Restaurant Choice Gift Cards: No Longer Working in A Lot of Places?

blehgg on 09/06/2024 - 15:36
Last edited 09/06/2024 - 17:18 by 2 other users

[Edit] : maybe just me… couple of others have reported no issues. My guess is that the attachment to my digital wallet expires. I threw away the paper card - sigh.

General PSA -

Just noticed that in the last week or so, Restaurant Choice gift cards - (the Visa ones - which used to work nearly everywhere including places like Maccas) - have started to clamp down on eligible locations for use.

I've tried at Maccas, a couple of cafes, Eight street - all are being rejected.

Just keep this in mind before buying them any more.

Makes them a lot harder to get to zero.

Edit: weird though - Their website still advertises it -

• 

  scrimshaw on 09/06/2024 - 15:43

  I used mine not long ago at Soul Origin and a Chinese take away. Those places were classed as Fast Food (MCC 5814)

  If you are on Android try adding your GC on Google Wallet and then use the mymaccas mobile app to make a payment by selecting Google Pay on checkout.

  • 

    blehgg on 09/06/2024 - 15:46

    Mmm.. maybe a hiccup then?

    I tried in the last week… like 3 different cards and multiple different places.

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  Sye on 09/06/2024 - 15:59

  +10

  Can't I just enjoy a succulent Chinese meal?

  • 

    FireRunner on 09/06/2024 - 18:04

    +3

    This is democracy manifest!

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  MistaL on 09/06/2024 - 16:14

  It seems to work fine on my end, I have mine attached to my phone and just used it last night at Maccas

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  Trance N Dance on 09/06/2024 - 16:28

  Just used mine at Maccas, still works.

  Are you sure you still have sufficient balance on them?

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  blehgg on 09/06/2024 - 16:42

  Yea 100% still got balance. I track them as notes on my digital wallet.

  I've thrown away my paper cards…. so kinda f'd now..

  maybe the attachment to digital wallet expires… - should not have thrown away the paper cards.

  • 

    Trance N Dance on 09/06/2024 - 17:22

    Any possibility your notes are inaccurate? Otherwise the issue might be attaching them as a digital card. I've had no problems using the physical card multiple times in the last 24hrs.

    • 

      blehgg on 09/06/2024 - 17:47

      I've tried 3 cards - same issue… all attached at the same time.

      all with like $10-$20 balance. Guess learning - don't throw away the physical card.

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  mapax on 09/06/2024 - 18:43

  +1

  threw away the paper card - sigh.

  Horror story confirmed…

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  WookieMonster on 09/06/2024 - 19:02

  +2

  maybe the attachment to digital wallet expires

  There is an expiry date for the digital card saved on your mobile wallet, but I would have thought that they would use a date later than 2024. I had a look at one of the other Blackhawk Network gift cards on my mobile wallet, and it is using an expiry date of 2027.

  I've thrown away my paper cards…. so kinda f'd now..

  Why would you do that when you have not finished redeeming the balance on your gift card? You never know when you need the gift card’s details again.

  About a month ago, I had Blackhawk Network block my Activ Visa gift card (I know, not identical to your gift card, but it is another prepaid gift card operated by the same company), because of suspected fraudulent activity. However, I only found out this happened after both the physical card and the digital one on my mobile wallet were being declined at multiple merchants, and then I called Blackhawk Network for help. I had to provide the gift card’s PCN to get help. If I did what you did and threw away my physical gift card, I would have lost about $80.

  If you still have the purchase approval receipt from Woolworths, it should list the gift card’s PCN in full, and hopefully the PCN is enough to get Blackhawk Network to help you get to the bottom of your issue. However, that is assuming the gift card was originally purchased from Woolworths… If the gift card was originally purchased from Coles, there is no way to find out the PCN without the physical gift card.

  • 

    blehgg on 09/06/2024 - 19:09

    because I'm an idiot…. lesson learnt :( I relied on the digital transactions to track the balance.

    • 

      WookieMonster on 09/06/2024 - 19:21

      +3

      Hopefully it is not such an expensive lesson!

      In future, either:

      • Hold onto your physical gift card until you have finished redeeming it (and make sure to check the balance to ensure you have redeemed every last cent), or

      • Store the gift card’s details (i.e. card number, PCN number, expiry date, CVV2) somewhere until you have finished redeeming it.

      Maybe do not be like me and hang onto prepaid gift cards well after they have been used or expired or cancelled. I have a massive pile of used gift cards on next to my desk…

      • 

        Craze on 10/06/2024 - 10:01

        +2

        I'm the same, still hang on to prepaid GC's after they've been fully exhausted or used- BUT I think still worth holding on to them for 3-6 months before disposing as you may get a refund from merchant if used to pay for utilities in advance and you churn away etc.

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  2esc on 10/06/2024 - 21:08

  A lot of individual gift cards have this problem my son was given a Teen gift card supposedly he could use at Rebel sports but when he went to use it it was no longer honoured by rebel i ended up buying it off him and used it elsewhere.

  Just avoid not worth the hassle.

  • 

    WookieMonster on 10/06/2024 - 22:22

    If your son was given an Ultimate Teens gift card with the rebel logo on the front of the packaging (or the gift card), rebel would have still accepted it (and you would have been able to exchange it for a rebel gift card too).

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  denxhh on 12/08/2024 - 12:43

  Yeah, I've been getting multiple failures. Some places were working last month, but now a bit of a hit and miss. Maccas still works.

  • 

    Trance N Dance on 12/08/2024 - 14:18

    I've noticed a lot of places are getting their terminals updated and/or switching over to new providers (probably to coincided with the new FY) and probably haven't set themselves up properly. That or those who have switched over to square, those have been very hit and miss.

    • 

      denxhh on 12/08/2024 - 14:33

      I'm not too sure at the moment, need to try out a few venues. The card still works in some places. But looking at a previous card and going through the history, it had the venue just 1 week apart. Albeit on a different card, one was the "Cafe" one, not the "Restaurant" one - but both should be the same. And the venue also had the same machine. It could be a batch of cards I have, so I might need to grab a new one this week and test it out later this week.

      Could be a combination of phones (android) or terminals. I have yet to try to use a physical card.

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  denxhh on 19/08/2024 - 09:55

  +2

  Just reporting back after a few weeks of testing.

  I returned to the same venue and used the physical card, which worked successfully. I also attempted another transaction using the same contactless method with Google Pay (Android) on the same terminal, and it worked as well. It's unclear why there was an initial failure - this was on the exact same card last week!

  Square terminals are still failing, but the Restaurant Choice Card, now a Visa, should work when attached to Google Pay. It didn't work at three venues, but I managed to get it working at one venue the prior week, albeit using the Cafe Card.