3v Voucher Probs

ninebeanrows · 12-03-2006 10:20PM #1

Hi i bought myself a 3v voucher today and planned to buy a few things with it
but nowhere will accept it! It says you bank has declined etc etc...

I have tried around 5 locations.

Does anyone have any experience with these. Is there something one must
do to activate them or something? I think i've done everything but i just
cant purchase anything .. but even at that Paypal have managed to nick
80c from the account..

Can anyone help me?;)

The OP · 12-03-2006 11:10PM

What's a 3V voucher?

DoctorEdgeWild · 12-03-2006 11:11PM

You cannae use 3v vouchers at locations where there is a terminal if that is what you are trying. It's for using online and mail order.

MrVestek · 12-03-2006 11:17PM

LOL.... yeah you can't use them with proper credit card reading equipent as it's not a credit card, just a voucher card to enable you to buy 3v VOUCHERS... that's all.

I bet you didn't even read the website and or what it was about before ordering, did you?

plonk · 12-03-2006 11:17PM

Go to the 3v website and it will give you a list of shops where you can lodge money into it. Its more of a debit card thean a credit card as you have to put the money in first. It costs a fiver to lodge money to it and then another 1.50 to reuse whatever money you have left on it. So only put in as much as you need.

DoctorEdgeWild · 12-03-2006 11:22PM

The not so definitive guide to 3v vouchers:

Go to the www.3v.ie website and order your card - this entails giving your name and address, no money.

When you receive your card in the post - Go to the nearest location (listed on the 3v site) and top up your card.

Follow the instructions on the voucher to activate it and use the card to buy stuff online. The card is accepted anywhere that accepts VISA but they reserve the right to refuse it as always.

Note that the sites you use do get your name and address just like a normal credit card so it's not like an anonymous credit card designed for p0rn.;)

Dave! · 12-03-2006 11:52PM

DoctorEdgeWild, can they be used to buy things on Ebay? I presume they can...!

I got one a couple of weeks ago, haven't put money on it yet though.

ro_chez · 13-03-2006 12:38AM

Where have any of you guys been able to top yours up, I've been into several shops on the northside listed on the website and they had never even heard of them, albeit the employees looked as if they had only arrived in the country the day before!

MrVestek · 13-03-2006 01:16AM

I usually get mine topped up when I'm in the Square, or at a corner shop in Crumlin just across the road from my college. I am having a problem at the minute tho, accidentially deleted the text they send you out with CVV2 code and expiry date so have to wait till tomorrow to talk to the supervisor.

Also paypal stupidly refunded me some money over a disputed transaction back to the credit card instead of into my paypal account... so now that money is locked in an old card that has expired... have to talk to the supervisor about that one too.

To be honest 3v cards are good and everything but we should have something more along the lines of what UK credit card companies do, and that is give you an actual credit card (Visa or Mastercard) which is prepayed and you top up at the bank with actual money. Seems like a much better idea to me than getting slips of paper and having a different bloody credit card number all the time.

AngryBadger · 13-03-2006 01:22AM

I've used 3V online a bunch of times, never had any problems, but it can only be used for online purchases, as everyone else has already said.

mayhem# · 13-03-2006 01:41AM

I've been using 3V vouchers for months now and had no problems whatsoever.
They are a great solution for anyone who doesn't or can't get a creditcard.
I've made purchases in online shops with them, setup a Paypal account, paid for Ebay purchases and booked flights so far.
All without any problems..

E.

DoctorEdgeWild · 13-03-2006 01:57AM

DaveMcG wrote:

DoctorEdgeWild, can they be used to buy things on Ebay? I presume they can...!

I got one a couple of weeks ago, haven't put money on it yet though.

Yep, E-Bay is fine with 3v as the poster before me mentioned. They ain't as good as credit cards but not everyone is able to get credit cards or indeed wants one.

You cannae use them on gambling sites to the best of my knowledge. Mores the pity really.

Fighting Irish · 13-03-2006 01:58AM

Weathercheck wrote:

Hi i bought myself a 3v voucher today and planned to buy a few things with it
but nowhere will accept it! It says you bank has declined etc etc...

I have tried around 5 locations.

Does anyone have any experience with these. Is there something one must
do to activate them or something? I think i've done everything but i just
cant purchase anything .. but even at that Paypal have managed to nick
80c from the account..

Can anyone help me?;)

poker sites??

they don't allow gambling sites

Dave! · 13-03-2006 12:16PM

Achilles wrote:

I usually get mine topped up when I'm in the Square

Hey what shop does them in the square? What do you ask for exactly?

Thanks

I might set up a Paypal account with it, and get somethin on Ebay

Yay!

jimmycrackcorm · 13-03-2006 01:51PM

I think they are a scam - €5 to put money in and 1.50 to access your change! The only good use is for those porn sites that never seem to accept Paypal, only your credit card but which are inevitably impossible to cancel.

lodgepole · 13-03-2006 02:23PM

jimmycrackcorm wrote:

I think they are a scam - €5 to put money in and 1.50 to access your change! The only good use is for those porn sites that never seem to accept Paypal, only your credit card but which are inevitably impossible to cancel.

It's a small price to pay for those of us without credit cards. I never got one while I was in college, and won't be in a position to get a card for at least another three to six months.

MrVestek · 13-03-2006 06:29PM

Hardly a Scam, if you had a normal credit card you'd amas more than that in transaction fees and interest so it all balances out really. If you're getting like €20 on the card then a fiver is asking a bit much but if you're getting €100 then €105 aint so bad. As for where to get them in the square, level three just outside the square as if you were talking towards the McDonalds outside, there's a little newsagents there forget what it's called, inbetween the multi story and the atm machine. Just go in and ask for a whatever amount 3v voucher.

Giblet · 13-03-2006 06:31PM

You can also get them in the Spar just outside the Tesco carpark in the Square. Tuamsgate.

KdjaCL · 13-03-2006 09:01PM

If its on the website they have them in store.

handy little things annoying at 1st only shops in town had top ups, now my local hardware shop has it

kdjac

Fighting Irish · 13-03-2006 09:06PM

jimmycrackcorm wrote:

I think they are a scam - €5 to put money in and 1.50 to access your change! The only good use is for those porn sites that never seem to accept Paypal, only your credit card but which are inevitably impossible to cancel.

:rolleyes:

they are worth it if you need something offline a few times a year, if you are getting them constantly its a little expensive but still buying online is much cheaper and buying in the shops.

cormie · 13-03-2006 09:10PM

If it's poker sites you are trying to deposit on, try www.ukash.com, you basically buy money which is put into an online account and you can then transfer to poker rooms and the likes:) Just recently available in Ireland but available in loads of places already:)

DoctorEdgeWild · 13-03-2006 11:20PM

Cheers for that Cormie - any ideas of betting sites which might use the same sytem? Mainly for football/motor racing betting?

cormie · 13-03-2006 11:36PM

Well we accept Ukash at the poker.ie poker room, I wouldn't be too sure of football or motor racing unfortunately, I'm not a gambler;)

DoctorEdgeWild · 13-03-2006 11:38PM

Cool thanks mate - not much of a poker player myself, I tend to go home shirtless when I do.

cormie · 14-03-2006 12:10AM

hehe, well good luck with whatever way you spend your money:)

jimmycrackcorm · 14-03-2006 12:20AM

Achilles wrote:

If you're getting like €20 on the card then a fiver is asking a bit much but if you're getting €100 then €105 aint so bad.

But €5 for a €100 transaction is dear - especially considering that with a credit card you can do the same transaction for €0 cost if you pay it off within the allotted time. Then if you have a need to do another few transactions, you end up having to fork out more fivers.

The bank makes money on the credit card transaction regardless but also this lovely extra €5 for almost each transaction given that people will generally deposit cash for a single transaction at a time. They must be laughing themselves all the way, well, to the bank...

Adam · 14-03-2006 12:24AM

No, there are no transaction fees whatsoever actually.

14-03-2006 12:33AM

I'm puzzled as to why someone would buy a 3v voucher to buy something in a shop... (when you can jsut use the cash anyway)
Seems silly to me.

cormie · 14-03-2006 12:37AM

it actually works out to be cheaper than a normal credit card, the voucher expires at the end of the month after you buy it, so if you buy it Jan 1st, it will expire feb 28th. So you have it for 2 months basically, 2 months at €5 x 6 2 month periods = €30+6 €1.50 charge if you get your change every time = €39 max, €30 minimum. A credit card has a government charge of €40 per year. Unless your going to be spending over the limit, this is a really good alternative. It's a bit of a pain you have to get a new number each time, but for once off buys it's quite good, if you think you'll be spending more in a 2 month period, just buy the max amount allowed on the card and if need be, pay the €1.50 to get your change, or perhaps you could set up 2 paypal accounts and pay one account the change:)

Adam · 14-03-2006 12:37AM

Earthman wrote:

I'm puzzled as to why someone would buy a 3v voucher to buy something in a shop... (when you can jsut use the cash anyway)
Seems silly to me.

You shall henceforth be known as 'Special Paddy'. :rolleyes:

jimmycrackcorm · 14-03-2006 01:23AM

fade_to_grey wrote:

No, there are no transaction fees whatsoever actually.

If you use a credit card to pay for something ( as this is) the retailer has to fork out between 1% and 5% in fees on the transaction. I.e. the banks make money on each transaction and you implicitly pay this as part of the price.

3v Voucher Probs

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