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CVS Vanilla Reload Update: ALL Stores Going Cash Only By April 4, 2014

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    Update:  You can no longer load a Vanilla Visa to your Bluebird.

    Thanks to all the Million Mile Secrets readers who commented with their experiences buying Vanilla Reloads with a credit card at CVS.

    Over the weekend, news came out that CVS would stop accepting credit cards as payment for Vanilla Reloads as of March 31, 2014.  But many folks reported still being able to use their credit cards after that date!

    Via Million Mile Secrets reader Lydia, there’s a new memo stating that the cash-only policy will start systemwide at CVS by April 4, 2014.

    Chainwide: Cash Only for Vanilla Reloads Effective April 4, 2014

    Why Everyone’s Unhappy

    I’ve written about Vanilla Reloads and how you can use them to load your Bluebird account and pay for expenses (mortgages, rent, credit card bills etc.) you wouldn’t otherwise be able to pay with a credit card.

    Buying Vanilla Reloads with a credit card was a good way to earn lots of miles and points and meet minimum spending requirements for new cards.

    Now, folks who relied on CVS Vanilla Reloads will have to find other ways to load their Bluebird accounts, like buying gift cards with a PIN.  This is much more inconvenient because you have to go to a Walmart in person to load your Bluebird instead of just going online.

    Plan B: Load Bluebird With PIN-Enabled Gift Cards

    What Should We Do Now?

    It sounds like people have already been buying up Vanilla Reloads at CVS stores that still sell them with a credit card.  Some folks are out of luck, because their stores already switched to cash-only on Monday or Tuesday.

    Get Them Before They’re Gone!

    But if your store still sells Vanilla Reloads with a credit card, I would definitely consider stocking up today or tomorrow.  Especially if you’re still meeting minimum spending on new credit cards.

    I’ll be out hunting for Vanilla Reloads today, too.

    Bottom Line

    According to a new memo, Vanilla Reloads will be cash-only at ALL CVS stores by April 4, 2014.

    If you’re near a CVS today or tomorrow, and it still allows payment by credit card, I would definitely stock up on Vanilla Reloads!  This isn’t the end of Bluebird, but it does make it a bit harder to complete minimum spending requirements!

    Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)