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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 Jan 14, 2017, 3:17 pm
  #886  
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 292
Originally Posted by lumangoy
I noticed that for the One Vanilla ones, the numbers match package and card.

Vanilla ones dont match. They were NOT fraudulent or swapped as I was able to use the cards.

Is that what you noticed?
Mine were all OneVanilla. Numbers on package and card did not match. Never got a fraudulent/swapped one .
madbrain is offline  
Old Jan 14, 2017, 8:52 pm
  #887  
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 292
Originally Posted by lumangoy
I noticed that for the One Vanilla ones, the numbers match package and card.

Vanilla ones dont match. They were NOT fraudulent or swapped as I was able to use the cards.

Is that what you noticed?
Looks like there is a 10 digit number on the package that matches the 10 digit in the lower left corner of the back of the card. This is for OneVanilla.

However, the external packaging has a bar code with a much longer number. Looks like about 30 digits. That doesn't appear to match any of the numbers on the card.
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Old Jan 28, 2017, 12:00 pm
  #888  
 
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 812
deleted

Last edited by shimps1; Dec 1, 2019 at 5:38 pm
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Old Jan 28, 2017, 2:02 pm
  #889  
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 714
Originally Posted by shimps1
Anyone have issues with Hy-Vee recently? Seems really manager dependent.

Within the past month I made a purchase of two $500 VGCs on the same transaction.

I tried to do it again yesterday, and was told limited to $999. Then the manager said the register wouldn't let her do it, even though I had made a larger purchase noted above.

Today, I tried to do a $500 card, and was told "corporate policy is cash only, to prevent money laundering."

I've seen specific stores say cash only and have it posted, but I've never heard about the corporate policy thing until today.
Now you know some idiot came up with that because it doesn't even make sense
diseased is offline  
Old Apr 17, 2017, 1:45 pm
  #890  
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: DCA
Posts: 818
My WM has been running low on $500 VGCs lately so I figured I would try a OneVanilla MCGC which they always have tons of. However, the cash register spit out an error receipt saying it had to be paid for in cash or debit only. It said something along the lines, "This purchase includes a money order or prepaid card and must be paid with cash or debit only." Have OV MCGCs always been hard-coded that way at WM or is this a recent thing? Never tried to buy one before. Just hoping it doesn't extend to VGCs.
bodiddely is offline  
Old Apr 17, 2017, 3:06 pm
  #891  
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
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DP: I've seen $500 variables in Safeway again, but didn't try to buy them yet. I asked in WF, if they will sell with CC, they said yes. Didn't try.
yugi is offline  
Old Apr 17, 2017, 3:43 pm
  #892  
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 740
Originally Posted by yugi
DP: I've seen $500 variables in Safeway again, but didn't try to buy them yet. I asked in WF, if they will sell with CC, they said yes. Didn't try.
They do sell them as long as you have a chip and your ID matches what's on the CC.
Java Cool Dude is offline  
Old Apr 17, 2017, 7:48 pm
  #893  
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Land of the parrots and parrotheads
Programs: Several dozen
Posts: 4,820
As strange as it seems this makes sense. In the days of the presidential dollar I could deposit $75,000 a day in cash for months at my banks without ever worrying about getting shut down. But these days, if you do the same volume depositing money orders, your bank is likely to close your account. Long live Bizarro World!

[QUOTE=shimps1;27830528]...Today, I tried to do a $500 card, and was told "corporate policy is cash only, to prevent money laundering"...
AlohaDaveKennedy is offline  
Old May 16, 2017, 7:24 pm
  #894  
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: DCA
Posts: 818
Went to Whole Foods today to buy some VGCs using the +1 MR AmEx offer and was told you can only buy 1k at a time. Anyone have experience with that - is it a strictly enforced top-down limit like 10k at Simon or 5k at Giant? Or more of a cashier-by-cashier thing?
bodiddely is offline  
Old May 17, 2017, 8:16 am
  #895  
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Land of the parrots and parrotheads
Programs: Several dozen
Posts: 4,820
Has been 1K per visit at all the WFs I have visited in several states since last fall.

Originally Posted by bodiddely
Went to Whole Foods today to buy some VGCs using the +1 MR AmEx offer and was told you can only buy 1k at a time. Anyone have experience with that - is it a strictly enforced top-down limit like 10k at Simon or 5k at Giant? Or more of a cashier-by-cashier thing?
AlohaDaveKennedy is offline  
Old May 17, 2017, 8:52 am
  #896  
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,837
Originally Posted by AlohaDaveKennedy
Has been 1K per visit at all the WFs I have visited in several states since last fall.
does your WF split the transaction? ie, 1 VGC per transaction?

I've had issues with the cashier trying to activate an already activated card (the 1st VGC was scanned twice) and somehow their system lets them do that, so I end up with only 1 VGC activated but my CC was charged for 2.

This has happened to me twice and they were able to refund my CC.

After those 2 incidents, when I went back, they wanted 1 VGC per transaction.
lumangoy is offline  
Old May 17, 2017, 9:15 am
  #897  
 
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Posts: 4,432
Originally Posted by bodiddely
Went to Whole Foods today to buy some VGCs using the +1 MR AmEx offer and was told you can only buy 1k at a time. Anyone have experience with that - is it a strictly enforced top-down limit like 10k at Simon or 5k at Giant? Or more of a cashier-by-cashier thing?

Mine is 1k per transaction and I have had 5 transactions while there so I bought a total of 5k at one time.
cruisr is offline  
Old May 23, 2017, 6:44 pm
  #898  
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: NY
Posts: 523
Ugh, my go-to gas station went to cash only. If anyone knows a gas station in the NY Tri-State area that sells $500's, I would be most appreciative. Feel free to PM.
FrankMS is offline  
Old May 28, 2017, 7:15 pm
  #899  
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 1
If anyone knows of gas stations in the San Francisco Bay Area that sell $500's (and preferably code as gas stations) and can PM me I will be forever indebted! Please help a noob out!
hydrage is offline  
Old Jun 1, 2017, 4:46 pm
  #900  
 
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 10
Acme has $500 variable VGCs

I was at an Acme in southern NJ that had variable $500 VCGs in stock (giftcardmall.com / Sunrise Bank). Purchased one with a chipped Amex, no DL required. I did not inquire about daily limits, but will probably try for $2000 next time to finish off the $6000 grocery spend on my Blue Cash Preferred.

I would update the wiki but I haven't been here long enough.
jrbdmb is offline  


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