Update: It looks like none of these cards are available for purchase anymore. We will update this post if that changes.
Reddit user dtimm93 was the first to post this, somebody then quickly posted it to FlyerTalk. It looks like you can purchase four types of cards from MetaCard online and in much higher denominations.
- MasterCard gift card: $1,000 limit, $4.95 activation fee
- Travel MasterCard card: $1,500 limit, $6.95 activation fee
- Reloadable Visa card: Â $1,500 limit, $6.95 activation fee & $3 monthly fee
- Youth card: Â $1,500 limit, $6.95 activation fee & $3 monthly fee
It looks like you can also do ATM withdrawals with the travel card (cost of $1.50 per withdrawal), this could come in handy if you have any owner/operator fee free ATMs near you. To view these cards follow these instructions:
- Go to https://www.metabank.com/personal/cards
- Click “Buy MasterCard Gift Cards online”
Contents
F.A.Q’s
Is there a shipping charge?
No, shipping is free for all four cards.
What merchant category code is used?
It posted as SIMPLEXES ONLINE SALES. Currently unaware of anything that will earn a higher than normal category bonus on these purchases.
[Read: Find out what a MCC is & how it’s used out what MCC is used]
What credit cards can be used?
Mastercard, Discover & Visa only.
What cards code as a purchase & what codes as a cash advance?
As always, this information is accurate as far as we are aware. Use this information at your own risk, we recommend setting your cash advance limit to $0.
- Barclay Arrival Plus: Worked with cash advance limit set to lower than $1,04.95 purchase
What limits are there?
Your shopping cart cannot exceed $1,500 at any time.
How do I set my PIN for these cards?
Call the number on the back of the card & follow the prompts. You should also be able to use the last four digits on the card as the default PIN.
MasterCard Gift Card:
These look to be your standard MasterCard gift cards. You can set a PIN but cannot use this card for ATM withdrawals.
We will be doing some additional research on these cards to see what can & can’t be done. Obviously buy these at your own risk.
MasterCard Travel Card:
This card comes with a $6.95 activation fee, but you can fund it with up to $1,500. It’s also possible to set a PIN and use it for ATM withdrawals.
- Domestic withdrawals: $1.50
- International withdrawals: $3
There is also a $0.5 fee when you use your PIN to spend money which may make it an unattractive option for those looking to load this onto something else. It’s possible to do online reloads (presumably a credit card can be used) but this comes with a fee of $10.
Because of the load fee, I’m assuming that MetaBank is only envisioning that people hold a maximum of one of these cards. Purchase does require your SSN so be careful of purchasing multiple cards at this stage as it might lead to shut down. There is also a hard limit of one travel card per order.
Reloadable Visa
This card is similar to the travel card but it’s a Visa instead of MasterCard. It also has a monthly fee of $3 (waived with direct deposit). Another key difference is that this account does not charge you $0.5 per PIN transaction. Online loads and ATM withdrawals all have the same fees attached though.
Youth MasterCard
This looks to be the exact same product as the Reloadable visa, except it’s a MasterCard instead. The fee structure is otherwise exactly the same.
