Published
October 29, 2026
California residents whose Vanilla Gift Card, bought in California between November 1, 2019 and September 30, 2024, lost some or all of its balance to unauthorized charges may qualify to claim up to $15 per card with no receipt, or up to the full amount lost with proof, from the $1,525,000 Vanilla Gift Card restitution settlement with InComm. Claims are open through February 19, 2027.
Current Status
Claims are open. The claims administrator, Verita Global, began accepting claims on October 23, 2026, and the deadline is February 19, 2027, online or postmarked by mail. The fund comes from a settlement between InComm Financial Services, which sells Vanilla Gift Cards, and the San Francisco City Attorney, acting for the People of California. The notice says payments will be made by approximately June 19, 2027.Free settlement alerts
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Status
Claims Open
California residents only · payments by about June 19, 2027
Claim Deadline
February 19, 2027
online, or mailed and postmarked by that date
Payout
$15 per Card, or Up to the Full Loss
up to $15 a card with no proof (2 cards, $30 max) · up to 75% with partial proof · full lost value with complete proof
Proof Required
No — for the $15 payment
no receipt or Claim ID · the card's 11-digit serial number and 16-digit card number (or photos of an altered card) are required
What Changed Recently?
The restitution fund opened for claims on October 23, 2026. It settles a lawsuit San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu filed in San Francisco Superior Court in November 2023, alleging that non-reloadable Vanilla Gift Cards were sold in cardboard packaging that thieves could open and reseal to copy the card number, so balances could be spent before the rightful owner used the card. The lawsuit also alleged that InComm improperly denied refunds to people whose cards were drained. InComm denies the allegations.This is not a class action. The San Francisco City Attorney brought the case on behalf of the People of California, and the City Attorney’s office oversees the fund. Money left after valid claims and administration costs goes to the City Attorney’s office for future consumer protection work.
Who Qualifies?
The notice sets five criteria, and a claimant has to meet all of them:• Be a California resident.
• Have bought a non-reloadable Vanilla Prepaid Gift Card in California between November 1, 2019 and September 30, 2024, or have received one as a gift (or otherwise lawfully acquired one) that someone else bought in California during that time.
• Have been unable to use some or all of the card’s balance because of one or more unauthorized transactions.
• Believe the unauthorized transactions came from someone tampering with the card’s packaging.
• Not already have received a refund from InComm for the money lost on that card.
People who live outside California, or whose card was bought in another state, do not qualify. Someone who asked InComm for a refund and was denied, or never received a decision, can still claim.
Where Would Someone Have Gotten a Vanilla Gift Card?
Vanilla Gift Cards are prepaid Visa and Mastercard debit cards sold by InComm in fixed amounts, usually $10 to $500, with a one-time purchase fee. According to the City Attorney’s complaint, they were sold at retailers throughout California, including Safeway, Target, Walgreens and CVS, typically on gift card racks at the end of aisles, and online at vanillagift.com. Many people who qualify never bought one themselves: a card received as a birthday, holiday or work gift counts if it was bought in California during the covered period.The settlement covers non-reloadable Vanilla Prepaid Gift Cards, the kind sold in a cardboard sleeve with the dollar amount printed on the front. The complaint describes InComm’s OneVanilla card as functionally the same product, but the settlement notice names only the Vanilla Gift Card, and reloadable cards such as MyVanilla are not non-reloadable cards.
How Much Can You Get?
The fund totals $1,525,000, including administration costs. What a claimant receives depends on how much documentation comes with the claim:• Complete Proof of Claim: the full value of the lost funds reported, with no limit on the number of cards.
• Incomplete Proof of Claim: up to 75% of the lost funds, depending on how much documentation is provided.
• No Proof of Claim: a flat payment of up to $15 per card, for no more than two cards, so up to $30 in total.
The fund pays proof-backed claims first. If there is not enough left to pay $15 on every claim without proof, those flat payments are reduced; claims with proof are not affected by that reduction. Online claimants can choose payment by Venmo, PayPal or check, and mailed claims are paid by check.
What Proof Is Required?
No receipt and no Claim ID or notice number is needed to file. The online claim form has an option for people who do not have a Claim ID, and the settlement was not built around a mailed notice.The claim form does require details from the card itself: its 11-digit serial number from the back, and either its 16-digit card number or a statement that the number was altered or scratched off, with photos of the front and back of the card. It also asks for the card’s stated value, the approximate date and place of purchase, the amount lost to unauthorized charges, and any refund claim number InComm issued. Each claim is signed under penalty of perjury. In practice, that means the card is needed to file, even for the $15 payment.
Proof of Claim, which raises the payment, is optional. It is made up of the purchase receipt, photos of the front and back of the card, the card’s transaction history from Vanilla’s balance-check site with the unauthorized charges marked, and, for anyone who already asked InComm for a refund, copies of that correspondence. The administrator may share claim information with InComm to check it against InComm’s records.
What Is the Deadline?
Claims must be submitted online by February 19, 2027, or mailed with a postmark on or before February 19, 2027. The notice states that the administrator will not review claims submitted after that date.How Do You Take Action?
Claims are filed on the official Vanilla Gift Card restitution website, where up to five supporting files can be uploaded. A printable claim form is also posted there for filing by mail. One claim form can cover several cards, but each card can be claimed only once.What Happens Next?
After the claim period closes, the City Attorney’s office and Verita Global review claims, screen out any that appear fraudulent or cannot be verified, and calculate payments. The notice says payments will go out by approximately June 19, 2027.Sources and Verification
• Vanilla Gift Card Restitution Settlement website (Verita Global) — home page, important dates, FAQ and online claim form• Notice of Vanilla Gift Card Restitution Fund, embedded below
• Complaint, People of the State of California v. InComm Financial Services, Inc., et al., No. CGC-23-610333 (Cal. Super. Ct., San Francisco County, filed November 9, 2023)
Questions
Do I need a receipt for the Vanilla gift card settlement?
No receipt is needed for the flat payment of up to $15 per card, for up to two cards. The claim form does require the card's 11-digit serial number and either its 16-digit card number or a photo of the front and back of an altered card. A receipt, card photos and the card's transaction history are optional Proof of Claim that can raise the payment to the full amount lost.
Can people outside California claim from the Vanilla gift card settlement?
The restitution fund is limited to California: it comes from a lawsuit brought on behalf of the People of California, and the claim criteria require being a California resident and holding a Vanilla Gift Card that was bought in California between November 1, 2019 and September 30, 2024.
Where were Vanilla gift cards sold?
According to the San Francisco City Attorney's complaint, non-reloadable Vanilla cards were sold at retailers across California, including Safeway, Target, Walgreens and CVS, often on gift card racks at the ends of aisles, and online at vanillagift.com. Cards received as gifts also qualify if they were bought in California during the covered period.
Can I claim if InComm already refunded me?
A card is not eligible if InComm already refunded the money lost on it. People who were denied a refund, or never heard back, can claim.
When will Vanilla gift card settlement payments be made?
The notice says the claims administrator will make payments by approximately June 19, 2027. Online claimants can choose Venmo, PayPal or a mailed check; mailed claims are paid by check.
Official Settlement Notice
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Settlement Amount
$1,525,000 restitution fund
Includes administration costs. Unused money goes to the San Francisco City Attorney for consumer protection.
Case Title
People of the State of California v. InComm Financial Services, Inc., et al.
Case Number
No. CGC-23-610333
Court
Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco
Administrator
Verita Global
Official Website
CA Gift Card Settlement
