My Prepaid Card Center Merchants Free Ultimate Rewards

Earning 5 points per dollar, and 19 cards later, I spent 3,800 on gift cards to generate 19,000 free Ultimate Rewards points.

I decided to bypass all of the hassle, and just use the cards one by one on regular expenses.

Mistake.

When I saw that Walmart.com was offering 100 Uber e-gift cards for just 80 each, I thought it was a perfect opportunity to spend one of those bad boys since I use Uber on a fairly regular basis.

Whoever it was though definitely had me craving some In N Out.

To add salt to the wound, I later found out that it would be subject to a 5.95 card replacement fee.

Simply put, Im a points miles fanatic who takes too many vacations.

That is just insane So, how the heck can you prevent that Or how can you tell if the gift card was hacked before purchasing it.

USBank has a horrible security problem and anyone can just guess at card numbers and use easy scripts to keep checking if one is loaded.

Their website sucks that it doesnt allow genuine customers to get in to check the transactions.

Also based on my experience I dont know if its real outsider hackers or inside ones or questionable companys business policies-processes (like do they reuse card numbers or duplicate them or do they try baiting customers).

I ask the reason for me not being able to activate online or via phone and CS indicates someone might have been trying to use it.

She asks me to hold on while she is checking with someone if its all set (as if they are putting a trace on it).

Check online and see Point of sale (POS) transaction in same city.

I immediately call customer service asking how is it even possible for someone to use the card at a restaurant without having one.

Anyways they indicate I cant raise fraud request only after transactions post, so no one takes action to block the card or calling the restaurant to check.

I raise the fraud request after few days, go through cumbersome process of receiving forms in mail to sign and return (no emailonline they work in middle ages of FAX system).

Since its someone else name I return the mails without opening back to postal service.

Think one mail had an actual card in it, so thats why I am thinking of bait mail).

I search online, the name of the person on the mail and its from my city however totally different street, so how is it even possible to mess up addresses.

Anyways, I receive response to my fraud dispute case after 2-3 months, that it was an error (error occurred) and no mention of any fraud, and they are refunding the amount.

I call up CS to check balance on old card and she indicates they need to reissue a new one.

New one arrives however with a fee (so am paying the fees twice with no fault of mine, just due to their error).