The Money Mustache Community

General Discussion => Share Your Badassity => Topic started by: Heckler on July 07, 2015, 12:28:38 PM

Title: Visa Gift Card residuals
Post by: Heckler on July 07, 2015, 12:28:38 PM
we keep recieving Visa gift cards ($50 to $200) and ended up with 5 cards with less than $10 on them, some in the under a buck range. 

Im sure gift card companies make most of thier profits on a few bucks left over on millions of cards- they're difficult to use if what your buying costs more than the remaining card value - easy when your card has $0.33 left!


Solution - go online, figure out the exact amount remaining and spend it on gas!  But go when the station isn't busy and use up one card at a time.  Drove the cashier a little mental, but what do I care?

$7.24
$0.51
$4.71
$3.25
$1.86

=

$17.57 not wasted.  Squeezed out every drop!
Title: Re: Visa Gift Card residuals
Post by: johnny847 on July 07, 2015, 12:29:47 PM
Another option is to go to Amazon and buy yourself a gc for the exact amount.

Or, basically any retail establishment will accept split payments. Just drain the value of the vgc and pay the rest with your cc like normal.
Title: Re: Visa Gift Card residuals
Post by: forummm on July 07, 2015, 12:50:35 PM
Another option is to go to Amazon and buy yourself a gc for the exact amount.

I do that with the grocery store GCs. They take split payments from their own cards.
Title: Re: Visa Gift Card residuals
Post by: johnny847 on July 07, 2015, 12:51:56 PM
Another option is to go to Amazon and buy yourself a gc for the exact amount.

I do that with the grocery store GCs. They take split payments from their own cards.

But they don't take split payments from two credit/debit cards?
Title: Re: Visa Gift Card residuals
Post by: Heckler on July 07, 2015, 01:00:17 PM
Another option is to go to Amazon and buy yourself a gc for the exact amount

Assuming I'm a consuma sucka who buys from Amazon. 😏
Title: Re: Visa Gift Card residuals
Post by: I'm a red panda on July 07, 2015, 01:00:49 PM
Another option is to go to Amazon and buy yourself a gc for the exact amount.

Or, basically any retail establishment will accept split payments. Just drain the value of the vgc and pay the rest with your cc like normal.

I buy the amazon cards because we use amazon a lot; but I try to not have too much gift card balance in amazon, because it greatly reduces the rewards we get off the amazon credit card.  So I've done the split payment thing a few times too.
Title: Re: Visa Gift Card residuals
Post by: johnny847 on July 07, 2015, 01:14:43 PM
Another option is to go to Amazon and buy yourself a gc for the exact amount.

Or, basically any retail establishment will accept split payments. Just drain the value of the vgc and pay the rest with your cc like normal.

I buy the amazon cards because we use amazon a lot; but I try to not have too much gift card balance in amazon, because it greatly reduces the rewards we get off the amazon credit card.  So I've done the split payment thing a few times too.

You're better off with the Sallie Mae Mastercard for Amazon anyway - 5% back on the first $250/$250/$750 on gas/groceries/bookstores - where Amazon is a bookstore - per month.

Another option is to go to Amazon and buy yourself a gc for the exact amount

Assuming I'm a consuma sucka who buys from Amazon. 😏

Amazon is cheaper for some things.
Title: Re: Visa Gift Card residuals
Post by: Elderwood17 on July 07, 2015, 01:32:53 PM
I recall feeling like an idiot trying to get the last thirty cents or something out of a gift card, but then figured it is my money and I don't care if I look like an idiot to a stranger so used up several at one time.  The cashiers didn't care and if they did they forgot in a few minutes anyway!
Title: Re: Visa Gift Card residuals
Post by: forummm on July 07, 2015, 01:36:43 PM
Another option is to go to Amazon and buy yourself a gc for the exact amount.

I do that with the grocery store GCs. They take split payments from their own cards.

But they don't take split payments from two credit/debit cards?

The cashiers I tried couldn't figure it out.
Title: Re: Visa Gift Card residuals
Post by: johnny847 on July 07, 2015, 01:49:40 PM
Another option is to go to Amazon and buy yourself a gc for the exact amount.

I do that with the grocery store GCs. They take split payments from their own cards.

But they don't take split payments from two credit/debit cards?

The cashiers I tried couldn't figure it out.
*sigh*

I've never tried this but do the self checkout lines have split payment?
Title: Re: Visa Gift Card residuals
Post by: Mississippi Mudstache on July 07, 2015, 01:56:08 PM
I would probably just use the cards up online. I'm a bit neurotic about inconveniencing cashiers, probably because I worked the counter at a retail store for about a year in college. Kind of like all my friends who used to be waiters/waitresses now leave generous tips.
Title: Re: Visa Gift Card residuals
Post by: ABC123 on July 07, 2015, 02:01:49 PM
I have found that with the Prepaid Visa type of gift cards (the kind that are not store-specific), if I don't have enough on it to cover the whole balance, I need to know exactly what the balance is.  So if my bill is $20, I could tell the gal that I want to use $17.06 from this card, and then pay the rest with cash or whatever.  But if I just hand her the card without knowing the balance, they won't be able to do it.