Corsair Rebates? Debit Card=Stupid!

Oh4Sh0 said:
So since nobody has yet answered this scenario -- maybe someone can clarify..

A. How do you check the balance on one of these cards? (ie Citi Visa Rebate Payment Debit card)
B. Does the card automatically deduct the remaining balance on the card from the purchase - or is this something you have to tell the cashier manually? (ie if I buy something for $100, do I swipe the card, it automatically deducts $40, then you pay the remainder -- or do I have to tell the cashier to deduct $40?)
C. If the above isn't automatic, what happens in a scenario where you over-charge the card?

Thanks
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A. There usually is a phone number on the card you can call.
B. Simply tell the cashier you want to put $40 on the card, $30 in cash or whatever. Pretty much all businesses can take multiple forms of payment at any time and no one cares unless its something extreme like you have 10 cards or something.
C. It's like a normal debt card. don't have enough, the charge is declined.
 
A. Call the number on the back of the card
B. You have to tell the cashier how much to deduct from the card (well at least in my store)
C. It declines.

EDIT: whoa late.
 
matt fury said:
I can't imagine why anyone would prefer a check to a prepaid card.

Process: Check

1) Receive check in mail
2) Go to bank during business hours and cash check, need id & account at said bank
-OR-
2a) Go to bank, not during business hours, deposit check and wait for it to clear
3) Spend money


Process: prepaid
1) Receive prepaid card in mail
2 Spend money

Maybe introduce the activation step there, but it's clearly easier to activate a card then go to the bank. This might possibly be the stupidest thing I've ever heard someone bitch about re: rebates. It's not like it's a gift cert to Bed, Bath, & Beyond. Shit, most hookers even take plastic these days!
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I'm with you, going to the brick and mortar bank is very annoying. Card rebates are much more convenient.
 
The rebate card may be useful for some, but I'm one who favors a plain old rebate check.

Take the check to your bank, deposit it, good to go.

What a pain in the ass to have to constantly check the balence on one of these cards, call to verify it, get declined if the balence is too low, not accepted for some transactions.

Give me the CHOICE of a check or card..........PLEASE Corsair, listen to what people are saying............./end of begging./;)
 
GJSNeptune said:
I'd rather it be dumped straight into my bank account. :D

Checks can bounce.
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I'd rather not give all these random credit card companies my banking account number and routing number EEEEKK!!!!

Rebate cards are pre-paid, can't bounce =)
 
magoo said:
The rebate card may be useful for some, but I'm one who favors a plain old rebate check.

Take the check to your bank, deposit it, good to go.

What a pain in the ass to have to constantly check the balence on one of these cards, call to verify it, get declined if the balence is too low, not accepted for some transactions.

Give me the CHOICE of a check or card..........PLEASE Corsair, listen to what people are saying............./end of begging./;)
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You don't have to constantly check the balance!? Just use them in one go and toss them in the trash. Rebates are at max $20-40 bucks. Grocery bill each week is at least that, I know at least once a month most people spend that much or more at some location or another. Use it as a discount, no extra trip to bank necessary.
 
Menelmarar said:
You don't have to constantly check the balance!? Just use them in one go and toss them in the trash. Rebates are at max $20-40 bucks. Grocery bill each week is at least that, I know at least once a month most people spend that much or more at some location or another. Use it as a discount, no extra trip to bank necessary.
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I couldn't agree more...........except usual scenerio for me:

going out to get gas............
Hey........I'll use that Corsair rebate card, it's worth 30 dollars...........
pull up to pump..........
where is that fucking card............shit, I left it home ......AGAIN.........arrrrrrrrrrrrgh.
two months later, finds expired card in bottom of washing machine...........:mad:
 
magoo said:
I couldn't agree more...........except usual scenerio for me:

going out to get gas............
Hey........I'll use that Corsair rebate card, it's worth 30 dollars...........
pull up to pump..........
where is that fucking card............shit, I left it home ......AGAIN.........arrrrrrrrrrrrgh.
two months later, finds expired card in bottom of washing machine...........:mad:
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If you'd left a check go through the washing machine, it would come out as a little ball of mash that would be unrecognizable. So you'd at least have a chance with a card if you're that careless with your money :p
 
GJSNeptune said:
I'd rather it be dumped straight into my bank account. :D

Checks can bounce.
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Yep, like the rebate check that bounced on me. I'm disputing it with Ace Rebate and they're "investigating" it. Yeah, I'm not holding much hope. Oh well, it's a $14.50 ($4.50 rescinded rebate and $10 bank fee) lesson, but I don't think this bad exp. will prevent me from doing rebates in the future. But esp. after this exp., I much prefer a debit card than a rebate check.
 
Lethal said:
That's exactly how it works. You swipe the card like any other debit or pre-paid credit card, it deducts that amount and you pay the balance however you like. You don't have to bother with depositing a check, and the card is good anywhere that takes regular debit cards.

Pretty convenient, IMO. :)
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This is not true. I got a $50 rebate card from T-Mobile, and only a single damn grocery store will acept it for some reason. Can't use it for gas, can't use it as debit. Can't deposit it. Cards are junk.

-bZj
 
I just ordered stuff online with my rebate cards... or from a local store and picked it up.. I had one card for $73 and spent $72.54 and then another one for $40 and spent $39.68 heh...

Sucks cause they know you won't spend exactly $40 or $20... that money just sticks with the bank, after the card expires I figure they just take it back. 50 cents, couple bucks here and there adds up when you're sending out thousands of rebates so I can see why they want to do that. I'd rather have a check I can deposit into my account though (I've never had a bounced rebate check). I've actually gotten 20-30 rebates so far and only 5 cards, it's annoying though...
 
Down8 said:
This is not true. I got a $50 rebate card from T-Mobile, and only a single damn grocery store will acept it for some reason. Can't use it for gas, can't use it as debit. Can't deposit it. Cards are junk.

-bZj
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Wast it a standard MasterCard or Visa debit card or a store-specific gift card? Maybe you got the latter and didn't read the fine print. If the former, I don't know why the other stores would not accept it. Remember that they have to be processed as a credit card since they don't have a PIN.

Blazestorm said:
I just ordered stuff online with my rebate cards... or from a local store and picked it up.. I had one card for $73 and spent $72.54 and then another one for $40 and spent $39.68 heh...

Sucks cause they know you won't spend exactly $40 or $20... that money just sticks with the bank, after the card expires I figure they just take it back. 50 cents, couple bucks here and there adds up when you're sending out thousands of rebates so I can see why they want to do that. I'd rather have a check I can deposit into my account though (I've never had a bounced rebate check). I've actually gotten 20-30 rebates so far and only 5 cards, it's annoying though...
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After 1 bounced check like what recently happened to me, it makes you that much more paranoid about rebate checks. :(
 
Works best if you have a card for say $50 and you make a purchase of $60 at a local store. Tell the cashier you want $50 on one card and the rest by cash. They swipe the card and deduct $50 from it--balance of $0--and you pay the remaining balance. Almost any store has the capability to do that at your request. Some automatic machines like those found at a Lucky's grocery store will let you do it yourself. The cards are annoying but you can always empty them completely if you know how much is on them.
 
beowulf7 said:
Wast it a standard MasterCard or Visa debit card or a store-specific gift card? Maybe you got the latter and didn't read the fine print. If the former, I don't know why the other stores would not accept it. Remember that they have to be processed as a credit card since they don't have a PIN.
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It was a VISA - there was no fine print.
 
Down8 said:
It was a VISA - there was no fine print.
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Then I'm just thinking they tried to process it as a debit card instead of as a credit card. Even those these cards are debit cards, they can't be processed as such since they don't have PINs.
 
rebates are a pain in the ass, i wish they'd stop using them and have the reseller just get the credit and sell us the damn thing at the right price

i know when im shopping i don't take in to account rebated since there hit and miss, and often a pain in the ass
 
CanadaOwnsJoo said:
rebates are a pain in the ass, i wish they'd stop using them and have the reseller just get the credit and sell us the damn thing at the right price

i know when im shopping i don't take in to account rebated since there hit and miss, and often a pain in the ass
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Then say bye to those rebates prices, the only way they can offer as good of a price they do with rebates is by using rebates...they take into account the fact that many will screw up and thus not have to be paid out.

The whole point is to make it difficult to redeem.
 
Its not just Corsair. I actually got my rebate from Verizon in the form of a debit card.

The whole purpose of rebates is to artificially lower the price of a product in hopes that consumer forgets to send in the rebate before the expiration. In California all rebates must be instant in store rebates for that reason.
 
Chombo said:
Its not just Corsair. I actually got my rebate from Verizon in the form of a debit card.

The whole purpose of rebates is to artificially lower the price of a product in hopes that consumer forgets to send in the rebate before the expiration. In California all rebates must be instant in store rebates for that reason.
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So MIRs are illegal in CA? I bet the avg. price of products in CA is more expensive after instant rebate than it is elsewhere in the country after MIR.
 
Add me to the list of rebate check haters. My $20 Asus rebate check came back as "account closed", which cost me another $7.50 fee from the bank. I still need to get that straightened out with Asus/the rebate company.

The one rebate Visa card I've received didn't require activation, and was simply used for lunch instead of using my regular debit card one time.


Menelmarar said:
I'd rather not give all these random credit card companies my banking account number and routing number EEEEKK!!!!
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So you don't write checks? You do realize that your routing and account numbers are on the bottom of every check you write (which is how they get money from the bank for your check)... I haven't personally validated it, but I remember hearing that ANY paper with your account info and signature on it legally constitutes a check. It seems crazy, but I can see that being a leftover from ye olden days.

At least with EFT it should be fairly traceable. They could clean you out, but at least you've got the account number that it went to. If you're really paranoid, set up a separate checking account for that sort of stuff, and transfer money into and out of it as needed. They should set up some sort of one-way account number that can be used to deposit money into your account for things like this, but can never withdraw any money. Hand that number over to any rebate company and they can give you money, with absolutely no fear of them being able to (intentionally or accidentally) take your money.


As others have stated, manufacturers are able to offer lower prices via rebates because they know some people won't do it [correctly] and therefore are paying the full price. They get to advertise a $200 item as $100 after rebate, but half the people don't get the rebate, and therefore the company actually averages $150 per item. If you can follow the directions properly in a timely manner, you can get items at lower prices. Would you rather they have the item as "$200 - $100 MIR" or just $150 all the time? Note that if more than half of the people don't get the rebate, then the company is actually making more than the $150. If only 1/4 of the people get the rebate, then the choice might be "$200 - $100 MIR" or just $175 all the time.
 
I don't have a problem with debit cards / prepaid credit cards for rebates. I'd prefer a check, but my strategy for the debit card is as follows. I use it to buy a Meijer gift card for the exact amount of the debit card as soon as I get the debit card. That way I don't end up with any cash left on 'em. The wife and I do all our grocery shopping at Meijer, so the gift cards don't last too long.
 
What a PITA it is to straighten out the bounced rebate check. Man, I'm detesting checks more and more w/ each day. This is soooooo frustrating. :mad: The rebate company is blaming my bank and my bank said the rebate company's underwriter (i.e., their bank) didn't allow the check to clear. :mad: :mad: :mad: Not only did I lose my rebate amount, but add another $10 fee on top of that. I wish I never got the rebate to begin with.

I'll take the debit card anyday.
 
Chombo said:
Its not just Corsair. I actually got my rebate from Verizon in the form of a debit card.

The whole purpose of rebates is to artificially lower the price of a product in hopes that consumer forgets to send in the rebate before the expiration. In California all rebates must be instant in store rebates for that reason.
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Are you in CA? I'm in CA and my Fry's rebates have to be sent in. My Verizon rebate in the form of a debit card had to be sent in (got my card quick though:D)
 
I don't love rebates but I've gotten everyone I've submitted so far knock on wood. Check, Debit Card, Cash, Doesn't matter to me. I just copy everything and follow directions meticulously. I don't factor them into my decision to buy, and just see it as a little bonus.
 
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