How the hell do I spend a One4All card?

[OliviaOyl]

DC were given one each and I can't seem to get them to work online. Set them up on Amazon as a payment method, as per the instructions, but each time we try and use them to buy something it doesn't work. Any tips?

I hope to never receive one ever again 🙈.

These One4All gift vouchers are given out to help families struggling at Christmas for food , I was gobsmacked to find that the easiest place to use your £20.00 gift voucher was M&S ?? Might cover the cost of bread and milk and eggs for the week , that’s if I can get out onto the industrial estate several miles away to the nearest M&S - I’m sorry but when you have to count every penny, M&S isn’t exactly the place to shop as neither is Sainsburys. I do get cross as I know that people work very hard to raise money for charities ( did myself) but then to hand out gift cards that really haven’t been very well thought out for families in need of groceries- a big assumption that a single mum counting every penny would shop in the most expensive supermarkets you can find?
Foodbanks despite people believing that they can be accessed regularly as depicted on certain documentaries, can only be accessed a max of three times a year and you must have a referral from a professional organisation or social services. Again there’s lots of volunteering and fund raising to support people who are struggling and in need and it leaves a very bad taste in the mouth ,that Government agencies are using these charities and the good will of others as a statutory service instead of addressing the difficulties of the country’s most vulnerable citizens!

Someone upthread mentioned you could exchange them for a e gift card, how exactly do you do this?

Might cover the cost of bread and milk and eggs for the week , that’s if I can get out onto the industrial estate several miles away to the nearest M&S - I’m sorry but when you have to count every penny, M&S isn’t exactly the place to shop as neither is Sainsburys

Speak for yourself. M&S is just about in walking distance for us (on a retail park and not in a naice area btw) and is the second nearest supermarket and is cheaper than the nearer Co-op.

Plus M&S is actually quite well priced for a lot of basics like bread, milk, some veg, eggs, cheese, canned soup, beans and tomatoes, sweets plus they have good meal deals, Sparks card freebies and reduced items. You could easily spend £20 and it be no more expensive and could well be cheaper than other supermarkets.

DS got one for Christmas. What a bugger to spend!!! Failed at everywhere I tried to use it except M&S. Tried to exchange but it asks for a PIN which I couldn't find.

Used @HighInTheHills advice and managed to buy an M&S gift card online then gave DS the money.

I agree these are a total scam.

You need the pin number on the back to check the balance online. Or to check the balance via the automated phone number.

And the pin is ridiculously easy to accidentally scratch off when revealing the panel - such a bad design!

You don't need the pin to spend in store. They swipe it, and if you have enough on your card (or more) then it's fine and the retailer gives you a small slip to sign.

And if you do remove the pin accidentally, you can email them to ask for a replacement card and as long as you can send them a photo of the front and back of the card, they will suspend the old card and post you a new one.

They also gave me the balance when I sent the photos, which was useful as that was what I wanted in the first place when I first emailed them!

V interested to find out how to swap it for google pay though!

The pin is on the silver bit which you scratch off to reveal the online ccv number? I first tried to use the card on Amazon and scratched off to use online.

What a ridiculous design!! They make it intentionally difficult to use.

The easiest way is to use them in M&S on food shops. I often have random balances left (£2.38, £3.12, £7.48 etc). So I just do a food shop and then pay at the self service till. You have to use them to fully cover a bill so I just do a few seperate shops. There's a useful calculator here (I can't link directly to it so scroll across to One4all optimiser) then input the gift cards you have + the shop you intend to do, it will then allocate the items to the gift card so you can clear you balances!

One4all sucks

Yes, it does feel like a scam as there must be so much money wasted. My balance dwindled too. Didn't realise you could use it to just buy a different (better) gift card!

They are the worst, but according to this there are some loopholes https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/national/uk-today/24742982.one4all-gift-cards-use-old-expired-gift-cards/

I tend to use mine on treats in M&S that I wouldn't otherwise buy.

If we have smallish value ones, or random amounts left on a card (as long as over £5) then I use them to top up my Theatre Token card as that doesn't expire.