At my local CVS, Vanilla Reload cards are supposed to be here:
See, all the way down at the bottom on the right. Just where the red arrow points! (CVS isn’t quite that helpful, I had to add that in a photo editor. :p)
But today, this is where they were:
Can you see them? No?
As a refresher, this is what the cards look like:
Now let’s look again:
See them now?
Nope. But they were there.
They were hidden behind the XBoxLive cards.
So whatever frequent flyer out there thought they were clever, sorry dude! I found your stash!
That CVS is mine…
Moral of the story is just because Vanilla Reloads aren’t apparent, doesn’t mean they aren’t there, somebody might have hidden them. Behind the XBoxLive cards or the Red Lobster gift cards.
There were eight cards available (that I found…) so I bought them, two at a time, the cashier knew the drill — you can only buy up to $1000 per transaction and she asks to see my drivers license when I do it, but she did four sets of two. Badabing!
My CVS stores in OC CA are $1000 per day. One store even writes down your name, social, etc. when you buy & checks against the list when you buy. Hiding VR has been so rampant here, some stores keep the VRs behind the register.
Owned!
My CVS has a ton, but has a memo they showed me from corporate stating only $1000 in a BUSINESS DAY. Not just in a transaction anymore, sadly. However, after May 1st, I’m not sure I’m going to put in the effort…
It’s refreshing to know that even veteran point collectors and blogger use Vanilla.
I’d just like to note that stumbling into a store, seeing only eight cards, and then buying all of them in one fell swoop is exactly what LEADS to people hiding the VR. Do you really need to get 8 at a time? Especially when that leaves zero left?
..ya gotta look out for the young ones 😉
http://www.michaelwtravels.com/2013/03/lucas-likes-vanilla-too.html
sneaky little guys 🙂
Gary, when buying so many at a time, do you spread your purchases across multiple cards, or do you buy them all on one (I’m assuming Hilton Amex)? Hiding is rampant at all the CVS I have checked in the NY/NJ area.
What card is everyone using them for that makes them THAT valuable, other than to just generate spend? I can see using something like the CSP to earn UR points and then transfer them to any of Chase’s partners, but am I missing something? What makes them worth 4k at a time?
With what card?
Affiliate link please!
@Ashleigh B,
“However, after May 1st, I’m not sure I’m going to put in the effort…”
How’s this linked to the international socialist holiday?
CA often refuse to process a set of two for a different person if you come in together. Its one per a group and now most refusue to accept anything other than cash.
Mine are behind the Nintendo cards…so Ha!
@Treane – I bought them today all on one card.
@FlyerGuy – I use them to meet minimum spend, I also use them to meet required spend for bonuses — remember, cards like Hilton Reserve give you a free weekend night after $10k spend, airline cards give you status miles frequently and hotel cards often give you stays/nights towards status at various spend levels. But I do think Chase Ultimate Rewards and Starwood points are worth manufacturing at 0.8 cents per point.
@ABC, that’s when Hilton Amex removes it’s bonus category for drugstores. I’m earning 6 points per $ right now…
@Wrlygirl,
“6 points per $ right”. More like 3 points per $ right after the massive devaluation………
Nice work!
In Los Angeles area some CVS stores allow cc purchase and some do not.
Persistence..
I’ll bet that your competitor starts hiding it elsewhere in the store after reading this post.
My store has $1000 limit per day. Surprised that you could buy 8 same day. Luckily my store seems to have plenty of VR available all the time.
I once had a cashier at CVS, as she apologized for the $1000 per day limit, suggest that I take some additional cards and bring them back to the store on other days to get them activated. I wouldn’t encourage doing it unless you get approval at that moment. I suspect interpretations of whether removing unactivated cards is shoplifting will vary widely amongst stores, personnel, and law enforcement officers. Not worth the risk, but it might be worth asking.
You must live in Nashville, TN and hit the CVS in Cool Springs. I’ll hide them better next time.
Me thinks the noobtraveler likes to hide them also!
Enjoy your last $4k at this store
I have no idea what these cards are or why they are so great. I wish you’d have provided a link that explains this.
@Andrew They’re great because they taste like vanilla, and everyone likes the taste of vanilla!
Is there a way, short of going from store to store, to know which CVS carries the cards? None of my local CVS stores, also in the D.C. area, seem to ever have the cards, so is there any way to know where they are to be found?
My CVS store occasionally takes them off the racks and places them behind the counter.
I’m not to sure how anyone can get the amount of points these bloggers get without manufacturing extra miles or points.
@Andrew http://www.google.com
Visiting West Hartford this weekend, the CVS there had a small stash of them.
Whew at least now I know thats not my stash, I dont hide em behind the XBL ones.
@Frank,
There should be an app for that. Or how about a dog that could smell vanilla? Now that’s a business opportunity.
I’ve somewhat given up between them not being in stock or not wanting to take credit card it’s becoming somewhat of a pain. I am on track (as suggested by Lucky) to become a Hilton Diamond this year along with 240k points @ +/- $360 but I’m not sure those points are worth it anymore.
I have bought tons of em and just bough 20k in DC 2 days ago. They can be found and hidden. I have also found stashes in the diapers area and female’s tampons. Both times I moved the stash elsewhere.
Today I went into my local CVS and was talking to the Cashier about VR cards. She told me one couple drives about 20 miles every day to buy $1K each of the VR cards. Since this is not the only CVS in the local area that stocks the cards, I assume the couple is hitting numerous stores each day.
At least now they can’t hit that same store until it restocks.
Just recently had my neighborhood CVS make the switch, and start taking cash only because people were buying them too frequently. 🙁
Ha, sounds familiar. A couple months back my local CVS appeared to be out but i just happened to notice a stack of cards that looked “off” (i.e. back cards were smaller and thinner than front cards. I poked back there and it was a big stack of VRs. Ever since, i look up and down the entire rack when i don’t see them in the proper place :). I’ve noticed at my CVS, there is one employee who enforces the $1k/day rule, the rest don’t seem to care. So I walk in and look to see who is at the counter before deciding how many to grab. I normally cap myself at $2k/day though so as not to seem like a complete crack, ‘er, vanilla addict.
This is why Gary is the best. He’s got VR x-ray vision. He’s the super hero of travel bloggers!
omg I just found 5 today! I haven’t been able to buy any for the past month and I thought they stopped carrying it. This is slicky of some people.
Guess I’ll have to hide them better next time.
Can someone help me understand this process? Isn’t there a cap of $5k a month of VR’s that can be loaded onto bluebird? If so, that amounts to 60k a year. Most credit cards give you a 50k sign up, so why not get get one more credit card a year and avoid the hassle???
Haha! This happened to me too. Last month I went to my “regular” CVS and suddenly the cards were hidden behind something else. I just took 2, and walked away smiling and wondering who else in my neighborhood is playing this game.
@John people use these to meet minimum spend to get those bonuses, for instance
Some of us still have uncapped 5% grocery and drugstore cards 😉
How about we all use this smartly and in a manner so as to avoid trigger obvious suspicious behavior
Are you all buying vanilla reload with cc or cash? Thought can’t buy w cc anymore
People,
Slow down on your purchase of vanilla reload cards…
Don’t go everyday to buy $2000 each time. It takes only one annoyed CVS manager to complain to their upper management and make it the next hot topic on their meeting. We do not wanna repeat what happened to Office Depot. Please lets not f… it up~
A lot of people have the 5x Citi or the Travelocity card or even the Hilton and Delta Cards. For those its easy money 2-4k at a time.
@john so you get another CC with a 50K bouns which only gives you 100K miles, however, if you get another 60K, that is a total of 160K which is enough for one FC ticket anywhere AA flights or it’s partners.
If your SO does the same thing, then guess what, now you have TWO FC tickets….
@Vinnie – there is no reason to buy with cash, I bought with a credit card
Not sure if it is me or everyone.
I previously had no issues buying the VR.
As of yesterday around noon PT, I have not been able to buy any with my CC. I get a error of use another payment message on the CC reader. i have tried this at two stores. It is not my CC issue as my CC doesnt even see the attempted charge. I have only tried this on one CC, it was even a newly CC. I am thinking CVS no longer accepts CC for these purchase. No way they can block me and me only right? I have not had any run ins w the managers of any stores.
Can someone confirm/deny this?