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Old Apr 8, 2014, 1:24 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: ericliujian
Grocery stores that sell variable GCs to $500. Please understand these are observations by those who contribute to this thread and are provided for the good of the community. Apologies if some chains are different in different areas. TY.

YES:
7-11 (Vanilla Visa $20-500) - Sometimes limited to 1x per buy. Sometimes buggy. Often codes as gas station.
Big Y (CT/MA): m̶a̶x̶i̶m̶u̶m̶ ̶$̶1̶0̶0̶0̶ ̶c̶a̶n̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶c̶h̶a̶r̶g̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶c̶r̶e̶d̶i̶t̶ ̶c̶a̶r̶d̶ ̶p̶e̶r̶ ̶p̶e̶r̶s̶o̶n̶,̶ ̶p̶e̶r̶ ̶d̶a̶y̶;̶ ̶a̶n̶y̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶o̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶m̶u̶s̶t̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶p̶a̶i̶d̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶c̶a̶s̶h̶̶ Cash or debit only
CVS: Vanilla, $2000 max 24 hours
Family Fare (hit and miss)
Food Lion (Post 287 reports no good CC experience. YMMV, Manager override needed cash only memo)
Giant - now accepts CCs as of 10/1/16 - recent change from past cash or debit only policy.
Glens
Haggen
HEB -- usually limited to $1000 total (with fees) but many times they'll sell 2-3 if you split into separate transactions.
H-T
Hy-Vee ($500 limit)
Hannafords (multiple reports that Visa / MC / AMEX GCs are no longer sold at stores)
Kroger (DL will be requested and DL no. entered, even if just buying 1). If you use CHIP PIN card, no DL will be requested
Lowe's Foods (Manager override needed)
Marianos
Meijer Mastercard ONLY (US Bank)
QFC
Ralph's - in So Cal they sell $500 variable load cards
Safeway/Albertsons - most (all?) stores sell $500 variable load. Their banners include Acme, Randalls/Tom Thumb, Vons/Pavilions, Shaw's/Star, and others.
Stop & Shop (when it's stocked - manager override required for $500 and up)
Stater Bros
Walgreen: Vanilla
Weiss: cash only
Winn-Dixie ($500 and up in single transaction requires override from manager for each card - but some cashiers have the override code, and almost all customer service reps have it) (Cash/debit only per #544: edit: varies by region)

PREVIOUSLY:
A&P - Out of business
Acme (DE/MD/NJ/PA). Many in NJ now say NO and stock as been pulled
Albertsons ($1K and up in single transaction requires override from manager and every single VGC over $1K requires override each time)
AutoZone (Vanilla Visa $20-500). Pulled off the shelf now (4/2018) - Update: Was told by store MGR these are seasonal thus expect OCT-JAN each year. If in stock (in back) they can sell them all year.
Jewel
Ralph's
Randalls ($500 VGC purchase requires manager override and they usually check CC vs photo ID)
Safeway ($500 and up in single transaction requires override from manager just 1 time)
ShopRite (not all). SR no longer stock variable load up to $500.00. The variable loads the have now only allow a max of $200.00 for the same 5.95 fee.
Vons ($500 and up in single transaction requires override from manager just 1 time)
Whole Foods $500 (Now only $200 max)

NO:
Publix ($50 and $25)
Festival Foods
Giant Eagle
Bi-Lo

Grocers that sell $200:
Most Albertsons' subsidiaries listed in 'PREVIOUSLY'
Bashas'
HEB
McCaffrey
Piggly Wiggly-up to 200 max. of 1k per transaction 4.95 fee no ID required
Shaws/Star Market $500 Amazon GCs are still around, but all other GCs are only up to $200 at this time.
Shop Rite
Tops
Wegmans
Whole Food

Improvements and additions welcome.

Note: this thread began as an attempt to find out if a Kroger store in the area where jan_believes was travelling might have the variable $500 Visa GC since the store where I was at the time, did not. It has morphed into a discussion about MOs (at Kroger, although other stores MAY be included but not mentioned), as well. Not the intent of the discussion. Use discretion, please. Local rules apply.
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Stores that sell $500 GCs(up to 2019)

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Old Mar 19, 2016, 5:53 am
  #706  
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
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Think you may be on to something there. Obama is the same guy who got the presidential coin deal killed on his watch! The campaign slogan "Make America Great Again" may be just a Trump code word for bringing back circulating presidential dollars.

Originally Posted by TMM1982
Why are stores pulling these? Is Obama calling these guys and telling them to stop?
AlohaDaveKennedy is offline  
Old Mar 19, 2016, 8:54 am
  #707  
 
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Originally Posted by AlohaDaveKennedy
Think you may be on to something there. Obama is the same guy who got the presidential coin deal killed on his watch! The campaign slogan "Make America Great Again" may be just a Trump code word for bringing back circulating presidential dollars.
Imagine if a presidential candidate's platform was that we should eliminate paper currency and go to a coin based economy. In addition, you can once again purchase $1 coins from the government. That person would get all of the churners' votes.
oopl is offline  
Old Mar 20, 2016, 5:59 pm
  #708  
 
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Fraud on GCs from grocery and pharmacies could be minimized by placing them behind the counter, not out on the floor where they can be 'borrowed' by a scammer, tampered with, and then returned to the shelf for our purchase. This would almost eliminate the physical tampering issue. Electronically, however, that is still a viable vector of attack.

Perhaps chip cards address both physical and electronic security. I don't know enough about the mechanisms of chip cards to speak knowledgeably about them.
gamzarme is offline  
Old Mar 21, 2016, 10:28 am
  #709  
 
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Originally Posted by Mitch3000
Tried purchasing Sunrise VGC's at two Wal-Mart's yesterday. 1st... Got a wonderful cashier, who tried to force through the transaction but received "PAYMENT TENDER NOT ALLOWED".
IME that message from the WM POS system actually means that an error has occurred. If I can convince the cashier to try it again, it goes through. I have only experienced that a few times, and I'm very much a regular VGC customer at WM.

I've been buying $500 VGCs at a couple of WMs near me (most recently 3/18) and do not have any problem; however, the ones I buy aren't Sunnies, they are by Green Dot. I also have no problem loading them onto my Serve (nope, not shut down, at least not yet) at any WM in my area, including the few where I can't buy any due to a store policy (cash and debit only - there's even one that is cash-only, not even debit is allowed).
Electroman is offline  
Old Mar 28, 2016, 10:50 pm
  #710  
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 14
Does Lowes or Home Depot allow purchase of gift cards with credit cards? Do they even sell Vanilla?
spgamx is offline  
Old Mar 29, 2016, 1:45 am
  #711  
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
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Lowes no, HD has $200's and ymmv.
sam_goh is offline  
Old Mar 29, 2016, 2:06 am
  #712  
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Seems like at this point Walgreens is still the best bet for $500 VGC's. Can be bought with CC.
TMM1982 is offline  
Old Mar 29, 2016, 5:09 am
  #713  
 
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YMMV. Certainly don't broadcast when you find one as there is just too much Whack a Mole going on today in the MS world.

Originally Posted by TMM1982
Seems like at this point Walgreens is still the best bet for $500 VGC's. Can be bought with CC.
AlohaDaveKennedy is offline  
Old Mar 29, 2016, 8:05 am
  #714  
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Los Angles
Posts: 2,101
Originally Posted by gamzarme
Fraud on GCs from grocery and pharmacies could be minimized by placing them behind the counter, not out on the floor where they can be 'borrowed' by a scammer, tampered with, and then returned to the shelf for our purchase. This would almost eliminate the physical tampering issue. Electronically, however, that is still a viable vector of attack.

Perhaps chip cards address both physical and electronic security. I don't know enough about the mechanisms of chip cards to speak knowledgeably about them.
Heard of such tampering of non visa/master cards?
prasha11 is offline  
Old Mar 29, 2016, 8:22 am
  #715  
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
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Posts: 415
Originally Posted by AlohaDaveKennedy
YMMV. Certainly don't broadcast when you find one as there is just too much Whack a Mole going on today in the MS world.
Pretty soon MS will be a frozen lake and anyone who wants to come up for air is going to have to hold their breath for a looooong time.
mittenfingerz is offline  
Old Mar 29, 2016, 2:25 pm
  #716  
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: CLT
Posts: 1,908
Is H-T Harris Teeter? If so, it needs to be removed from the list. I've been to many in Charlotte and can't find a single one that has denominations above $100. It also seems the Food Lion stores around here don't carry $500 either (if they have any Visa gift cards at all).
cruser1 is offline  
Old Apr 3, 2016, 2:49 pm
  #717  
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: DC
Posts: 189
Originally Posted by TMM1982
Seems like at this point Walgreens is still the best bet for $500 VGC's. Can be bought with CC.
What card do you use for Walgreens?
jayoxd is offline  
Old Apr 3, 2016, 2:51 pm
  #718  
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Originally Posted by jayoxd
What card do you use for Walgreens?
Whichever card I'm trying to hit min spend on
TMM1982 is offline  
Old Apr 4, 2016, 6:36 pm
  #719  
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 530
Originally Posted by TMM1982
Seems like at this point Walgreens is still the best bet for $500 VGC's. Can be bought with CC.
I have never bought $500 VGC at wallgreen. Should I just be picking up one that Visa $500 card or is there more to which type to pick? I'm looking to load on Serve.
runb4fun is offline  
Old Apr 4, 2016, 6:55 pm
  #720  
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
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Lucky for me I bought the USS Tigerfish (SSN-509) using frequent flyer miles, so my little operation can break through that thick ice.

Originally Posted by mittenfingerz
Pretty soon MS will be a frozen lake and anyone who wants to come up for air is going to have to hold their breath for a looooong time.
AlohaDaveKennedy is offline  


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