Purchasing multiple prepaid cards at RA at the same time
Jun 4, 2014, 11:43 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 3,506
Purchasing multiple prepaid cards at RA at the same time
I have been trying to buy some PP cash cards and OVs at the same time at several RAs this month and my trusty RA has recently been enforcing the "$500 per prepaid card transaction" rule which I had no issue in the past. My trusty RA has not had issues in the past. I went to another RA store and they enforced the same damn thing. Even 1 RA manager at another store said it was in place since July 2013.
Typically I just buy a few PP cards and were able to do it all in 1 transaction and just this month I am trying to buy some OVs from there as well to take some load off of CVS. I was hoping that RA would be a good backup to CVS.
Has anyone had experience this before where they have to ring you separately for each individual stinkin card? It is a pain if you want to buy $4K worth of prepaid cards where they have to ring you up 8 times. 1 RA manager told me the corporate policy is in place because they are afraid people's CCs won't allow a transaction greater than $500
. Its like c'mon give me a break here.
Typically I just buy a few PP cards and were able to do it all in 1 transaction and just this month I am trying to buy some OVs from there as well to take some load off of CVS. I was hoping that RA would be a good backup to CVS.
Has anyone had experience this before where they have to ring you separately for each individual stinkin card? It is a pain if you want to buy $4K worth of prepaid cards where they have to ring you up 8 times. 1 RA manager told me the corporate policy is in place because they are afraid people's CCs won't allow a transaction greater than $500
. Its like c'mon give me a break here.
Jun 4, 2014, 11:50 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 3,506
Yeah I figured I just need to keep trying out different RAs and their cashiers that don't bat an eye when I want to buy this much. As soon as they have to try to look for policy I am screwed. I was able to buy $2K before on multiple occassions as well which is why I was shocked when I heard about this.
Jun 4, 2014, 3:00 pm
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 3,506
The registers do not enforce this rule, but it's definitely a corporate rule on the books. An utterly ridiculous rule that nobody has ever given me a reason for, but an actual rule nonetheless. If you don't have it enforced, great, but if you do, don't make a scene and move on.
The ironic thing is I think if you do 8 x $500 transactions in a row it actually triggers fraud alert more than if you did a single $4K transaction especially if you have been doing large purchases before. If it is truly fraud then the transaction won't go through...its as simple as that. For them to say it is because they think our CCs are not capable of handling > $500 is pure BS. Oh well. Just gotta find out what the deal is at more RAs.
Jun 4, 2014, 3:37 pm
#8
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: SoCal
Posts: 123
Different RAs in our area and different cashiers will do one at a time or the entire batch. Most I have done at one time is 8. When they do one at a time, have had the cc declined on multiple repetative orders with different cc's.
Jun 4, 2014, 3:41 pm
#9
Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 164
2 out of my 3 RA's do separate xactions. Only 1 lets me do multiple. I thought they limited to $500 due to Green Dot activation issues when you buy multiple cards since the receipt only shows last 4 of the GD being 0000. I know 3 coworkers who had GD activation issues that had to go back to RA to get the refund. I don't mind the separate (esp for MP's) since I go early in morning and only do $3K per trip. Pretty fast and no line builds up.
Jun 4, 2014, 3:43 pm
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: BOS, MHT
Programs: AA ltg, B6, DL, UA, AS, SPG/Marriott Plt, HH, Hyatt
Posts: 10,052
I have several different RAs and all are very different. Different ammts allowed, different rules, all insisting THEIRS is the corp policy. I roll with it.
For anything green dot it is almost imperative that you WANT things to be run separately. I speak of this here:
http://mileageupdate.com/monkey-pak/
but to be honest, I think we should all take a hint from other gigs and stores that have changed for the worst in the past several months and just stop posting about RA altogether. that is to say: We want to do everything we can to PROLONG this craft, not the other way around.
MM
For anything green dot it is almost imperative that you WANT things to be run separately. I speak of this here:
http://mileageupdate.com/monkey-pak/
but to be honest, I think we should all take a hint from other gigs and stores that have changed for the worst in the past several months and just stop posting about RA altogether. that is to say: We want to do everything we can to PROLONG this craft, not the other way around.
MM
Jun 4, 2014, 4:31 pm
#11
Formerly known as FTRox87
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: TX
Programs: AA/US 1M, AS, BA, CX, EK, EY, JL, KE, LH, NH, OS, QF, QR, TG, UA/CO | *$G
Posts: 1,428
I'd say 3 or more of the same repetitive transactions, especially at the same store in a similar timeframe will set off fraud alert.
Last edited by FTR 787; Jun 4, 2014 at 5:01 pm
^