Easyjet Prepaid Card out of service

jockie180

I took Easyjet's advice and used a UK ATM. At the ATM you could see the balance in € and £. Took all my money out in GBP but lost a bit on exchange as didn't take money out in €. It's a load off my mind having notes in my hand and not having to wait a month by claiming a balance.
Picking up StuartFrank's point about Pin not working make sure you use a mainstream bank (I used Natwest) and not an ATM in a shop.

MYSTIFIED1

Received this e mail on 12 March. Unable  to get refund via several ATMs including mainstream banks despite using correct pin.  Replied saying I was unwilling to send bank details and requesting cheque in payment.  Their reply suggested I ring their pin retrieval number.  I tried this despite being certain that I was using the correct pin.  Got nowhere with this as erroneously informed details I had submitted were incorrect.  They are insisting on a PDF bank statement.  The phone number in the e mail is the same as that on the card but in the absence of any mention of this closure on the Easyjet website I remain wary about this.  The link from easyjet to the currency card site remains but no longer works.  Their e mails are not very professional looking  and contain misused words and grammatical errors I associate with spoof e mails.   I would be grateful to know of anyone else who has experience of this who can confirm it is genuine.  There is a relatively small amount on the card, not worth compromising the bank account.  You can't be too careful.   Dear Customer   We’re writing to you with an update following the recent disruptions to your Euro Currency Card service, which has prevented customers from accessing their online account.   This disruption resulted from a service issue with one of our suppliers and has prevented us from offering the quality of service you would expect from easyJet, we’re sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you.    In response to this and in the best interest of our customers, we've taken the decision to close the current card programme.    Who is this notification for? This notification is for all customers with a prepaid Euro Currency Visa Card by easyJet.    What does this mean for me? Your Euro Currency Card by easyJet account will close on 17th May 2021. This means, you will not be able to use the card to purchase goods or withdraw cash after this date.    What you need to do If you currently have available funds on your Euro Currency Card account, you can access these funds immediately by using your card to spend and/or withdraw funds via an ATM prior to the 17th May 2021. You can check your balance via an ATM, or by emailing us.    Alternatively, you can request a refund of the remaining balance, at no charge, by emailing us at easyJet@exelaonline.com. Please allow up to 28 days for your refund to be processed.    If you have any questions You can contact us by email at easyJet@exelaonline.com. Please note that the easyJet Customer Service Team are an unable to assist with the Euro Currency Card, so please use the dedicated email address provided where we will be happy to assist you.   Once again, we’re sorry for the any inconvenience this may have caused you and thank you for your ongoing support.     The Euro Currency Card Team    The Card is issued by PayrNet ltd pursuant to licence from Visa. PayrNet ltd is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to conduct electronic money service activities under the Electronic Money Regulations 2011 (Ref: 900594).

jahalpin

StuartFrank said:

I would like to get a refund of my balance. I have tried ATM's but my Pin no doesn't work. I have misgivings about sharing my bank details, which seems to be the only way to get my money (hopefully). Am I being overly concerned?

I am not sure why you think giving a business your bank account details would comprimise you in any way, if you have ever given anyone a cheque , you are giving them your full bank details as the full sort code and account number are included on every cheque issued

Bunny19

@jahalpin not the issue; they were requiring 3 months of bank statements. Very inadvisable. 

Bunny19

My bank reiterates that the demand for bank statements is neither needed, as we know, nor correct, so should not be done. 

MYSTIFIED1

My bank took the same view about sending bank statement. I phoned the card service number again.  Was told my card had been blocked, seemingly by using wrong ATM.  They reinstated the card and told me I would be able to withdraw funds from barclays, nationwide, Royal Bank of Scotland or HSBC.  They said customers had reported problems using Lloyd's TSB machines. I am sceptical as one of my original attempts had been made using an ATM outside a Halifax branch, Halifax being part of RBS.  It all seems rather haphazard and unprofessional.  Still no notification on the easyjet site where the link has not been removed but no longer works.  It seems they are making it as difficult as possible to recover funds via ATM, which adds to my suspicions. Has anyone out there actually retrieved their funds by sending the email?  I would be very grateful to know.  I don't live near one of the recommended ATM and would lose out anyway, the extent depending on which notes the machine dispenses.  I was told that even with payment by bank transfer there would be a cross currency charge.  This all seems very unprincipled as they are the ones reneging on the agreement,  leaving  it to the customer to jump through all these hoops.  Fraudsters  are so convincing these days.  It's  not worth compromising the bank account.  Even if the emails are genuine it doesn't  feel right to be disclosing bank statements.  Maybe I am worrying unnecessarily.  If anyone could put my mind at rest it could be your good deed for the week.  Hope someone can help.

callum9999

MYSTIFIED1 said:

My bank took the same view about sending bank statement. I phoned the card service number again.  Was told my card had been blocked, seemingly by using wrong ATM.  They reinstated the card and told me I would be able to withdraw funds from barclays, nationwide, Royal Bank of Scotland or HSBC.  They said customers had reported problems using Lloyd's TSB machines. I am sceptical as one of my original attempts had been made using an ATM outside a Halifax branch, Halifax being part of RBS.  It all seems rather haphazard and unprofessional.  Still no notification on the easyjet site where the link has not been removed but no longer works.  It seems they are making it as difficult as possible to recover funds via ATM, which adds to my suspicions. Has anyone out there actually retrieved their funds by sending the email?  I would be very grateful to know.  I don't live near one of the recommended ATM and would lose out anyway, the extent depending on which notes the machine dispenses.  I was told that even with payment by bank transfer there would be a cross currency charge.  This all seems very unprincipled as they are the ones reneging on the agreement,  leaving  it to the customer to jump through all these hoops.  Fraudsters  are so convincing these days.  It's  not worth compromising the bank account.  Even if the emails are genuine it doesn't  feel right to be disclosing bank statements.  Maybe I am worrying unnecessarily.  If anyone could put my mind at rest it could be your good deed for the week.  Hope someone can help.

Halifax has no connection to RBS - it's part of Lloyds (which is no longer tied with TSB). You're thinking of the similarly named Bank of Scotland.

Theres no security issue with sending your statement - it's a completely normal proof of address/ID that's used all the time. I agree that it's unnecessary, but if they are asking for it then I don't see a way round it.

You can just use the ATM if you're worried about handing over that information though. You'll likely lose a few pounds, but you've been losing out by simply using the card anyway.

Thrugelmir

MYSTIFIED1 said:

They said customers had reported problems using Lloyd's TSB machines. I am sceptical as one of my original attempts had been made using an ATM outside a Halifax branch, Halifax being part of RBS.  It all seems rather haphazard and unprofessional. 

You were given the correct information as to which banks to use but failed to do so.  Halifax is part of LLoyds has been since 2009.  Hardly surprising that you've had problems which all of your own making.  

MYSTIFIED1

I have just spoken to them again to clarify situation about ATMs.  Was told it was necessary to use a machine capable of dealing with euros such as those found at airports!  As i do not have access to one my only recourse is to send the bank statement via email.  My bank has advised against this so I don't  think I can take the risk.  I am not convinced the emails are genuine.  I would be immensely grateful to hear from anyone who has applied for refund via email.  None of this feels right.  There is no mention on the easyjet site that the service has discontinued and whilst links to the currencycard site still appear they no longer work.  Has anyone had any luck with the Financial Services Authority?  There are so many incidences of fraudsters that you can't  be too careful.  

Bunny19

Callum9999 using the currency card avoided exchange fees charged on my regular credit card. Yes, there are now cards which don't charge (apparently), but there weren't when I got the card. 
MYSTIFIED1 if you do end up sending a copy of your statement, it would be advisable to remove the financial transactions. The company now dealing with it is Railsbank, through its subsidiary Payrnet. My next step is direct messaging them and e-mailing. I'm getting nowhere with the Easyjet e-mail who have ignored the bank details given and replied by re-sending a previous e-mail. 
If everyone caves in and withdraws using an ATM, they'll retain huge sums with the rounding down of exchange. A friend did this last week. Terrible exchange rate €1.265 to £1, together with leaving £8 in the account.