A dear friend left me a thank you note along with a gift card. I am familiar with the prepaid Visa and American Express gift cards, but was not familiar with Green Dot.
When I read the packaging it said the card could not be used until I registered it.
This was a first for me, but I figured it was to have an address and zip code on file so that when I used the card to order my next batch of books from Amazon or a replacement part for my KitchenAid mixer from eBay, I would be able to enter a billing address that would match up with what the card could confirm.
Filling in the registration fields, I hesitated at "Social Security Number". Hmmm…this was starting to feel VERY uncomfortable. There was a helpful (?) next to the box, which I clicked on and was informed.
"We require a SSN to give you a personalized re-loadable card. otherwise your temporary card can not be re-loaded nor used overseas".
So, in my wiggly-wiggle-room fashion, I thought maybe I could skip that field and just use the card in its NON personalized incarnation (AKA : the flimsy temporary card I held in my hand). I didn't even WANT a personalized card.
Spending it overseas hadn't even crossed my mind. I don't even know where I could go overseas where a $50 gift card wout make or break the feasibility of the trip Like, without that tip, the whole trip is off?
Nope. It kept coming back up with an error about the missing field.
Here's the frustrating part (oh, you thought all this crapola so far was frustrating? HA! It has only just begun). I did some online research (otherwise called getting (virtual) strangers' opinions) and found that if I enter a fake social security number , or any fake information for that matter, the card is flagged and I will need to submit a picture of my face next to my photo ID, among other things.
This sure is a loooooong way from how the Victoria's Secret gift cards work !
OH! It is not a gift card; it is a prepaid debit card.
What's the difference? a monthly charge of $5.95 ! Whether I use the card or not.
What if I zero that balance out? Then monthly fees will be charged for up to two months. Under FAQ "If I have a 0 balance, will you charge fees? Answer: yeppers. up to two months.
This means that besides costing the buyer $4.95 to purchase, it will cost me $11.90 AFTER I spend the full sum loaded onto the card unless I find a work-around to owning a re-loadable debit card. ***
***Why did I say "owning"? Giving someone a re-loadable debit card is akin to giving someone a pet. They will have to own it and be responsible for it for long into the future. Always check with the receiver first before gifting a pet :)
My work-around was to register it with completely 100% correct information so it would be activated. Then I immediately applied the credit to my Amazon account, waited an hour to be sure it went through, and went back to Green Dot login and canceled the card.
Still a bit nervous that this little zero'd out card will incur some penalties over the next two months. We will see.
I really do appreciate the generosity of the giver, but I hope to warn others before someone nonchalantly purchases a GreenDot card for his niece's birthday. I can guarantee you that she and I would both rather just have cold hard cash. Unless she's under 10. Then you should get her an American Girl Doll.
