Do All Visa Gift Cards Have A Fee

When you try to think of the best present you can get for another person, there’s a good chance gift cards may come to mind. And not just any gift cards, but Visa gift cards and the unlimited possibilities that come alongside shopping with it. 

Gift cards for certain stores and brands are great on their own and serve as wonderful gifts, but they can only accomplish so much when their value is locked to specific merchants. On the other hand, Visa gift cards operate as open-loop and can be accepted as payment anywhere that takes the Visa brand. This is an amazing benefit for folks who are not quite sure where their gift recipient would like a gift card to, since they can simply use a Visa gift card wherever they choose to while shopping for what they want. 

If that sounds like a dream come true to you, then you don’t have to pinch yourself to know you’ll be saving yourself a lot of hassle when it comes time to buy the perfect gift. Bid farewell to the dread of last-minute shopping trips and anxious thoughts over whether you picked out the right present or not, because giving a Visa gift card pretty much guarantees a well-satisfied recipient. 

There’s no denying the fact that Visa gift cards make for fantastic gifts. You can use them anywhere that accepts Visa including restaurants, gas stations, department stores and more. However, it’s important to realize there is a fee associated with purchasing a Visa gift card. In this article, we are going to discuss the various fees that you may encounter with Visa gift cards alongside general information about how Visa gift cards work. 

• How much does it cost to buy a Visa gift card?
• How much does it cost to replace a lost or stolen Visa gift card?
• How do I know if my Visa gift card has any fees?

We have a lot of information to unpack here, so let’s begin where it matters most. 

How Much Does It Cost to Activate a Visa Gift Card?

All Visa gift cards require an activation fee in order to work. The Visa gift card activation fee is based on the gift card’s value. A Visa gift card cannot be used to make purchases if it is not activated first. These activation fees may seem arbitrary, but they are imperative to maintaining the Visa network and all card functions. 

Visa gift card fees are as follows:

• Gift card values from $10.00 to $74.99 have a $2.95 fee.
• Gift card values from $75.00 to $149.99 have a $3.95 fee.
• Gift card values from $150 to $249.99 have a $4.95 fee.
• Gift card values from $250.00 to $349.99 have a $5.95 fee.
• Gift card values from $350.00 to $500.00 have a $6.95 fee.

A small one-time fee at the time of purchase may be a deterrent for some gift card shoppers, but the advantages of Visa gift cards are well worth the additional few dollars.

Keep in mind that different merchants can set different fees, significantly hiking up what you pay in the process. Retailers like Target charge a $5 Visa gift card purchase fee even if the Visa gift card only has a $20 value. Instead of paying the minimum Visa gift card maintenance fee, you must pay a little more simply because that is the fee designated by the retailer. 

Where you decide to purchase a Visa gift card is completely up to you, but know that Gift Card Granny supplies customers with Visa gift cards at the minimum activation fees. If saving money is important to you, then you should definitely consider buying a Visa gift card from Gift Card Granny. Orders placed on Gift Card Granny before 4PM EST during normal business days are printed and shipped out same-day, while orders received after 4PM will be processed the next business day. Since Gift Card Granny has an in-house fulfillment center for all physical gift card and greeting card orders, we are able to promptly process and mail orders placed online. With same-day shipping offered on our plastic Visa and Mastercard orders, it should not take longer than a couple days to receive your order.   

Can I Avoid Visa Gift Card Fees?

Visa gift card fees are a reality that any buyer should be ready and willing to expect, but not all Visa gift card fees are set in stone. Certain ones, such as the Visa gift card maintenance fee or the Visa gift card cash advance fee, may be unavoidable, but you can certainly circumvent other fees as long as you know what to look out for. 

While there’s no rush to use a Visa gift card immediately after receiving it, be mindful that you do not lose track of it amidst all the other plastic cards in your wallet. The funds on a Visa gift card won’t expire for quite some time, but an inactivity fee may be incurred if the card is not used within a certain period of time, typically around a year. Make sure you avoid prolonged dormancy and make a habit of utilizing your Visa gift card so you do not end up losing funds due to fees. 

If you want to use your Visa gift card for a foreign transaction at a business where the Visa brand is accepted, then the funds on your card will be converted into the currency of the country you are in and a foreign transaction fee may be applied. A Visa gift card foreign transaction fee is best avoided if possible, and if you plan to spend a lot of time traveling then it would be best to get a credit card with no foreign transaction fees. 

Now, what if you receive a Visa gift card and have no interest in using it? There’s no use throwing it out since the card still has value, but you could go out of your way to cancel it or get a complete refund. If you only want to cash out on the remaining funds on the Visa gift card, then you can terminate your Visa gift card before its expiration date and receive the remaining funds as a check. There is no Visa gift card cancellation fee that would be attributed to this scenario, but there is a chance there will be a fee to get the check for the remaining value of the Visa gift card. 

These are all various instances where you may end up getting bombarded with fees for policies that were not clear to you at first. It’s important to watch out for situations where fees may be applicable so that your Visa gift card value does not deplete. 

Where Can I Buy A Visa Gift Card?

Visa gift cards can be purchased in many denominations at convenience stores, gas stations, grocery stores or drug stores. They can also be purchased online or in select banks. Gift Card Granny sells both custom and predesigned Visa gift cards that you can send to anyone you care about, from family and friends to coworkers and acquaintances. 

To purchase a Visa gift card from Gift Card Granny, navigate to the Visa gift card portal and select the option that best suits your needs. If you choose the predesigned Visa gift card option, then you can simply follow these steps:

1. Specify if you want your Visa gift card to be delivered via mail or digitally.
2. Choose from a catalog of professional gift card designs.
3. Enter an amount ranging from $10 to $500.
4. Select how many cards you want to order.
5. Customize the card with the recipient’s name and a message of up to twenty characters.
6. Input accurate recipient shipping information.

Once all of these steps are complete, your Visa gift card order will be on its way to being processed and sent out to your recipient. It takes virtually no time at all and is an entirely secure way of purchasing gift cards online. 

Customize a Visa gift card

Customize a Visa gift card

Lost or Stolen Visa Gift Card

As soon as you notice that your Visa gift card is lost or stolen, it is imperative to immediately contact the provider that issued the card and notify them of the situation. To do so, locate the toll-free number on the back of the card or in the card documentation. You will need to provide all of the necessary card information, such as the activation number and security code. There is no Visa gift card replacement fee, so you do not have to worry about paying extra to replace a lost or stolen card. 

Do Visa Gift Cards Expire?

While the funds on the gift card won’t expire, it’s important to know that the plastic card will. If this occurs, the gift card owner will need to ask for a replacement gift card. The remaining balance of the expired gift card will then be transferred to the new gift card. Be mindful that there usually is an additional fee for inactivity; this is subtracted from the balance of the card. A Visa gift card inactivity fee will occur if the card isn’t used a year after activating. Remember to make a purchase within the year of your last purchase since there is a non-use fee as well.

Check Your Visa Gift Card Balance

If you happen to be the recipient of a Visa gift card, then you must be well-aware of the importance of knowing your Visa gift card balance. After all, there’s nothing worse than being caught off-guard at the checkout counter because you discovered you didn’t have enough funds for the purchase.

It’s a good thing checking the balance of a Visa gift card is a quick, straight-forward process. Using the 16-digit activation number and the 3-digit security code located on the back of the card, you can find out the balance of your Visa gift card at no cost to you. If you were worried about possibly incurring a Visa gift card balance check fee, set your mind at ease with the knowledge that you can always check your balance for free. 

On the back of your physical Visa gift card is a toll-free number you can call to ask for your balance. All you need to provide is the Visa gift card activation number and the security code, and then you will listen to an automated response to give you your balance. However, if dialing a phone isn’t convenient enough for you, you can always check your Visa gift card balance online by visiting the card issuer’s site and supplying your 16-digit number and security code. 

There are various Visa card issuers that allow users to check their Visa gift card balances for free, even if they did not originally purchase the gift card from them. Gift Card Granny has our own Visa gift card balance check tool that can provide you with an accurate account of your gift card balance. Once again, you will be required to input the 16-digit card number and the 3-digit security code. After your card information is submitted, you will see a picture of your card and your available balance. 

Are you looking for a gift card without a fee? Gift Card Granny offers plenty of other retail gift cards that can be used at thousands of locations across the country. Take your pick with a selection of popular brands through Gift Card Granny; choose between restaurants, groceries, gas and more.