glitch in the system, or else Blackhawk has killed all ReloadIts (even those sold & activated before the death of most good things at Safeway yesterday). I'll hold out a tiny hope and give it a few days, but it appears that Blackhawk has done something to invalidate any ReloadIt that a Safeway activates (or activated in the past).
It's one thing to stop loads from taking place going forward. It's a whole other thing to render valueless cards that had been previously loaded.
THAT is some nasty mojo.
If it stays this way, gonna be a lot of people burned badly - anyone who is sitting on ReloadIts is gonna be mighty pissed. Wife sheepishly tells me she has two from last week she hand't loaded yet. I tell her all the time that sitting on these things is asking for trouble, and you gotta unload them quickly. She got tired of that lecture. At least she has the receipts (the OTHER lecture). I have a feeling this is not going to be resolved quickly or easily with these guys.
Beware folks - these things seem to be radioactive now.
I bougth Reloadits the day before safeway killed the variables.
After coming home noticed one pack's sticker was completely removed and numbers was clearly visible. Got pissed off and immediately loaded into the account. The amount is for 495$. When i tried to load the card into t-mobile it was not loading and called reloadit support . They informed to wait for 3 hrs after the pruchase for activation.
After 3 hrs it went good. Loaded on the same day 3 more cards bought a week back. It could have been also compromised since the stickers were slightly missplaced , but i didnt notice it. Big lesson learned .
I was able to move all the funds into t-mobile and then liquidated those also.
I purchased all these in tom-thumb. Not sure whether still they are having these cards or not
Jan 23, 2016, 5:20 am
#4195
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 287
This is Bad.
I bougth Reloadits the day before safeway killed the variables.
After coming home noticed one pack's sticker was completely removed and numbers was clearly visible. Got pissed off and immediately loaded into the account. The amount is for 495$. When i tried to load the card into t-mobile it was not loading and called reloadit support . They informed to wait for 3 hrs after the pruchase for activation.
After 3 hrs it went good. Loaded on the same day 3 more cards bought a week back. It could have been also compromised since the stickers were slightly missplaced , but i didnt notice it. Big lesson learned .
I was able to move all the funds into t-mobile and then liquidated those also.
I purchased all these in tom-thumb. Not sure whether still they are having these cards or not
I bougth Reloadits the day before safeway killed the variables.
After coming home noticed one pack's sticker was completely removed and numbers was clearly visible. Got pissed off and immediately loaded into the account. The amount is for 495$. When i tried to load the card into t-mobile it was not loading and called reloadit support . They informed to wait for 3 hrs after the pruchase for activation.
After 3 hrs it went good. Loaded on the same day 3 more cards bought a week back. It could have been also compromised since the stickers were slightly missplaced , but i didnt notice it. Big lesson learned .
I was able to move all the funds into t-mobile and then liquidated those also.
I purchased all these in tom-thumb. Not sure whether still they are having these cards or not
Jan 23, 2016, 1:04 pm
#4196
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 23
I have in the past had a Reloadit fail to activate but a charge gone through on my credit card. I caught it at the grocery store (not Safeway) and it was a pain to correct. Card activation seems to be a two step process and the second part interfacing with Blackhawk is fallible.
Last edited by wackyiraqi; Jan 23, 2016 at 1:06 pm Reason: clarity
Jan 23, 2016, 1:43 pm
#4197
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: San Francisco
Programs: United
Posts: 62
Reloadits have dried up in my area. I'd like to keep my multiple T-Mobile accounts open and viable in the unlikely even that things improve. Any tips as to how to keep them open but not have to pay monthly inactivity fees?
Jan 24, 2016, 7:35 pm
#4198
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 559
It may be of no use , since they have removed reloadits since the safeway debacle.