Ok yeah it looks like I just dealt with this BS where all transactions on a Vanilla VGC are declined even for $1 at Walmart. The weird thing was i didn't even attempt at a full drain but like a $499 drain and it still locked me out. After numerous swipes and even tried swiping once after not using it for 2 days, I decided to try to buy something at Walmart for <$1 and it still declined. Finally called Vanilla CS and the CSR basically said "use the card at another retailer other than Walmart for the security of your funds for the entire time". I asked him if I can use these at Walmart ever for this card and he said "No" and told him that it was BS that I am not able to use my VGC at Walmart which has a variety of products that I shop for on a daily basis and requested a new replacement card.

I guess the question is have you had experience with the replacement Vanilla VGC in the mail pulling the same BS and not allowing the card to be used at Walmart? I would be so mad if that crap happens. Its like I don't understand why some cards do it and some cards dont. This was a Vanilla PW/IC VGC bought at a grocery store.

I've started having problems again with random Sutton cards @ WM for 499 since March 7th.

The reps read a script: Try another store, wait 24 hours, etc. Swear their robotic.

I repeat my own script: Send me a refund check.

Reps try to send you a replacement card first, 5 days vs 3 weeks.

Hmm so this is not a PW thing but also affects Sutton cards too? UGH .... I guess at least MB/BHN cards dont force you to get a new card. I might have to opt to send me a refund check next time if the replacement Vanilla cards are pulling the same BS. So this is just a random phenomenom?

Any Vanilla variety (4097 or 4110) I find are super sensitive. Due to a busy schedule earlier this year I was sitting on a few for a few weeks and found out by accident that if you buy them, wait 24 hours, make a small purchase for 2-3 dollars (I was loading amazon for a few bucks), then wait (for me ended up being a week but just because I was swamped) again before loading 495 or so they work fine, but that's a pain in the ... if you're not forced to wait weeks between purchasing and liquidating.

I was hoping that Vanillas with IC would be less sensitive than PW with BHN. I guess there is no surefire VGCs that work like 90-95% of the time anymore.

I have never had a replacement card fail on me for full drain thus far. My guess is that it's because they do attach it to you (they take your info to mail it) and thus there is less fraud concerns on it. They are also different BINs, likely ones made just for replacements. FWIW, I am at about 10+ replacements this year already.

Not sure if this is a known DP (I searched and didn't find it).
I received a Lennox (furnace) Visa GC issued by Bankcorp
Was able to activate the card online and then load Discover Checking at WM no problems.

Yep happens with both Sutton and PW. Once card is locked, its toast. Don't listen to CSR saying to use a different store unless you want to have to follow up the next day.
Replacement cards will work at the store where original card got locked

Thanks for the info about the the replacement cards having a different BIN. I would expect that the replacement cards shouldn't result in the same BS since they have your address and confirmed you had possession of the card. Thanks for the datapoints.

Oh yeah I asked the CSR some follow up questions if it was like a 1 transaction thing just to show that you own the card but the CSR said that I cannot use it at that retailer. Immediately I asked to replace the card and didn't probe on that further. That will be my go to method to ask for replacement card since it is BS that a hidden list of retailers that are ghost blocked with no proper information.

What I've noticed through my own. trial and error is that when I try to drain the full $500, whether for MO or to load a debit card (I have Serve/Discover/One... No difference) that's when the card gets fraud locked. Also, from my experience, the CSRs don't know what's going on. They have a script that says "use it at a different retailer". I say "I've already tried that, it just gets declined" which isn't a lie, because I'll try it for $1 at Amazon (reload) and/or the grocery store and it always seems to fail. Anyway, I say "I tried that already" and they say "then we need to send a replacement card". I haven't tried full 500 with the replacement card because by that time I don't want to put up with any more BS.

Anyone else find it odd when loading Vanilla GC to Discover Checking that the Discover app (and email) alerts say:
Non-U.S. Debit card Transaction

?

Yes very strange alert.
did discover load the VGC card ? Which Brand VGC did you get that message with?

I've gotten it for 5 different VGC so far.
One was Sutton VGC
One was Vanilla
Third was Bancorp Visa (my Lennox rebate card)
4th and 5th were Vanilla, one by pathward and one by incomm

All loaded fine.

Nowhere in my emails from Discover does it say this. Maybe in the app which I have not downloaded but nothing in the email.

Same, never seen this before.
Do you live near a US Border? Could it be the WM location you are at is showing up as a non-US location?