The Offer
- ACME Markets and I assume (Albertson’s, Safeway, Tom Thumb and affiliated) stores are offering a special deal to get $10 off $50 on select gift card brands. The following gift cards are eligible:
- Mastercard
- Bath & Body Works
- Bedandbreakfast.com
- The Children’s Place
- Fandango
- IHOP
- JCPenney
The Fine Print
- Valid 5/12/17 – 5/18/17
- Gift card purchases must be made in a single transaction
- One offer per transaction
- Excludes Mastercard variable-load products
Our Verdict
We’ve already posted about the Safeway/Albertson deal, that is due to expire on the 16th so I’m not sure if this deal is slightly different or if that deal will also be extended. Chase Freedom offering 5% cash back on grocery store purchases, other good options can be found here.
No extension of promotion for vons and albertson in southern CA. So the extension of 2 days is only for the actually ACME stores? The intersting thing is: one vons has an add says they have a promotion of 10 off $100 MC for may 17 &18. But still actually not working as advertised.
DP: I got the $10 discount at ACME for a variable $500 MCGC today.
Will go back tomorrow and try to get 2 more, although, I’m a little bit concerned of not being able to liquidate these soon enough and get them drained by a hacker.
Is safeway still working? Other post say it ends yesterday.
Nope.
I have been having big issues with these cards.
I bought a bunch and have been checking the balances. After checking more than about 5, I get a message that they cannot complete my request and to call in. This happens with new and used cards. So basically I have a stack of cards that I have to call in and register with a CSR. Big PITA.
I know they are doing something with the IP because I cannot use my phone, work, or personal computer to check balances for a particular card, but when I use a computer that I haven’t checked balances on before, I can log in without a problem. Luckily, I have access to a large number of open access computers.
I heard that the fraud problems with these came from bots randomly trying numbers, so I imagine they block me after repeated logins because I could be a bot.
Anyone else having these issues?
I’m running in to the exact same problem.
Nice to know they’re at least trying to fix the hacking issue.
Thanks so much for the get around! I got a bunch of the card and finally I can get register the card online without calling!
meant if all design of the $50 or fixed mcgc will get fuel pts?
In my experience over the past three days, the older design does not accumulate any fuel points. The new design, on the other hand, does accumulate double fuel points.
I got a variable $500 this morning, got the $10 off, but forgot to add my phone number to get the fuel points, and the asshole didn’t even care to ask for it.
Will go back this afternoon for another $500 GC, and see if it gets fuel points.
anyone know if a specific design of the $50 mggc get 2x fuel pts? or all $40 fixed will get the fuel pts?
Went to the same store today and both the cashier and the supposed supervisor refused to sell the gift cards if payment is by credit card. Should I call corporate on monday to inquiry?
Also noticed that a couple of the GCs on the rack already have the paper tab covering the activation code torn off.
Never call corporate. Go to a different store, or try same store when different employees are working.
Ironically, the MC GCs they sell have the Debit sign on the front. Since they told me debit card payment is ok, doesn’t it mean I could buy new MC GCs with the ones I already bought, rinse and repeat?
They won’t let you use a “gift card to buy another gift card”, even though they are prepaid cards. A distinction without a difference to all my cashiers/managers. Occasionally, you might find a new employee and be successful a few times, but it won’t last.
I’ve been buying MCGC with MCGC, no issue… until I tried it alone without any other item. Works if using Monopoly piece for free item, though.
Great tip. Wish I hadn’t redeemed my Monopoly free items.
Got eight more today from the same store, from a CSR with a clue. Apparently it’s ok to pay for MC/VISA GCs with a CC, as long as the CC payment is by chip or swipe AND the name on the CC matches the customer’s ID. It’s only disallowed when someone tries to pay by CC by typing in the CC numbers (and CVV, I assume).
Turned some of the old style mygiftcardsite dot com USB MCGC into a USPS MO. I deduce from various DP on Flyertalk that this old style with the gift box pictured on the front still works at USPS, but the newer ones registering (and mostly failing) through prepaidgiftbalance dot com do NOT.
Also tried a Metabank-issued VGC from Staples, but that failed as expected. Apparently, it can only be run as “credit” but not “debit”. Since USPS shuts down “credit” for MO, it’s a no-go. I wish all all those FAQ/Wiki pages would make this clear, instead of just saying Metabank VGC stopped working at USPS since late 2016.
any fraud problems with these cards. I bought two kinds one is 50 dollar master gift card . the other one is variable which i loaded with 50 dollars.
also does registering the gift cards help againt fraud?
thanks
Yes these cards have fraud issues. Registering the card doesn’t really help, either. If you buy them, liquidate asap.
what is J4U? whats a J4U number?
Just4U is Safeway’s loyalty program
MC GC by US Bank is a joke. Most of those registering through http://www.mygiftcardsite.com are fine. One cannot be activated. And the CSR wants me to fax in a ton of documentation.
Another style of the MC GC, registering through http://www.prepaidgiftbalance.com, mostly cannot be registered through that website. I had to register them one by one by phone with a human CSR (separate from the http://www.mygiftcardsite.com one). One of the GCs turns out be drained already after March 30. CSR told me to get refunded through the store I bought it from.