Simon mall gift card(2014-2015)
Dec 5, 2015, 5:32 pm
#2326
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: The Phoenix Desert
Programs: Hilton Cubic Zirconia, Marriott Fools Gold
Posts: 1,692
Rejected where? During liquidation? The last few times I bought from Macerich, they told me it could take up to 24hrs for activation because their servers are so bogged down from the holiday sales. Simon might be similar. Does your receipt show that they were activated?
.
Dec 5, 2015, 5:44 pm
#2327
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 565
Definitely had one that worked fine. Now I have to go and check rest of them because of this post.... Sigh....
Dec 5, 2015, 6:51 pm
#2328
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Midwest
Programs: Delta PM, Hhonors Gold, SPG Gold
Posts: 114
I bought some on Tuesday in Las Vegas. Checked on the phone and balances were there. I deposited two at Kate today with no issue.
Dec 5, 2015, 9:37 pm
#2329
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: 6km East of EPAYE
Programs: UA Silver, AA Platinum, AS & DL GM Marriott TE, Hilton Gold
Posts: 9,582
I just had a second batch rejected by Simon. This time I didn't drive to WM to find out. I get the receipt, waited a few minutes and called them all in. Each card said it had not been activated and advised I "return to the place of purchase."
I called AMEX (card I paid with) they said they had approved the charge but it had been withdrawn by Simon. Because the charge was retracted by Simon it can not be put back through, I will have to make another transaction, so the GC's I have are useless.
Both times the purchase was 4X$500, and both times my CC approved it and Simon was the issue. I guess I'll try again tomorrow.
I called AMEX (card I paid with) they said they had approved the charge but it had been withdrawn by Simon. Because the charge was retracted by Simon it can not be put back through, I will have to make another transaction, so the GC's I have are useless.
Both times the purchase was 4X$500, and both times my CC approved it and Simon was the issue. I guess I'll try again tomorrow.
Dec 5, 2015, 10:31 pm
#2330
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Madison, WI, USA
Posts: 14,162
Ity turns out I did still have some non-chip CCs, so I went to Simon mall today and bought 19 $500s, then headed toward Milwaukee to visit my mother. The first WM I went to had run out of MO blanks and neither cashier knew how to put a new roll in. They were waiting and hoping that someone in the know would show up, but they were saying at least 20 minutes plus there was another customer waiting for 6 MOs, so I went on to the next WM.
There I was met with suspicion by the cashier who apparently had never dealt with GCs. She called over another cashier who also didn't know how to do the transaction but allowed me to try a few swipes. The swipes were rejected -- I'm sure she was hitting the wrong key, but I don't know which key she should have hit, so I just left. The third place let me have 2 MOs, and I was able to get MOs on the way back home at the first two WMs and then the one in Madison, so it worked out with a little extra effort.
There I was met with suspicion by the cashier who apparently had never dealt with GCs. She called over another cashier who also didn't know how to do the transaction but allowed me to try a few swipes. The swipes were rejected -- I'm sure she was hitting the wrong key, but I don't know which key she should have hit, so I just left. The third place let me have 2 MOs, and I was able to get MOs on the way back home at the first two WMs and then the one in Madison, so it worked out with a little extra effort.
Dec 6, 2015, 1:20 am
#2331
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 36
I can also confirm the new $3000 chip card limit rule - my guy today said they received an email on 12/5 saying that chip cards have a $3000 limit, non-chip cards $10000 limit. I asked him if I could use multiple chip cards to get around $3000 and his response was that he'd do it for me personally since he knew me but if I got a different rep behind the counter and they followed the rules then they should only allow me 1 $3000 chip card per day.
Dec 6, 2015, 6:53 am
#2332
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 321
I can also confirm the new $3000 chip card limit rule - my guy today said they received an email on 12/5 saying that chip cards have a $3000 limit, non-chip cards $10000 limit. I asked him if I could use multiple chip cards to get around $3000 and his response was that he'd do it for me personally since he knew me but if I got a different rep behind the counter and they followed the rules then they should only allow me 1 $3000 chip card per day.
Dec 6, 2015, 7:37 am
#2333
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: S Cal
Programs: AA Lifetime Plat, United Silver, Marriott Plat, IHG Plat
Posts: 1,142
I'm a bit confused by these 3 posts. (I quoted post #2322, and the 2 prior posts are #2331 and #2332.) Is the chip card limit of 3K temporary, or will it be an ongoing rule?
Dec 6, 2015, 7:55 am
#2334
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: The Phoenix Desert
Programs: Hilton Cubic Zirconia, Marriott Fools Gold
Posts: 1,692
I can also confirm the new $3000 chip card limit rule - my guy today said they received an email on 12/5 saying that chip cards have a $3000 limit, non-chip cards $10000 limit. I asked him if I could use multiple chip cards to get around $3000 and his response was that he'd do it for me personally since he knew me but if I got a different rep behind the counter and they followed the rules then they should only allow me 1 $3000 chip card per day.
Dec 6, 2015, 9:21 am
#2335
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: 6km East of EPAYE
Programs: UA Silver, AA Platinum, AS & DL GM Marriott TE, Hilton Gold
Posts: 9,582
My card was a chipped card, but my transaction was only $2K. I'll try again today and report back. There are two other Simon malls in SD area, but I don't want to drive to either of them 
Dec 6, 2015, 11:23 am
#2336
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: SoCal
Programs: AA EXP, SPG Lifetime Platinum, MR Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 249
My card has chip and no issues buying 19 cards with $500 each on Friday. I think it is a YMMV issue.
Dec 6, 2015, 12:19 pm
#2337
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Madison, WI, USA
Posts: 14,162
GetawaysRus, I can't speak for other malls, but at my Simon mall they told me specifically next Wednesday. Who knows if they'll make the deadline.
Dec 6, 2015, 9:30 pm
#2338
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 4
Question...
Hello, I am new to this SM GF....I have British Airways CC and trying to achieve the limit....Once the limit is achieved not sure which CC to get to get the most benefit with SM GF....Any suggestions????
Thanks..
Thanks..
I got a rather remarkable call today.
Backstory:
A month ago I bought $2K worth of cards as a test.
Then I went to a different, more convenient mall, and bought $9K. When I went in, they suggested I fill out a corporate form and submit it for approval.
Last week I was on vacation and went to two malls very far from home and was allowed, on the spot, to buy $12.5K cards as a corporate account, at the corporate price.
I redeemed almost all the above cards for MO as WM.
Then this week I went into the second mall, the one close to home, where I had submitted the corporate form and was allowed to buy only $10K at the consumer price.
This morning I got a call from someone at Simon Corporate (whose name I will omit). She said "We know you're doing manufactured spending, so we will be happy to sell you $10K a day, 7 days a week, at the personal price, but we can't sell on a corporate basis if you're doing manufactured spending because it's a personal activity." She used the phrase "manufactured spending" 3-4 times.
So this should add quite a lot of clarity. You don't have to stay under the radar if you're doing it as an individual.
It's possible that if I had been more subtle, like spreading around the MO purchases and doing it less frequently, they wouldn't have realized, but to me that would defeat the purpose. I don't want to carry an inventory and find multiple locations for MO's - I just want to walk into WM and walk out.
If anyone has issues of getting shut down for personal purchases, PM and and I'll share the individual's name. She was really nice and on the ball. She said they are limited by federal regulations. (Unlike WM, where "federal regulations" are whatever they decide they might be that day at that store, I actually believe this lady.)
Backstory:
A month ago I bought $2K worth of cards as a test.
Then I went to a different, more convenient mall, and bought $9K. When I went in, they suggested I fill out a corporate form and submit it for approval.
Last week I was on vacation and went to two malls very far from home and was allowed, on the spot, to buy $12.5K cards as a corporate account, at the corporate price.
I redeemed almost all the above cards for MO as WM.
Then this week I went into the second mall, the one close to home, where I had submitted the corporate form and was allowed to buy only $10K at the consumer price.
This morning I got a call from someone at Simon Corporate (whose name I will omit). She said "We know you're doing manufactured spending, so we will be happy to sell you $10K a day, 7 days a week, at the personal price, but we can't sell on a corporate basis if you're doing manufactured spending because it's a personal activity." She used the phrase "manufactured spending" 3-4 times.
So this should add quite a lot of clarity. You don't have to stay under the radar if you're doing it as an individual.
It's possible that if I had been more subtle, like spreading around the MO purchases and doing it less frequently, they wouldn't have realized, but to me that would defeat the purpose. I don't want to carry an inventory and find multiple locations for MO's - I just want to walk into WM and walk out.
If anyone has issues of getting shut down for personal purchases, PM and and I'll share the individual's name. She was really nice and on the ball. She said they are limited by federal regulations. (Unlike WM, where "federal regulations" are whatever they decide they might be that day at that store, I actually believe this lady.)
Dec 6, 2015, 11:00 pm
#2339
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 291
Keep on reading for one week, one month or several months and you'll get the idea ^
Dec 6, 2015, 11:07 pm
#2340
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 1,727
Use the one from Deerfield Union Maple Bank of Arrogot Surety & Stocks