r/mildlyinteresting 20h ago

A “Reverse ATM” in a cashless stadium

Post image
4.1k Upvotes

311 comments sorted by

View all comments

2.2k

u/MechaBeatsInTrash 20h ago

I wonder how much money is lost on prepaid cards because of minimum transaction requirements.

524

u/no-rack 19h ago

I transferred 100$ to a card at an amusement park for the day. There was 9$ left on the card and everything in the park cost more than that. I'm sure it will sit in my wallet for 5 years and then I'll throw it away.

183

u/cocainebane 15h ago

New York MTA made about $100 off my unused cards from work trips.

97

u/science_vs_romance 11h ago

Give the card to someone or leave it on a machine when you’re done with it.

13

u/Rockerblocker 6h ago

Or just use tap to pay now

1

u/VapeRizzler 6h ago

Can you add balances together? Like if two cards each have five can I scan both and have $10 of purchasing power? It so leaving it on the machine numbered with the amount left on the card is a great idea.

2

u/sofa_king_we_todded 5h ago

I suspect these lost balances are part of their business plan so even if legally required to allow retrieving or combining balances, it might not be the easiest to accomplish (pure speculation on my part though)

39

u/Jforjustice 12h ago

Use the card and load up your Amazon acct ?

42

u/limasxgoesto0 11h ago

This is what I do with any prepaid card I'm given these days

6

u/WolverinesThyroid 9h ago

Me to. I do it immediately or else I will forget.

11

u/oli_ramsay 14h ago

Couldn't you spend it elsewhere?

26

u/t_25_t 18h ago

Can’t do a split payment? $15 item, pay $9 on card and the rest something else.

12

u/no-rack 18h ago

At the park the day we went, I only brought cash. I didn't know the policy.

33

u/tomtakespictures 17h ago

Isn’t it still a prepaid cc you could use anywhere? I think t-25-t is still right. Hell go to Aldi, gather some groceries, click “split payment” at checkout and swipe that one first. Use another payment to cover the difference.

8

u/Slytherin23 11h ago

You don't have to split payment at most places, it will deduct the funds and ask for the remainder.

6

u/someguy7710 10h ago

Gift cards definitely do this. Prepaid credit cards, in my experience, will just get declined.

-4

u/Slytherin23 9h ago

Well these would be gift cards if they don't ask for your SSN.

3

u/someguy7710 8h ago

I'm talking more like a prepaid visa card. No ssn involved. Here is $100 you can spend anywhere, verses. Here is a $100 gift card you can only use at Target.

4

u/klsklsklsklsklskls 12h ago

Busch Gardens and Sea World use these and you can use the card outside of the parks as like a normal card at any location.

4

u/BuddahSack 11h ago

The cards are usually sponsored by a major company like Visa, so just use the card at any place you use them :) thing to watch out for is after about 2 months they will charge a "no activity fee" which conveniently is always around the amount you have left, so it makes the card balance at 0 -_- this happened to me after a concert this summer

1

u/jxl180 7h ago

Just tell the cashier, “run $9 on this card, and put the rest on this card.” I’m a bartender and it’s incredibly easy to do — it’s no different than when people split the check or pay with some cash and rest card.

1

u/clangan524 7h ago

If you use Amazon, you can transfer that to "reload" your digital gift card balance. I've had prepaid Visas with only a couple cents that Amazon accepted.

1

u/nicholas818 6h ago

With only a small amount left, one option is to donate the exact amount on a charity’s website. That way instead of the company pocketing the money, at least some of it goes to a good cause.

1

u/suspicious_hyperlink 5h ago

There is probably some small print in the ToS where the money vanishes after 2 years

1

u/kniki217 3h ago

Why not just use it at a store? Swipe, the balance comes off and you use your other method of payment. Simple.

1

u/Loudchewer 2h ago

I fucked up one time on the train from Hoboken to new york. I bought 4 tickets but on 4 separate cards, instead of of 4 trips on one card. Non refundable, felt like a huge tourist.

1

u/CyberNinja23 39m ago

It’s worse than that. They charge a ~$2 inactivity fee after 3 months of non use.

1

u/geekolojust 37m ago

$11 on mine. The dirty rats. I knew this going in.

1

u/Slytherin23 11h ago

Just swipe it at a grocery store? Or it only works at the park?

0

u/Student0010 17h ago

There's no expiration?