Vanilla giftReviews 438

Vanilla claims that someone else has tried to activate my card. They are doing nothing but telling me to wait for resolution. I've filed all the necessary documents with them. Everyone I've talked to at their customer service line has been useless. I will never buy another Vanilla card. If I could leave 0 stars I would.

You can't use it online only at a pos terminal. Who dosen't shop online these days. It is utterly useless for anything online.

Received gift card 12/23. Tried to use it 3/24. Declined@2 places {Macy's and Rag and Bone). Called and they told me they could see where I tried to use it I said release it. Stated they couldn't. Sent a replacement card. Used it at Chipotle so think its fine. Later tried it at a few other places and declined. Called requested balance be sent via check since card not working at places I frequent. Sent requested info with home address. Declined by Vanilla.com. Forgot about it for several mos. Called on Dec 6 2024. Told voter registration card would suffice. Sent. Same day. Dec16 received email telling me to contact them. Called but Acct not updated told to call back. Called 12/30/24. After 39min hold. Told I need to send something with my address that is < 90 days old. Since I Have sent what they requested x2 Asked for supervisor. Why should I believe that sending something again will satisfy them On hold another 7 mins and then told I was being transferred. Surprise. Call disconnected! Limited stores where card can be used. Too difficult to get your funds back. NEVER buy this card for anyone! Glad that I'm retired now. I have time to call back. Think that is their goal. Continue to make excuses to keep your money and hope we'll get busy and forget. WORST Gift Card ever received. AVOID purchasing gift cards from Vanillacom!

I received a $50 vanilla gift card (VISA) from our daughter. We activated it and tried to use it but it would not work. The cashier at Walmart told us they have been having lots of problems with Vanilla cards. So I called Vanilla customer service and found that as soon as we activated it, someone had drained most of the money from it by buying something from Target in MN. We live in SC. I immediately called phone number on the card, talked to a lady there and explained that someone had stolen the money on the card. She told me she would send another card with the remainder on it of about $3,00 I told her not to bother! I recently got the new card and the balance on it was $3.02.it seemed like a bad joke but it was the remainder of the amount after the scammer had taken most of it. I researched it on line and found that some retailers have actually dumped the Vanilla cards because of the issues. And most of the reviews were terrible...like this one. Warning BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE - STAY AWAY FROM VANILLA GIFT CARDS!

This company is a rip off. There are several class action lawsuits. Their card security stinks. CVS and Walgreens should be held accountable for continuing to sell these rip off cards. Purchased a$300 card as a gift. Someone emptied the card. I filed a dispute. Of course they are not going to reply to the dispute.

Do not purchase these gift cards at all! They are a rip off and you will only be throwing away your money! They are the worst gift cards to ever be purchased they do not work repeat do not work! Red Flag Red Flag Red Flag,I was given a $100 gift card used it one time for a $46 dollar purchase and tried to use it the next day it was declined 3 times in a row at 3 different places and I entered a pin number all 3 times and it kept getting declined, They are a SCAM then after being embarrassed 3 times in a row I call the number on the card and they say they have to mail me a new card which takes 10 days to arrive in the mail then you receive a new on and the cycle repeats and your stuck with nothing! They need to be stoped spread the word to everyone you know not to buy these gift cards these people are making Millions of dollars off of the people who buy them!

I received a $25 Vanilla gift card as a Christmas present. I've been trying to activate it for a long time. I tried calling the customer service number in April 2024 and the representative on the other end told me to email them the front and back of the card as well as the original purchase receipt. I mentioned several times that I did not have the purchase receipt because it was given to me as a Christmas gift. Six months later, it is now October 2024. I called them again to see if there was any update. The representative I got connected to also kept repeating that she needed a receipt, and even suggested that I ask the gifter if they held onto it. Can you imagine someone holding onto a receipt for a 2-year old gift card? I asked if I could at least get a replacement, and was just met with the same answer. I feel like I've been scammed. I'm never buying a Vanilla gift card for anyone in my life. Their answering machine is hell to get through, and they are absolutely no help if you don't have a receipt for a gift card that you received AS A GIFT.

Attempted to use this card for less than the balance at a point of sale. It was declined. Tried to use this card for an online purchase for less than the amount balance on the card and it was declined. Contacted customer service. They just gave a run around with excuses and eventually told me there's nothing they can do. They even try to blame it on the other vendors. Complete scam.

I tried to use card on several sites and am always told that card is invalid. I checked the baIance online and it is active and has the balance I purchased. I tried to contact customer service and was no way to be able to speak to anyone. Went online to speak to someone and site gave me no option to do so. So here I sit with a "gift card" that I cannot use and wasted money. Oh well lesson learned.

We bought a gift card to use on vacation instead of bringing the one from our account and they put a stop on it. We now have to wait 5 to 10 business days for another card to be sent and it screwed up our entire vacation. We had NO money!
DO NOT BUY THIS BRAND!

I purchased a vannilla gift card on feb 27 and on march filed acomplant about fraud.After 6months and dealing with three different companies I recieved a letter stating that per payment agreement my claim was out of timeframe for recovery.Letter was dated sept 10.Do not under any circumstances buy a vanilla gift card because there is fraud you will probably never get your money back and all they will do is give you a runaround.

This company is a scam. If you want to get someone a gift, buy them a regular gift card or give them money. Do NOT trust these people with your $$. They will take it.

I have a $50 vanilla Visa card which is now literally just a useless piece of plastic. I can't
Use it in person anywhere, online, at an ATM, or exchange it for cash. Visa literally just took my money and isn't letting me use it.

Card claims to be "active" and it has a balance,
But no matter where I try it, it declines as if I have no money. Visa offers ZERO actual customer support and doesn't even have an email, because they know they're scamming you and they don't care. This isn't even legal.

Will be reporting this company to my bank so they can dispute the charge, since Visa won't even let me report an issue to begin with.

Site needs to be taken down! This is an illegal scam. DO NOT GIVE THESE PEOPLE YOUR MONEY

Never buy anyone a Vanilla Gift card. These cards used to work online easily but this has changed. I was reading that since changes made in 2024 to protect companies against fraud, most retailers will decline this card. Amazon does not accept it anymore, nor does Walmart, Trader Joes, Paypal, Applepay, Google Pay, and many other businesses. I have personally tried using it on Amazon, Walmart online, Trader Joes in person, Ebay, Poshmark, and even Geico to pay a specific amount of a bill. It declined on every platform and requested I use a different payment method.

The only business I know that accepts it so far is Jamba Juice. This worked for me in person today. I am told you might be able to pay for gas with the card, but you must go inside and tell them exactly how much to put on the card or it will decline because gas stations place a temporary hold on the card when put in at the pump.

Long story short, these Vanilla gift cards cannot be used at most online retailers and are also hard to use in person. Calling customer service leads to them telling you to try a different merchant and that only certain online merchants will accept the card. I called them twice and they said the card is active and should work but that the merchant I was using might not accept it. This is very inconvenient, as the Vanilla Gift VISA card is supposed to work anywhere Visa is accepted. I am so frustrated with this card and I highly advise no one buy them.

I'd like to start by saying that I NEVER leave reviews and I NEVER yell at customer service. However, I did BOTH with this HORRIBLE company. I initially contacted Vanilla Gift Cards about my $500 card not working on July 22. I submitted my proof of purchase on July 23, meeting all their requirements. I called again later in July, then on August 3, and August 14. In August, I spoke with a supervisor twice. On August 3, I was told my issue would be escalated, that they had received my documents, and that I would receive my new card in 5-7 business days. When I didn't receive it, I called 11 days later and spoke with another supervisor, who informed me that a 30-day wait was necessary for resolution and a new card. It has now been 42 days with a non-working $500 gift card. Despite submitting my paperwork and being assured it was received, I called again today and was told they didn't receive anything and that I must resend everything.

DO NOT PURCHASE THEIR CARDS. WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE. HORRIBLE MANAGEMENT. THEY MAKE EMPTY PROMISES. THEY WILL SAY ANYTHING TO END A CALL WITH YOU.

This cared is declined a lot. When I called customer service they told me that if it is declined, I should try another store. They could not fix the card that they said was activated and had $400 on it. I had to request a refund.

I tried at a couple retail establishments with no luck. I then read that someone had had luck adding it to an amazon gift card. I didn't have any luck with that either, but it now has no balance. Then when I went on its website yesterday, I got a trojan2020 virus which basically tells you your computer is infected. I did get rid of that by clearing my cache and browsing history. I give up as it sounds lie calling their customer service may do you more harm than good.