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Mastercard gift cards purchased in Italy won’t activate unless I’m an Italy citizen. What can I do to get refund? I purchased these while traveling in Italy but I can’t activate them unless I have an Italy address and Italy issued government ID. I’m out $336. What can I do? I’ve contacted LaFeltranelli where gift cards were purchased and they tell me to contact MasterCard. I contacted MasterCard and they tell me I cannot activate unless I have Italy ID. What else can I do?

Lisa
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    So you bought physical Mastercard gift cards in a shop in Italy, but the cashier didn't activate them at the time? Do the gift cards have a website address on the back you need to follow for activation? Or a phone number? – Showsni Jun 16 '23 at 12:53

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What were you trying to do anyway?

You could try to donate or sell them to someone who meets the criteria.

If you paid by credit card, you can try disputing the transaction but you're likely at fault for not reading/understanding the terms and conditions.

0xFEE1DEAD
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  • I bought them to use at retailers and restaurants rather than my personal credit card. We contacted MasterCard gift cards and were told you must register cards to activate and in order to activate you must have an Italian address and government issued fiscal code. I have none of the above. Credit card company disputed charges but retailer said they handed me items purchased, which they did but with no value even though they said they were activated.Therefore dispute was denied. MasterCard gift cards say they can’t refund money because they were never activated and retailer must refund. No luck – Lisa Jun 17 '23 at 13:16
  • The retailer said "here are your gift cards, they are already activated"? – Comic Sans Seraphim Jun 19 '23 at 12:48