OfficeDepot - Required Drivers License for Gift Card Purchase

Mark Pepper

New Member
Just purchased 2 Amazon gift cards for $500 each at Office Depot. This automatically brought up an AML (Anti-Money Laundering) screen which required the employee to take down all of my driver's license information. He said it was the 1st time he had seen the screen come up, and it was probably triggered by purchasing more than 1 gift card.

OfficeDepot has already removed credit cards as an authorized means to buy Visa/AMEX giftcards, and this appears to be the next wave of changes.

Has anyone else experience this added layer of scrutiny?
 

projectx

Level 2 Member
I did when I purchased $1k worth of VGC's with a CC, right before they axed the used of CCs. It was pretty time consuming.
 

Mark Pepper

New Member
One additional note. The employee told me to separate the purchases out to avoid the AML screen from coming up. I'm guessing, they don't like the thought of holding up a line and having to enter the license data on the screen.

I'm going to try this, and will report back to see if the AML remains an issue.
 

Jh1990

New Member
One additional note. The employee told me to separate the purchases out to avoid the AML screen from coming up. I'm guessing, they don't like the thought of holding up a line and having to enter the license data on the screen.

I'm going to try this, and will report back to see if the AML remains an issue.
You weren't able to MS on the VGC then because you weren't able to buy with CC right?
 

Mark Pepper

New Member
I was buying Amazon gift cards with my Chase Ink card (5x), not Visa GC. Non merchant gift cards (ie Visa) are cash only now,
 

kellybme

Level 2 Member
$1,000 seems to be the magic number. I am always ID'd when I go over $1,000 and never ID'd when my purchases are below it.
 

Falim

New Member
Had this happen to me. In my case it was $800 of EBay GCs 1 day which didn't trigger it but the $800 the next day did.
 

Benjamin

Level 2 Member
Had this happen to me. In my case it was $800 of EBay GCs 1 day which didn't trigger it but the $800 the next day did.
Was this purchase at a business with a membership program? Or was your ID requested after your card had been swiped? Curious how the POS knew you had been there two days in-a-row...
 

Mark Pepper

New Member
Office Depot no longer allows credit cards to be used to purchase gift cards. I went yesterday to buy an Amazon gift card, and was told Cash or Debit card. This was news to me, and I haven't read anything about the policy change. Has anyone else experienced this?

It feels like an acceleration of the demise of manufactured spend via credit cards.
 

projectx

Level 2 Member
Office Depot no longer allows credit cards to be used to purchase gift cards. I went yesterday to buy an Amazon gift card, and was told Cash or Debit card. This was news to me, and I haven't read anything about the policy change. Has anyone else experienced this?

It feels like an acceleration of the demise of manufactured spend via credit cards.
My local OD went cash only, then went back to allowing credit cards, to now calling in to the CC company (or Visa?) to verify the card is legit. Needless to say I'm back to using Staples exclusively.
 
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