Unusable Virtual MasterCard

I have had the same issue with the Prepaid MasterCard issued by T-Mobile (apparently handled by Sunrise Bank).  The card was issued by T-Mobile as a Verizon balance payoff in their successful attempt to entice me to switch carriers. The digital ("Virtual Express") card information T-Mobile provided does not allow it to be added to a digital wallet such as Apple Pay.  So, like others, I had to use my own funds ($700) to pay off Verizon while unable to make typical purchases using the "Virtual Express" MasterCard.

Beyond not being able to use the card, the fine print says there is a $4.95 monthly fee associated with the card, a $.33 charge every time you attempt to check the balance, and the card expires in 6 months.

I am reporting this to the Department of Commerce and our state's Attorney's Consumer Protection Office. This is not consumer-friendly and not a good start with T-Mobile.

I signed up for T-Mobile 5G Internet a couple of months ago and recently just received the email for my $200 virtual prepaid card. Last night when I tried to access the funds through my phone, it kept giving me an error message.  So this morning, I tried using my computer and had absolutely no problem getting the MasterCard information.  It is important to note that you have to put in the mobile number for whichever line is associated with the promotion. So I put in the phone line that is associated with my Internet rather than my cell.
However, when I tried to use the MasterCard on homedepot.com to order a $200 gift card, the purchase was denied. So I went on Amazon and ordered a $200 gift card and that worked.  It seems these cards can only be used at particular places and the best way to access the full amount is to purchase a gift card from somewhere that you know you'll be able to use it.  I hope this is helpful. 

The mobile internet service I have ben using works well but I also cannot activate the darn card I got the link for. If you promise this benefit but cannot deliver, why bother? It just damages your reputation. Just give a darn $200 discount or four months of free internet service instead of offering the dumb card. So much hassle to get this set up. 

Dirty_Harry wrote:

I was ready to sign up for their 5g internet service but after reading all these complaints I'm having 2nd thoughts. Other than the $200 rebate issue, it's the service good? Any better than the cable company? 

I just joined this week. Having some definite CSR issues with getting addons and that sort of thing (we did internet and phone service at once). But as far as internet, it was dead simple to set up, even a mesh network and I've gone from sporadic 20mbps service over phone line to over 700kbps! I'm very rural so this was a pleasant surprise. We do get frequent very short drops (like 2-3 sec) that I am trying to resolve, but very happy to say goodbye to my DSL service.

Worst company ever. I'm thinking the people that got the card either got lucky or some other nefarious way. I finally get approved after months of them not approving me and chatting with them, for this stupid card, and I get an error with validating my number. 

I tried my Verizon number, my tello number (I paid for it just for this) and my 5G home line number. Nothing. Stay away from this disgusting company, you will fight them tooth and nail just for this. Life is too short.

I also tried different devices and browsers. And, I tried turning off my chrome extensions.

Virtual prepaid cards have different rules.

https://www.t-mobile.com/support/new-to-tmobile/promotional-cards-credits-and-rebates

This prepaid card has been a pain in the you know what! I was told I could add it to Google pay wallet to use it, and that has been tested over and over. It doesn't work. I actually ended up having to pay my remaining Verizon balance from my own account since the card number wasn't working. Everything I want to use it on is a POP purchase, and the digital wallet function definitely doesn't work. I guess I'll have to buy stuff online that I don't need until the balance is depleted. Crappy offer Tmobile.

A Wence wrote:

I signed up for T-Mobile 5G Internet a couple of months ago and recently just received the email for my $200 virtual prepaid card. Last night when I tried to access the funds through my phone, it kept giving me an error message.  So this morning, I tried using my computer and had absolutely no problem getting the MasterCard information.  It is important to note that you have to put in the mobile number for whichever line is associated with the promotion. So I put in the phone line that is associated with my Internet rather than my cell.
However, when I tried to use the MasterCard on homedepot.com to order a $200 gift card, the purchase was denied. So I went on Amazon and ordered a $200 gift card and that worked.  It seems these cards can only be used at particular places and the best way to access the full amount is to purchase a gift card from somewhere that you know you'll be able to use it.  I hope this is helpful. 

I'm wondering how long did it take for your gift card code to arrive I've been about 5 weeks still nothing.

How do you check the balance on the card??