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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 Apr 1, 2018, 10:12 pm
  #1006  
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 92
Originally Posted by 808pineapple
If I buy after 6pm activation authorizations fail -anybody experiencing time related fails?
First one I bought was also at night and the receipt said the load failed. But it charged my CC. The manager, who the clerk called at home, of course said that there was nothing he could do, that I should call the number on the card, . I called VVGC CS and after a long phone call they said I had to send them copies of everything, including the packaging. It took about a week to get the card properly activated. Based on this and your experience I'll stick to daytime purchases, even though it's hard to believe time of day could be a factor.
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Old Apr 2, 2018, 6:24 pm
  #1007  
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Checked my local Whole Food. They get nothing. Not even a single One Vanilla. Just some $50 VGC.
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Old Apr 2, 2018, 8:56 pm
  #1008  
 
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Originally Posted by RedSun
Checked my local Whole Food. They get nothing. Not even a single One Vanilla. Just some $50 VGC.
Yeah, there was a short thread when someone realized that Whole Food is owned by Amazon and so a card that give you 5% cashbach on Amazon also gives you 5% at Whole Foods. But it seems that all Whole Foods have are $25, $50, and $100 visas. Not even a $200, nevermind a $500.
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Old Apr 2, 2018, 9:11 pm
  #1009  
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Originally Posted by Klemhuzzah
Yeah, there was a short thread when someone realized that Whole Food is owned by Amazon and so a card that give you 5% cashbach on Amazon also gives you 5% at Whole Foods. But it seems that all Whole Foods have are $25, $50, and $100 visas. Not even a $200, nevermind a $500.
The Wiki on top lists Whole Food having $500 GC....
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Old Apr 2, 2018, 9:32 pm
  #1010  
 
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Originally Posted by RedSun
The Wiki on top lists Whole Food having $500 GC....
They used to have 500s when they first sold GCs.
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Old Apr 2, 2018, 9:33 pm
  #1011  
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
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I see. Good catch.

If someone could update the Wiki, you could also add that Meijer sells $500 mastercard variables (US Bank), but only $200 visa variables.
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Old Apr 3, 2018, 6:17 am
  #1012  
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Originally Posted by lumangoy
They used to have 500s when they first sold GCs.
Originally Posted by Klemhuzzah
I see. Good catch.

If someone could update the Wiki, you could also add that Meijer sells $500 mastercard variables (US Bank), but only $200 visa variables.
Done and done! I too was very disappointed to walk in to Whole Foods and find only small cards.
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Old Apr 3, 2018, 7:06 am
  #1013  
 
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Any recent experiences with Safeway, primarily in Oregon? I stopped 2 years ago when they became cash only. Thanks
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Old Apr 3, 2018, 7:42 am
  #1014  
 
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Originally Posted by JetSetDave
Any recent experiences with Safeway, primarily in Oregon? I stopped 2 years ago when they became cash only. Thanks
The Safeway stores in my area (Von's) allow buying $500 GC with Credit cards now after not allowing it a few years ago.. The chip-based cards have reduced fraud enough that they are comfortable letting us use them.
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Old Apr 3, 2018, 7:46 am
  #1015  
 
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Originally Posted by ChrisFlyer66
The Safeway stores in my area (Von's) allow buying $500 GC with Credit cards now after not allowing it a few years ago.. The chip-based cards have reduced fraud enough that they are comfortable letting us use them.
Excellent news, thanks Chris!
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Old Apr 4, 2018, 7:20 pm
  #1016  
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Anyone knows of any store near I-295/95 in NJ? I'm still looking for it. WFM has none. Wegmans only upt to $200.
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Old Apr 10, 2018, 10:25 am
  #1017  
 
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I found out last Saturday that my go to AutoZone has removed all third party GCs including fixed and variable vanillas I was told by cashier all GCs except their own store GCs taken off the racks beginning of April. I was hoping it was only that store but same thing with the other AutoZone. Hopefully, this is just temporary and they sell third party GCs again.
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Old Apr 10, 2018, 2:47 pm
  #1018  
 
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Local Kroger (Central Indiana) has hand-written signs on all registers that read "Visa and MC gift cards - Cash or Check **ONLY**". This changed literally overnight. Any other datapoints?
gloobnib is offline  
Old Apr 10, 2018, 4:05 pm
  #1019  
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
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Just today bought a $500 variable visa from Kroger (Cincinnati) with my Chase Freedom.
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Old Apr 10, 2018, 4:43 pm
  #1020  
 
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just bought at SCO.
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