I went in my local Walmart to get an apple gift card and I saw in all the areas in the store where the cards would be, were empty. so I asked an employee where they are and they said they don’t sell them anymore, is this a new thing? I even went to the gas station bc normally they sell them too but they also didn’t have them stocked
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
iPhone XR, iOS 17
Bmf1982 wrote:
I did ask people working at these stores. Either they didn’t know or all they know is that they were told to pull them from the floor and no longer sale them.
Walmart is the worst place to buy any Gift Cards and have been subject to the common gift cards scams that have been discussed in these forums. With retailers that displayed gift cards where they were open to the public to tamper with, they found that scammers were taking a bunch of the gift cards off the racks and writing down the code after scratching off the sticker. They can easily replace the sticker with ones found on Amazon, then just wait for you to activate them. Many customers had their gift cards drained before they had a chance to use them.
I would only recommend buying a gift card from a retailer that sells them secured behind a counter if not able to purchase online. If the retailer is not willing to keep their customers protected by securing the cards, then it is best that they do not sell them at all.
My guess would be that retailers are giving into pressure from lawmakers to clean up their act. They have been far too lax on the security of these gift cards, where it is too easy for people to tamper with the packaging and gain access to the code and pin number hidden on the card, which would allow them to steal funds from an unsuspecting buyer of these cards.
Perhaps Apple is simply withdrawing their cards temporarily to figure out a more secure form of packaging?
This article goes over the main problems associated with gift cards and the current efforts to beef up the security of the current system.
https://www.propublica.org/article/maryland-gift-card-scams-prevention-act-walmart-incomm-retail
June 15th 2024, within the last four days they pulled them from at least my region of North Dakota. Stores don’t know why. Macintosh refuses to answer, says to ask stores. I’m guessing it’s part of this pull towards digital currency. They (Macintosh) are just to cowardly to come out and say it. Or at least give some type of explanation. Pretty sure it’s an attempt to push cash folks (like myself), towards digital.
I can’t purchase them online with cash. I’m in North Dakota and Apple gift cards have been pulled from all merchants/retailers in my area of North Dakota. This isn’t a corporate office of a store or a vender, choosing not to sell. Everything from market stores to gas stations no longer carry apple gift cards. All of them still have their gift card racks and many even have the empty spots with the Apple place tag. Apple removed them from my area. Most places might still sale them, but they don’t where I’m at. I believe the original poster, that they don’t sale them there either.
Sebastian1233 wrote:
I got one to day I tried to redeem it but it said it didn’t work
Seems a bit off topic for the post provided by the OP, but if you are having trouble with your gift card, start here:
If you can't redeem your Apple Gift Card or App Store & iTunes Gift Card - Apple Support
After reading the other posts in this thread, if you feel that it was due to a scam carried out at the store you purchased the gift card, then you may want to contact the store where the scam occurred as they need to be protecting their customers from these people. In that case it may be related to the OP's question if the store does not have a plan in place to protect their customers and in the meantime have simply stopped selling them.
The cash is an issue. Larger retailers may have them in stock and can more easily restock when supplies are misallocated. Many larger retailers are moving gift cards to a more secure location because of the increased risk of tampering and theft.
Yes, people do have their accounts hacked when they are not cautious and use weak passwords etc. That’s a part of living in the 21st century and is unlikely to change anytime soon.
Yes, gift card distribution is a big business and many independent and smaller chain merchants and franchisees rely on gift card distributors to purchase their merchandise (gift cards). Distributors may be partially liable in some of the ongoing fraudulent gift card activities.
Jeff Donald wrote:
Distributors may be partially liable in some of the ongoing fraudulent gift card activities.
Very true! Nobody has more access to the Gift Cards than the employees of the Distributors that stock them. Buying direct from Apple eliminates the middleman and a weak link in the chain of custody. I know you were an Apple Store manager, so you may be able to provide some insight on how the Gift Cards are managed at the Apple Store. I assume they come direct from Apple and do not use these Distributors.
I did ask people working at these stores. Either they didn’t know or all they know is that they were told to pull them from the floor and no longer sale them.
This video is short and may enlighten those posting and future community members that post about Apple Gift cards.
Pretty sure that’s not the issue. Some of my grandkids and great grandchildren are in town and I bought gift cards for them today in the greater Tampa Bay Area.
Merchants/retailers are free to carry the products they want. The clerk behind the counter has no idea why a corporate office sells or doesn’t sell a particular product.
What retailer is it?
Most mountain states don’t have Apple Stores, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota have 0 stores. His closest store is probably Winnipeg, Manitoba, only 800 miles round trip. The gas could well exceed the cost of the gift card.
We’re spoiled living in urban areas and having many conveniences available. 😀
If you do buy one that's not secured, redeem it as soon as you get it. I buy a card for another purpose and as soon as I have paid for it I step away from the register and redeem it.
My inclination would also be to go for low value cards, and buy one at a time. That way if you are scammed you haven't lost much.
I went to buy an Apple Gift card the other day and no one has them in my area. I heard that Apple is going through some kind of lawsuit but I don’t know. Anyway, I guess they don’t want my business cause if they did we would have them stocked in the stores. I am not driving for hours just to find an Apple Store to get one nor am I using my bank account to buy them online. So, if they want my business, they will keep our local stores stocked. Also those selling the cards ought to be able to reimburse those who got faulty codes and ripped off. Just putting this out there.
I live in southern California and I have checked 4 different stores and none of them have Apple Gift Cards. These being Walgreens, Albertsons, Walmart (Neighborhood), and Save Mart. Mind you, you can go to the gift cards section and see the apple sticker where the cards are supposed to be and when you ask an employee they say they don’t have them. I plan on checking Rite Aid or Vons soon.
Same! I live in Sc and refuse to allow anyone free access to charge whatever when ever to my account. We buy Apple cards for my husbands Apple Music. I cannot find Apple Cards anywhere!
Why are the stores in my area not selling Apple Gift Cards anymore?
