Consumers whose gift cards suddenly lost value might be able to recover some of their money thanks to a new, seven-figure restitution fund.
The San Francisco City Attorney says his office has reached a deal with InComm, the company that sells Vanilla gift cards. Many NBC and Telemundo viewers told us back in 2022 and 2023 that their Vanilla gift card balances vanished.
“I have no idea what happened to it,” said Walnut Creek resident Sydney Polich when she spoke with NBC Bay Area. “I knew there was money left on it. But it was declined.”
Thieves were tampering with the barcodes on all kinds of gift cards, then easily taking people’s money. Some viewers didn’t get their money back from Vanilla until they contacted NBC Responds or Telemundo Responde.
San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu’s office then sued Vanilla’s parent, InComm Payments, claiming “insufficient security for Vanilla cards.” The complaint even mentions NBC coverage a few times.
“We heard about this over and over, which is why we filed the lawsuit,” said San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu. “I’m really glad that we [now] have a resolution that will hopefully get consumers some, if not all, of the money they lost.”
Chiu says InComm and the City or San Francisco have agreed to settle the suit. The deal includes a new $1.525 million fund for consumers. If you bought or got a Vanilla gift card in California between November 1, 2019 and September 30, 2024 and were unable to spend some or all of the money loaded on it, you might be eligible for restitution.
“Folks have to do this by February 19th of next year,” Chiu said. “Our hope is that we can get a substantial number of Californians who were victims of this consumer scam some or all of their money back.”
In a statement, InComm said, “Although the San Francisco City Attorney’s lawsuit against InComm Payments was misguided, we are pleased to have worked with his office to resolve the matter and put the litigation behind us.”
To apply for a slice of the $1.525 million settlement, go to cagiftcardsettlement.com. Before applying, consider searching your records. The settlement website says providing proof of your loss can help. Look for info like your card number or card serial number. Also, if you complained to InComm, see if they gave you a claim you can now share.
