Saturday, December 30, 2023

SecureSpend: Just Really Bad at Delivering Services or Intentional Scam?

Since I'm "un-banked" but would sometimes prefer the convenience of a debit card over cash, I occasionally buy a Visa "gift card" for use in traveling or even around town.

Maybe three weeks ago, I bought a $100 Visa gift card at a reputable store (where I've bought them before with no problem), and instead of getting one of the ones that look all prettified and "gifty," I went with the "SecureSpend Prepaid Visa Card." I put $100 on it and as soon as I got home I activated the card and chose a PIN at the web site listed on the card. The idea behind this was that now that I have a scooter, I could use it for e.g. gas and incidentals, probably for quite a while.

The other night, I finally decided to use it to buy something. Declined. "Illegal transaction."

I thought it might have to do with what I was buying (CBD) and where (a "smoke shop").

So yesterday, I happened to be in Trade Joe's and have a small total, and decided to give it another try. Declined (no explanation from the cashier except that it could be "network issues").

Went to the associated web site again, plugged in the card information. Response: "A system error has occurred. Please try logging in later."

Called the toll-free number, went through the menu, punched in the card information. Response: "There is a problem with your card. Press 1 to return to the main menu or hang up to end the call." And there's no place else to go from the main menu.

A little bit of web searching turned up a crap ton of similar complaints, over a long period of time.

Maybe they're just really bad at doing what they supposedly do, or maybe they're a scam. Either way, I suggest avoiding them.

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