Get a Visa Gift Card
If you're not a fan of credit cards, can't get credit cards because of poor credit, or just want to give a versatile, useful present, Visa gift cards may be the ideal solution. Most Visa gift cards work exactly like a prepaid Visa debit or credit card, except that Visa gift cards don't affect your credit score and cannot be reloaded with more money later on.
Steps
- Visit any participating merchant that sells Visa gift cards. Some popular merchants include:
- Transit companies, such as Greyhound;
- Banks, such as Wells Fargo;
- Grocery stores, such as Safeway;
- General retailers, such as Target, Kmart and Walmart;
- Specialty stores, such as Office Depot and Nordstrom.
- Purchase a Visa gift card from an online source. Keep in mind that you can't use the card until it's physically shipped to you.
- Reputable online sources for Visa gift cards include banks and credit unions such as Chase, Navy Federal Credit Union, PNC Bank and Wells Fargo; card centers such as GiftCards.com, Give Card and Gift Card Mall; and money wiring service providers such as Western Union.
- Use your Visa gift card anywhere Visa debit and credit cards are accepted.
- Your Visa gift card allows access to the prepaid funds only and does not represent a line of credit. Because of this, attempts to authorize more than the card's remaining balance will be denied. This can cause problems at merchants, such as gas stations, which may authorize more than the actual purchase being made.
- Track your Visa gift card's remaining balance by calling the phone number or visiting the website listed on the back of the card.
- Some merchants, such as Barnes & Noble, Target and Dillard's can check your remaining Visa gift card balance when you make a purchase.
Tips
- Most Visa gift cards are automatically activated for in-person purchases once you buy them. However, some card issuers might require you to follow other steps before you can use the card.
- Visa gift cards don't come with a PIN number, so always run gift card transactions as a credit card transaction.
- You can use your Visa gift card for in-person, online or telephone purchases. However, before you can make online or phone purchases you must register the card by either calling the issuer, or visiting their website.
- Although many Visa gift cards are accepted worldwide, cards that state "Valid only in the United States" on the front cannot be used in other countries.
- Some merchants, such as AT&T, Gamestop and Gap can automatically apply your remaining gift card balance to your purchase, even if it doesn't cover the entire cost. The merchant will then prompt you to provide additional payment. At merchants without this capability, you'll have to know your gift card balance so you can tell the merchant how much to apply to the gift card, and then provide payment for the rest.
