Thank you for the DP. Staples one is $200 max. the ones from grocery stores are $500 max value. what is the velocity on those $500 cards?

In my experience $500 Vanillas etc from grocery stores can't be fully drained. $500 Simon cards are way better here for ease of use and SUB churning, but that's not where the bonus spend is at...

Took advantage of VGC online no fee promo in Oct, $500's worked great for MOs at Safeway, WM and Kroger (FM here). Nov 6th bought custom photo VGCs online fee free. Not authorized at Safeway and WM so far, tried 3 different cards. Curious if the custom photo cards are a newer batch?

Not enough info here to get an answer. Post the BIN (first 6 digits) from your cards, and where exactly you bought them. Enough different GC sites out there and which one you used matters.

I was thinking 498.yz (yz = anything but 00) better approval chance? $499 can be used as the last swipe.
In my WM,$499 only good for 1 swipe only. 2nd $499 will get the card locked even though different tx.

446317 from vanilla gift.com are the recent ones getting not authorized.
Just checked previous ones from same site that worked and all were also 446317. All Sutton/InComm

and sorry, just realized this forum is Incomm/Pathward and mine were Sutton

No worries. This is the InComm breakdown thread. InComm services Sutton as well as Pathward ;-)

you sure thats the right website where you got those?

Yes, vanillagift.com - they had fee free promos in Oct. Did roughly $7k with no issues, then in Nov was a promo code for fee free customized photo cards. Those no luck.

I neglected to check how much I’ve loaded to Serve this month and tried to load it twice with an InComm card (over limit), the approval and refund caused the VGC to lock up and needed a replacement. Unforced error aside, I learned today that you can manually cause these lock ups by sheer stupidity all by yourself.

Update: did a small $5 transaction and a few days later went back to a Safeway. Worked for $485 (I had a Pathward as a backup $485). I've never had to do a small transaction first, but maybe that was the trick? Fee free again on their site, might give it another shot.

Discover load failures
 

I tried to load $500 to Discover from a MB Secure Spend with my usual $10 + $490 split. The $10 worked but the $490 failed with Code 57 - debit not available, so I finished it up with a bank debit. I tried it again with a second MB SS and the same thing happened, $10 worked, $490 failed, so I cancelled that transaction. Both started with 4097 5807 which I got from a 7-Eleven a week ago with the old $4.95 fee. I tried to look them up on securespend.com and got the "System error occurred" message that IME means that they're locked because of suspected fraud. I'll check again after 24 hours but expect to have to call in again for replacements.

This is in the Sacramento CA area.

yep. Not surprised at all. I’m also in your area. Last 2 months or so the number of swipes I can get away with using brick-and-mortar incomms has been decreasing. Last few weeks I can only do one brick and mortar incomm. Second one locks up and needs to be replaced.

I say brick-and-mortar incomms because any incomm I purchase online is fine. I can run 5 of them in a row full $500 swipes no problem.

here’s how I’m dealing with it.

• I have a ton of online purchased InComms, some brick and mortar incomm (CVS Rakuten with CFF) some BHN (ODOM Staples)
• I go to 2 WM and load 2 cards per WM. Each card I load 2 swipes, one online InComm, one “problem child”
• first load Discover 990 in 2 swipes 500 + 490. 500 is an online purchased card, 490 is a CVS card (490 + 7.95 fee still under Rakuten 500 limit)
• next I load a Serve, 599 or 700 depending on which BHN I’m draining
• go to second Walmart and repeat with P2 debit cards
  

what does BAU stand for?