Activate Your Visa Gift Card:
First, you have to make sure youre Visa gift card is activated. If you bought it in a brick and mortar retail store then your gift card was most likely activated when you bought it at the cash register.
If you bought your gift card online it is possible that you have to activate it. Normally all you have to do is go to the website thats printed on a label stuck on the card and enter the 16 digit number along with the security code. You may have to call the 800 number printed on the gift card if there is no website.
Not sure if youre Visa Gift Card is already activated?
Just go through the process of activating your card again. It wont hurt and youll know for sure if its already activated or not.
Register Your Visa Gift Card
Registering your Visa gift card is a very similar process as activating it. Call the 800 number or go to the website associated with the gift card and put in the card information. But this time youll also have to include your personal information: name, address and phone number.
You have to go through this process because many online merchants use a security procedure called AVS when accepting debit or credit cards online. Since your Visa gift card is an open-loop gift card, its processed and dealt with as if it were a debit card.
How Do You Use A Visa Vanilla Gift Card
How do I use my Vanilla Gift Card? Simply present your Card at the time of payment. Press credit on the keypad and sign the receipt. As you use your Card, the balance is reduced by the full amount of each purchase including taxes, charges, and other fees, if any.
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How To Check The Balance On The Vanilla Prepaid Card
The fastest way to check your balance is by logging into your Vanilla Prepaid account at www.vanillaprepaid.com. You can also call customer service to find out your balance. A good thing to do before you shop is to check your balance before you purchase anything.; The merchants you are shopping at are unable to determine the balance on your card so if you purchase something that exceeds your card balance, your purchase will be declined.;
Can I Use Vanilla Gift Card At Restaurants
You can use your Vanilla Gift Virtual Account with any United States-based online, phone, or mail-order merchants wherever Visa debit cards are accepted.
Although the cards can be used at millions of retailers where Visa debit cards are accepted, both online and offline, there are times when purchases are declined. For example, a Visa gift card I received was disabled at gas pumps. I had to go inside the station to use it. Restaurants can also be tricky.
Moreover, Can you take the money off a Visa gift card?
If you have a Visa gift card and are wondering if you can get cash from it, the short answer is probably not. Though the two cards are similar, only prepaid cards can be used to get cash from an ATM or to get cash back from a merchant. Gift cards cannot.
Secondly, Where can you use Visa gift cards?
You can use your Visa Gift card anywhere Visa cards are accepted. Just always ensure that the remaining balance on your card will cover the amount of your planned purchases. If the remaining balance doesnt cover the entire transaction, let the merchant know how much funds you have remaining.
Simply so,;Can you use a prepaid Visa card at a restaurant?
Do prepaid Visa cards work at gas stations?
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Add It To Your Paypal Wallet
PayPal lets you add prepaid cards, including Via gift cards, to your PayPal wallet. What this means is that youre then able to treat the balance like cash, by using it to purchase things from any merchant that accepts PayPal which is most major ones, these days.
How can I get money off of a gift card through PayPal?
To get money from a Visa gift card to PayPal accounts, just do the following:
Theres a chance that you may get an error when trying to do this. If that happens to you, you may have to first register the card with the issuer so an address is linked to the Visa gift card. After that, PayPal should have no problem accepting it.
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Can I Check The Status Of My Vanilla Gift Card Refund Request
Whether you can check the status of your refund credited to a Vanilla gift card will depend on the merchant you requested the refund from.;
If youve been waiting for more than two weeks to receive a refund, give the Vanilla gift card customer care agents a call and see whats blocking the transfer. If they discover that the refund wasnt issued, you will probably need to call the merchant.
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Is The Vanilla Visa Gift Card A Scam
Tamara Wilhite is a technical writer, industrial engineer, mother of two, and published sci-fi and horror author.
I review my experience trying to use a Vanilla Visa gift card and share some of the problems I encountered. I hope this information helps other consumers make informed decisions when buying prepaid gift cards.
Use Your Visa Gift Card Online
You use it in the exact same way you would use a credit card. That means you put in all your personal information. Then, put the Visa gift card number in the credit card number field along with the CVC.
Do not make the mistake of putting the gift card number in the gift card field. Most of the time, that field is reserved for store-specific gift cards. For example, if youre shopping online at BestBuy, the image below shows you where to put the BestBuy gift card number and where the Visa gift card details would go.
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What Is The Difference Between A Pending Transaction And A Posted Transaction
Pending transactions are authorized transactions with a hold for the purchase amount until the transaction clears. Posted transactions are purchases that have cleared on your card. There are some pending transactions that are more or less than the amount you actually spent. Some retailers place a pre-authorization amount to ensure the account is active and that you have enough money to cover the purchase. Once the transaction posts to your account, the pending transaction will be removed within a few business days, and you can use the funds again.
Gift Cards For Use In Canada And Other Countries
I am finding an increasing number of popular U.S. store and restaurant gift cards can be redeemed at locations in Canada and a few that can be redeemed in the United Kingdom and other countries as well. Amazon has several options, of course. But some brick and mortar stores like Gap, Banana Republic, Aerie, Costco and more will also allow you to purchase a gift card in the U.S. and use it across the border . Be careful to check the terms and conditions of an international card before you purchase it to understand how the exchange rate will be calculated and to see if there are any shipping charges that impact how usable the gift card will be for the recipient. Click to find my growing list of gift cards that work in Canada and other countries.
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Better Than A Credit Card
If either one of these gift cards is lost or stolen, you wont be responsible for unauthorized purchases. Though credit cards often come with that same guarantee, the nice thing about using a prepaid card when youre traveling is that the amount of financial damage that can be done to you as a result of losing the card is limited. A thief can only use the value of the card , your bank account wont be touched because the card isnt linked to one and your credit rating wont be impacted.
How Do You Use A Prepaid Visa Card
Once youve added funds to your card, you can spend that money or withdraw it in cash at ATMs. To buy something in-person, just swipe or insert the card at the point of sale. If youre shopping online, type in your card number. At an ATM, just insert your prepaid card like any other bank card and withdraw cash.
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Easy Ways To Convert Gift Cards To Cash
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase or sign up through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclaimer for more info.
Do you have a Visa gift card that you wish to exchange for cash? Here are several easy methods you can use to convert gift cards to cash.
Visa gift cards are a great way of saving on shopping. Most are sold during promotions where stores offer incentives for shoppers to buy and use them. However, sometimes people need to convert a Visa gift card to cash.
Well, no cause for alarm.
If you wish to convert your gift cards to cash, there are numerous ways to do it.
In this article, we will explore the most feasible ways available to convert that Visa gift card to liquid cash.
But why would you want to convert your Visa card? Well, there are a number of reasons why someone may wish to do this.
If you are like me and check your net worth on Personal Capital daily, you likely think gift cards are a waste of time and space. Why carry virtual money when you can have cold hard cash to invest or pay down debt?
These Visa gift cards cannot be used to withdraw money at an ATM, which therefore makes them somewhat inflexible.
Preferred Method for Converting Plastiq
Our preferred method to use to convert a Visa card is with Plastiq. Its completely free to join and you can pay for anything with credit cards. Even where credit cards arent accepted.
Free
Using The Vanilla Gift Card Online
If your gift card was purchased from;VanillaGift.com, there is no need to activate it because it will instantly be ready for use. If you need to activate it, all you have to do is call the toll-free number on the back of your card.
You will need to provide your card number, expiration date, and security code at the back of your card.;
You will also need to provide this information when you want to check your balance via your virtual account. Once set up, your card becomes active within 24 hours; you can then proceed to use the Vanilla gift card online.
To use your gift card online, you will need to set a zip code; this zip code is for security purposes, and most websites do zip checks before processing payments.
You can add a zip code to your card by logging in to your Vanilla gift card account and select manage card; you will be able to assign a zip code in this section.
To complete online payment using your Vanilla gift card, you must input an address. It is advisable to use an address associated with the zip code that was added.
Once the stages mentioned above are done, you can proceed to make payment. When you use the card to make purchases, the balance will be reduced by the total amount of the purchases, with taxes and other charges included.
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Need Help Suing Visa Or Other Merchants In Small Claims Court Donotpay Has Got Your Back
Did the merchant you contacted refuse to issue a refund even though youre eligible to receive it? Or is Visa blocking the funds and refusing to cooperate? DoNotPay can help you sue any company or individual that has wronged you in small claims court.;
Once you log in to your account and choose to sue a firm or person, youll be asked various questions regarding the reason why you want to sue them and the type of compensation you expect to get. That will allow DoNotPay to determine if your case is eligible for small claims court according to the laws in your state.;
If your case qualifies, we will help you compose the ideal demand letter that you should send to the merchant. Then you should wait for up to 90 days for the response. If you dont receive one or if the merchant refuses to settle, you can proceed with your lawsuit.
DoNotPay will help you:
- Fill out the necessary forms
- Collect all the paperwork you need
- Write your statement;
You will also be provided the instructions that will help you handle any outcome. As you can see, DoNotPay can guide you through the entire process and help significantly. The only two things that we cant do for you is to file the claim and appear in court on your behalf.
How Do I Activate My Vanilla Visa Card
MyVanilla Visa cards are prepaid cards that you can use at ATMs and stores that accept Visa. They’re similar to debit cards that come with checking accounts from banks. You can order them online or pick them up and refill them at a number of retail stores.
Tips
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MyVanilla Visa cards can be activated online at the MyVanilla website. Once activated, they can be replenished by direct deposit or cash at various retailers and used like Visa debit cards.
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Can I Create A Pin
Yes – you can create a pin on the Gift Card website by selecting “My Pin” under the My Settings tab.
You can also request one at the time you activate your card using the toll-free number on the sticker. There is no charge for using the voice response system. If you activate your card on the website, you will need to call 866.543.9161 to request a PIN.
Making A Purchase With Your Visa Gift Card
- What if I change my mind and want to cancel a purchase?
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If a merchant cancels a purchase transaction for you, it may take three to seven business days for the cancellation to show up on your Visa Gift card record and for the funds to be credited to your card and available for use. Check the balance on your card, either online or by phone, to see when your cancelled purchase transaction has been processed. Refer to the back of your card for the web site address/phone number of the financial institution that issued your card.
- Why was my Visa Gift card declined?
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- Your card may have expired. Check the expiry date printed on the front of your card. ;In this case, let the merchant know how much remaining balance you have on your card. The merchant may split the transaction and allow you to pay for part of your purchase with the Gift card, and then the remaining part of your purchase with another form of payment, such as a credit, debit or cash.;
- Your remaining card balance may be less than the value of the item you wish to purchase.
- Merchants who only possess a manual imprint machine cannot accept Gift cards which have the phrase “ELECTRONIC USE ONLY” printed on the front of the card.
- Some internet merchants use fraud protection software that may decline a Gift card purchase transaction.
- Your card may not be activated or registered yet. Follow the activation and registration instructions that came with the card, or contact the card issuer
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Someone Wants To Pay You With Gift Cards
This scam is so common that the Federal Trade Commission has an entire page devoted to informing consumers about it. As the FTC succinctly says, “Gift cards are for gifts, not payments. Anyone who demands payment by gift card is always a scammer.”
It’s important to be aware of common scams involving the Vanilla Visa gift card so you can recognize them if someone tries to rip you off.
What Online Card Payment Looks Like
When you get to the online payment processing portion of checkout, enter the gift card number, expiration date and Card Verification Number into the fields you typically use for debit and credit card payments. Do not enter a Visa gift card number into the gift card field. That field is reserved for retailer-specific card numbers.
Below is an example of what online payment often looks like. This example shows many payment options including bank-issued debit and credit cards, store credit cards, PayPal, PayPal credit, a payment plan, store gift cards and even Bitcoin.
Most online shopping carts do not have this many ways to make a payment, but nearly all have a place to enter a credit card that is different from the area in which you would enter a gift card .
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