VA Global Wallet

[robd]

Been trying to get just a standard Velocity Platinum card since climbing the later once more last month, been issued in my welcome pack and in the subsequent card request Global Wallet cards both times, even though I ensured I unticked the option to Opt-Out of the Global Wallet cards... Cancelled Global Wallet cards so I could issued a standard Velocity card, GCC ini siting I needed to do that... Global Wallet wanted me to spend the $2-whatever was on it, brought it down to 42c and just went be done with it. Call Velocity again, and now they say they don't issue standard Velocity cards anymore, just the Global Wallet-double sided ones... The heck??

Not only does the check-box on the VFF website become useless, but the Global Wallet card is a pain the neck without VA branding on it if O/S as many people have shared first hand (Looks like I'll be going to SLC later this year for a wedding...), and IMO is the uglyiest card I've ever seen. QFF Cash Card at least doesn't have the strip on the membership side of the card....

Anyone else heard of such news? Can I start using the word "Enhancement" here too....

I've never requested the Global Wallet card. Received the standard Gold Velocity card about 3 weeks ago.

 

[Intra]

I've never requested the Global Wallet card. Received the standard Gold Velocity card about 3 weeks ago.

This change to Global Wallet card only in my mind must be very recent.... Why this be the case is annoying....

 

[pythonisman]

Call Velocity again, and now they say they don't issue standard Velocity cards anymore, just the Global Wallet-double sided ones... The heck??

I got this today as well, as I've read these issues and was trying to get a standard card when I renewed this year. The replacement came out as another global wallet (and the two cards side by side are noticeably different colours).

I don't think I'll bother chasing it further at the moment and hope that VX and DL recognition works when I'm there in a couple of months...

 

[Jurahn]

I've never requested the Global Wallet card. Received the standard Gold Velocity card about 3 weeks ago.

My husband recently requalified for Gold, and received an email saying that he would soon receive his new Velocity card which was odd, as his review date isn't until October. A few weeks later, a new Gold card arrived, still with the same October review date on it, and it was a Global Wallet card! He certainly didn't request it and neither did I (I look after both our Velocity accounts which suits him fine LOL), so I have no idea why he was (a) sent a Global Wallet card without requesting one and (b) why he received a replacement card when it wasn't even needed as he didn't change levels, just requalified. I note against Global Wallet on his account it now has the option to "Opt-Out" whereas on my account, it still says "Request" (I went up to Platinum a few months ago and just received a normal Velocity card).

 

[Jack_OC]

My husband recently requalified for Gold, and received an email saying that he would soon receive his new Velocity card which was odd, as his review date isn't until October. A few weeks later, a new Gold card arrived, still with the same October review date on it, and it was a Global Wallet card! He certainly didn't request it and neither did I (I look after both our Velocity accounts which suits him fine LOL), so I have no idea why he was (a) sent a Global Wallet card without requesting one and (b) why he received a replacement card when it wasn't even needed as he didn't change levels, just requalified. I note against Global Wallet on his account it now has the option to "Opt-Out" whereas on my account, it still says "Request" (I went up to Platinum a few months ago and just received a normal Velocity card).

They're gradually sending them out to everyone as far as I understand it. I randomly received a Global Wallet card while still Red, even though I was only 2 weeks away from hitting Silver - and I had forward bookings sufficient to take me right through to Gold at the time so it's not like they couldn't have predicted my status was about to change! So right now I'm waiting for my third new Velocity card since March! I've since opted out of Global Wallet BTW, and hoping my soon to arrive Gold card will be a normal one.

 

[Intra]

I've since opted out of Global Wallet BTW, and hoping my soon to arrive Gold card will be a normal one.

Don't count on it - As I said, I've done the same, and they wouldn't budge for me...

 

[anat0l]

In reality, are they really sending out normal ones any more?

My thought was that they are sending out Global Wallet cards, but the Global Wallet functionality is disabled until activated. As far as I know, all of my family now have the new Global Wallet, but only one of us has activated it (I've been dropping in status and all the rest of my family are Red).

I thought Qantas was much the same.

IIRC the ACCC or some other authority was investigating how "legal" it was for QF and VA to do this.

 

[Jack_OC]

My wife opted out before she hit Silver recently (having already received a Global Wallet Red card) - and and she received a standard Silver card. That was in the last month.

 

[cssaus]

Interesting observation, I'm over here in the UK and have used the card at a number of number of merchants where I'm asked to sign rather than enter a PIN. Has anyone else experienced the same?

 

[Jack_OC]

Interesting observation, I'm over here in the UK and have used the card at a number of number of merchants where I'm asked to sign rather than enter a PIN. Has anyone else experienced the same?

I don't think this is a VA Global Wallet issue. On my last two trips overseas (both in the past 6 weeks), I used my Citibank Signature Visa in the UK, Ireland, US and Singapore, and I had to sign everywhere rather than use a PIN. One shop assistant in the UK initially said if I don't have a PIN they can't accept it, but a supervisor intervened and said "yes we can - lots of foreign cards still have to be signed for". Just to be clear, I have been using a PIN with this card in Australia since I got it, and I have previously used a PIN with Aussie credit cards in all of the above-mentioned countries, so I've no idea what's going on!

 

[grubbidok]

In reality, are they really sending out normal ones any more?

That's a shame, but explains why I was randomly sent a new Global Wallet card. I've actually got no probs with either card, I just wish the Global Wallet had the airline's actual name so that I didn't have to explain it's actually a VA membership card to partner lounges.

 

[notzac]

Just to be clear, I have been using a PIN with this card in Australia since I got it, and I have previously used a PIN with Aussie credit cards in all of the above-mentioned countries, so I've no idea what's going on!

It depends on how the PIN is encoded - in Europe the PIN is used to "unlock" the chip locally at the terminal; in Australia the PIN is used to authenticate the transaction to the bank on the network.

In Europe, the EFT terminal expects to find the PIN on the card. Most Australian cards don't have the PIN encoded on the card, as it's only used on the network side. As a result, it then asks for a signature because there's no PIN needed to unlock the chip on your card. AmEx did the smart thing and have the PIN both on the card and on the network - so the PIN works everywhere.

[size=-2]..that's how it was explained to me; I've not read too much in to it, so the explanation could be a little off..[/size]

 

[SeaWolf]

I've just received the new card with the Global Wallet. Does anyone have any experience using their existing card until it expires? Since it seems unlikely I'll be able to get a non-Global Wallet one in the future.

 

[Denali]

I've just received the new card with the Global Wallet. Does anyone have any experience using their existing card until it expires? Since it seems unlikely I'll be able to get a non-Global Wallet one in the future.

Hubby got his new card during the week, he went online to activate it and you can suspend the old global wallet card as well (which he did).

 

[markis10]

I've just received the new card with the Global Wallet. Does anyone have any experience using their existing card until it expires? Since it seems unlikely I'll be able to get a non-Global Wallet one in the future.

It should be fine, I have had two cards on the account at one time active, one old and one new.

 

[OzEire]

So far this year I have received, in order, a VA Silver card (no GW), VA Gold (no GW), VA Plat card with GW on the reverse, than a few weeks later a GW Gold card.

I have never opted-in for GW. I think that by the time my first VA Gold card arrived I had already qual Plat so prob confused their system a bit.

 

[Intra]

I've just received the new card with the Global Wallet. Does anyone have any experience using their existing card until it expires? Since it seems unlikely I'll be able to get a non-Global Wallet one in the future.

I think I had five cards on my account before I told them to close it again; Silver, Gold, 2xPlats (One not activated cause it was supposed to be the normal card.... Dumb) & the virtual card
Two cards should be no issue

 

[SeaWolf]

Cool, thanks for the feedback, I'll keep carrying the existing one around. I don't like the way GW one looks and I'm not planning on using the GW part anyway. Plus I'm headed to the USA tomorrow and I want to keep the confusion with the Delta lounge staff to a minimum.

 

[erkpod]

Cool, thanks for the feedback, I'll keep carrying the existing one around. I don't like the way GW one looks and I'm not planning on using the GW part anyway. Plus I'm headed to the USA tomorrow and I want to keep the confusion with the Delta lounge staff to a minimum.

It could have 1 massive VA logo & nothing else & DL staff will still get confused.

I'm carrying an extra bag tag because it does have the VA logo on it. Lucky I did because the baggage guys broke one of my WP tags on the first time I used it.

I had my SG tags for months including several sectors overseas on multiple carriers on multiple carriers & no issue.

I hate the new look cards.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

There has been many times, when I presented the GW and the other (QC) cards, and they say, (the sales staff), er, um, excuse me, but we don't accept that card, would you like to pay by other means? (!!!)...
Because, you have to tap with the visa/mastercard side facing downwards, so the FF membership side is facing upwards, and I have to keep explaining that its a prepaid visa/mastercard, and can be used at EFTPOS terminals.
It even happened at a Stamford Hotel.
One thing I would love to have had, is that if the VAFF card/GW card, had the bar coded line coming down, like the QC card, so that I could just present the card at VA checkin, instead of having to check in with an ipod, and face that downwards onto the VA gate scanner.
Then having to turn ipod and wifi device off before getting onto the plane.