To ask you not to buy One4all gift cards

[Jobs4kids]

The reviews speak for themselves - absolute nightmare.......

https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/one4all.com

I’ve never understood the point of gift cards. Why not just give cash. Or transfer via your bank if you have the recipient’s details - so much more useful, and safer.

ExH buys our teenagers the Every Wish vouchers which are a million times worse than the one4all ones. You have to redeem them online for a specific shop before using them and it’s a massive faff.
I think what annoys me most about them is that I’ve only seen them in Card Factory, which makes me think he picks up the cheapest birthday card he can find for them, gets to the till and thinks “ahh fuck it, they can have a cheap nasty gift card because I don’t actually know what they like because I’m a useless father who only sees them four times a year”.

You can’t do this online, I tried to use one to part pay for something but you can only use it if it’s the exact amount or less. I couldn’t use it if the item cost more it was very annoying because it wasn’t a lot on the card, I think I never used that card.

I agree, tried to use a £20 one at the cinema but couldn’t because I was spending over £20. Ended up using it for something else and had around £4 left on the card which I will now struggle to spend as it can’t be put towards anything.

It must happen with a lot of people and they will be making money from it.

I have actually gifted them in the past before knowing this but I wouldn’t gift them again.

I agree. I have received a few from governors during lockdown. I still have one now as when I went into store I could only spend the exact amount or less and purchase had to be over £5. I’ve just checked the balance and they have taken nearly a £1 off every year. Awful.

I get three to four a year, usually spend them in the same physical store, never had an issue with them.

You have 18 months to spend before a relatively small monthly charge is applied. It's not a bank account or savings account, spend the money.

I think restaurant specific cards are 12 months to spend.

Had this last week. Standing there trying to check online with queue forming. The number of people that must just give up with them.

I hate them too. My kids get them, so I end up buying them from them because they won't go through the rigmarole of using them.

They inevitably cause problems and embarrassment in shops - M&S, Boots, TKMaxx all struggle to process them on the tills.

I tried to use the most recent one online with schuh - rejected repeatedly. Contacted One4All, very slow to respond, then they kept repeating the same instructions I'd followed correctly several times. Eventually they agreed the card was faulty.

They rely on people abandoning balances on cards. So there's a reason they don't make it especially easy to use the bloody things.

I know, a few more comments down I do mention online transactions and why you can’t do it

I have found them to be a complete PITA to use. Nice idea but just give cash instead.

I think when I used to get them, you could use them to buy an M&S or John Lewis gift card online. I’m not sure if this is still the case though.

I agree OP. I bought one for a family member last year and nearly tore my hair out trying to help them redeem it. From memory, I bought it online and sent my relative the details. He tried to activate it but had to first create an account, except because I’d bought it, it had to be registered with my name and email address…I can’t remember all the specific details but it was something like that and incredibly convoluted. With gift cards, you normally just pass the details on to the recipient and they use the code and spend.

With this card, we got so frustrated after multiple attempts at using it that we nearly gave up. Managed to make it work eventually but absolutely never again!

My MIL is obsessed with gifting us this shit..its a standing joke now

We have lost loads of money because a child gets these and doesn't try to spend them quickly enough. I put in a new rule that all such gift cards come to me and I will provide cash equivalent. At least I can spend them quickly on things we need.

So co future Amazon vouchers

Absolutely hate them and find them really difficult to use.

I had no problem when i used one in Boots yesterday. It was swiped and that was it.

My kids got these for Christmas. I like to think I’m quite savvy with finances but have tried and tried to work out what the hell it is. Might end up just binning them as rant worth the hassle. Who the hell thinks these are a good idea???

I’ve had a few and never had a problem

They annoy me here. There is a €50 limit to spending online per transaction here in Ireland. There is only one place in my local town that takes them and even then you have to go to certain till. The last time I got one I ended up buying bits and pieces that I did not want really just to use it up before they deducted any money from it.

I got one of these for Christmas and have been pulling my hair out trying to use it today.

First in store in Asda, but they didn’t have a clue what to do with it.

Then I was placing an Amazon order and was trying to use it as a debit card. However Amazon doesn’t let you split payment over two cards. So then attempted fo buy an Amazon gift card with it for the exact amount, so I could then place my order using the Amazon gift card. However it still wouldn’t accept the One4all card details.

I’ve now tried adding to the wallet on my phone. Both by clicking the ‘add to wallet’option on the one4all app and also by manually adding to wallet. Neither worked.

What on earth is the point of these cards? We already have a very easy to spend one for all gift voucher, it’s called cash

Because it’s against school policy for her to accept cash gifts. Lots of schools have this policy.

My daughter got one for her birthday. Found it about a year later in a bag. Had no issues spending it in a store and no issues with any money being removed from it in the time it was sat in the bag either

I got one from work as a recognition and I didn't have any issues using it. I treated myself to some silver costume jewellery in Pandora and a fountain pen from Argos, if that's any help.