New Vanilla Reloads in stores

Last month, news broke that Vanilla Reloads are being discontinued, sort of. Vanilla Reload will still be around, but you won’t be able to get the ones with the scratch-off PINs. You’ll be able to load at the register when you buy one, though.

I recently went to a certain establishment which, as of last week, was willing to let me purchase Vanilla Reloads with a credit card. Today, all the Vanilla Reloads we’ve come to know and love were gone. There was a new version of the card, though. On the front, it looked like the old ones but on the back there is no longer an area to scratch to reveal the PIN.

Instead, there was a barcode and instructions to take the card to the register. I took it to the register, they consulted a sheet, and told me it was cash only. I tried another store and got the same result.

Frequent Miler noted that Incomm is increasing its retail network for loading these things. He wrote:

So, InComm has signed one or more major new partners.  And, InComm is going out of its way to say that these products are not just for the poor anymore.  I believe this means that there’s at least one major new partner that typically serves middle and higher income households.  Starbucks, perhaps?  And, whoever they are, will they take credit cards?  I’m hoping and betting that the answer is yes.

I’m still holding out hope for something like this. Maybe there is indeed a new partner, or maybe this new method of loading will reduce fraud so they’ll allow credit card purchases again. But in my case, it’s another option lost.