One4All gift cards - have any of you used them?

I bought something from Boots online this week using this gift card. Had to phone Boots customer service as it wasn’t very clear. The guy was more than helpful and everything went according to plan. He did say though that if I needed to return items, the money goes back onto the gift card, so don’t throw it away until sale is completed.

I used to dread being presented with one of these when I was working. They never seemed to be straightforward to use.

I had problems with a gift card when my mum was given one many years ago. Took it to the local shopping mall only to be told it was out of date.

Never bought or been given one since.

After Covid there was a similar scheme where you could buy cards for people to use in the local shops to get small businesses back on track, so I bought some for my family for Christmas but they were a right pain to use.

Now I just dont buy any of them. Right rip off.

I've found them simple to use...had a few now....the nhs trust i work for have given clinical staff £50 cards several times now

Oh dear -I gave all my friends one of these cards for Xmas ranging from £25 to £50 - I feel so bad now.

We got our daughter a gift card for a restaurant last year which wouldn't work. I rang the people I had bought it from and they said I had ticked a box to say 'cant be used until activated'. I must have done that inadvertently. They activated the card and it was fine.

I've had One4All cards with no problems.

I had one that wouldn’t work in M&S, looking on their site it states to use as a visa and not a gift card when using at a self service till. Online was a pain as it had to be a minimum spend and could not be combined with other forms of payment.

My daughter in law likes to be given these, she has never mentioned having a problem with them.

I’ve had one of these and it was fine , I used it in John Lewis in store and the rest online somewhere else .

I used to give these to my grandchildren but they were too much trouble, so it is cash now.

I got one for Christmas, tried to use it in the co-op but they needed to know how much was on it and i couldnt remember...they couldn't see amount on their system. I gave up but will try elsewhere x

My GS was given one by his teacher for a good result in some lesson.
It was for £10.
He didn’t really want it so I bought it off him and used it in Boots with no problem.

I would not recommend this card mainly because of the clause below - in effect you need to use it within
18 months.

‘A monthly inactive balance charge of £0.90 (or the credit balance on the Card, if lower) will be charged after the Card has been in issue for 18 months. This charge will start to be applied from the following month and will continue until such time as the balance on the card is zero and this Agreement is terminated.’

I wonder if this is then problem:

In-Store
You can spend your One4all Gift Card as full or part payment at any participating One4all retail partner (you can search for our retail partners here). It is important that you know your card balance before you spend; if your card is swiped for more than the value of the balance on the card, the authorisation will fail.

It sounds as though you have to pay any cash difference first so that when the card is swiped the sum can be taken completely from the card.

Here's the link that I failed to copy over:
www.one4all.com/retailer.html?spend_card_type=One4all+Gift+Card

I had similar bad experiences trying to use one of these cards in WHSmith - it transpired you could not use it for items greater than the amount on the card and pay the difference . You need to find items that are under the card balance. I vowed I would never use one again after causing a big tailback at the till . Be warned!!

This is the way to use it online - as someone upthread said, use it as a visa card.

Remember to use your One4all Gift Card as a prepaid Visa Debit Card. Do not choose ‘Gift Voucher’ or ‘Gift Card’ at checkout. Please keep your One4all Gift Card in case of returns or refunds.

In payment options at the checkout, select ‘Visa’ or ‘Visa Debit Card’

Enter the 16-digit card number on the front or back of your card* in the Card Number box

Use your own name for the ‘Name on Card’ section

Enter the Month/Year details from the your card in the Expiry Date box (this may be underneath the silver scratch off panel)

Remove the silver scratch off panel from the back of your card to reveal your CVV2

Use your own name and address for Billing Details & complete the checkout process

I have had one of these about a year ago.
I'm nearly certain I used it online.

I got one as an incentive for something (insurance? phone contract?). Anyway, the details are stored online, and when I came to spend it (I put it towards a new tv in Curry’s) I couldn’t find the login details needed to validate the account.

The assistant said I could claim the discount retrospectively if I bought back the receipt within a time frame. Anyway I searched emails and retrieved the password in the store so all was well. It was very easy to use. Just have the password with you when you want to redeem it.

Article about this on Radio 4 now.
12.06 Wednesday

I had one a while ago. I believe I had to activate it online, from memory I went on the website and did this, I might have had to create an account first.

They are talking about the scams involving these cards on You and Yours.
Warning. Before you pay for the card make sure the silver scratch square is still intact.

crazyH

Oh dear -I gave all my friends one of these cards for Xmas ranging from £25 to £50 - I feel so bad now.

Honestly I've never had a problem.. really easy to use

Used to give these to grandchildren but found out from parents they preferred bank transfer!