U.S. Bank National Association & MasterCard MasterCard Gift Card - the gift of frustration and disappointment. Cincinnati Ohio

 I received a MasterCard gift card from my place of work for $100. I was over-joyed. Then I tried to use it. The store told me there was no money on the card. Calling the card company I discovered they were NOT MasterCard, but actually U.S. Bank National Association. They license the MasterCard logo from MasterCard but are NOT MasterCard. They said there was no money ever deposited on this card and I needed to go to the vendor who sold the card. Not it's a GIFT CARD so I had to go to my boss and ask for a receipt for the gift card. I got the receipt, and then called the vendor, Pavilions (aka Safeway, aka Vons). They said that without an "activation slip" they could not do anything about it. I asked my boss for the activation slip, and they had no recollection of such a slip. Actually, it was my boss's daughter who purchased the card, along with 13 other gift cards. I called both the card company and Pavilions and it turns out neither claims responsibility for the $100 transaction plus the processing fee of $4.95.

So, my boss threw out $100 cash plus the processing fee, and recieved a worthless piece of plastic, and I might add a disappointed, upset, and frustrated employee.

Moral of the Story: Don't buy gift cards, they are a scam, just give cash or actual gifts. Most of the gift cards purchased and given just sit in wallets and purses forgotten until the money is gone due to the $2.00 inactivity service charge they put on the account. Also, when I got the receipt, it turns out my boss's daughter purchased the card over a year ago so it was no longer worth $100 even if it had been activated.