How To Use A Visa Gift Card Online

Want to know some potentially life-changing information? You can shop online with a prepaid Visa gift card. So if you recently received a Visa gift card and want to redeem it for online purchases but aren't sure how it works, read this quick guide for how to's and helpful tips.

How to Use A Visa Gift Card Online in 4 Easy Steps

Add the items you want to your cart.
When you are ready to check out, you'll be taken to the payment methods screen. Typical options include credit or debit card, gift card, or PayPal.
Enter in your Visa gift card information under 'Credit or Debit card'. This is because your Visa gift card is a prepaid card that can be used anywhere Visa is accepted, not a gift card specific to that retailer.
Check out as you normally would.

After you complete those four critical yet simple steps, you will be able to check out on pretty much any website just as you would with any other payment method. It’s a super easy and convenient way to do online shopping, doesn’t require a connection to your bank accounts, and provides extra security from websites looking to steal your personal information.

Now before we get too ahead of ourselves and start making purchases willy-nilly, let’s take a more in-depth look at how prepaid Visa gift cards work and what sort of things you can expect to encounter when you decide to use a Visa gift card to pay for your online purchases.

Remember, prepaid Visa gift cards function almost exactly like a credit card, which means you can use them pretty much anywhere major credit card brands are accepted, and that includes online shopping. However, one stark difference between credit cards and prepaid Visa gift cards is the fact that you do not need to have a bank account linked to your Visa card. Prepaid Visa gift cards can be bought online or in-store at local retailers and loaded with any amount of your choosing, typically from $5 to $500. Once that’s finished, you can either use the Visa gift card for yourself or give it to somebody else as a gift.

There are also activation fees associated with prepaid Visa gift cards that should be considered before you make your purchase. Here is a general guide you can follow regarding Visa gift cards fees:

Visa gift cards with a value from $10.00 to $74.99 have a $2.95 activation fee
Visa gift cards with a value from $75.00 to $149.99 have a $3.95 activation fee
Visa gift cards with a value from $150.00 to $249.99 have a $4.95 activation fee
Visa gift cards with a value from $250.00 to $349.99 have a $5.95 activation fee
Visa gift cards with a value from $350.00 to $500.00 have a $6.95 activation fee

How to Use and How to Redeem Visa Gift Card

Shopping online with a prepaid Visa gift card isn’t a very complicated process, but there are some things to keep in mind before you rush to your favorite retailer’s website. We’re going to cover and address a lot of information, including the following questions:

How do I activate my Visa gift card?
How do I use my Visa gift card at a store?
How do I use my Visa gift card online?
Can I use my Visa gift card for gas?
How do I check my Visa gift card balance?

How to Activate Visa Gift Card

Your Visa gift card must be activated in order to be used for purchases either online or in-store. Depending on where the gift card was purchased, you will have to activate your card on the issuing bank or provider's website, or call the toll free number listed on the back of your card. If you purchased your card from a retail outlet, then the card should already be activated and ready for immediate use. Whether

Register Your Card

Card recipients should go online to register the card once they receive it. Why? This ensures a name and address is linked to the card, which is necessary since retailers may need the card linked to a billing address in order to verify the account. When an order is placed, stores often use an Address Verification System to verify the card matches the billing address. This process helps restrict fraudulent activity associated with a lost or stolen card. Instructions detailing the entire process should be provided with the card. The process typically requires you to enter the card information online or by phone, along with your name, billing address, and phone number.

Not Enough Funds on the Gift Card

Be aware that certain stores require an exact amount or more on the card in order to complete the transaction. If the card does not have sufficient funds you may be out of luck, unless a store allows you to apply a gift card balance to a purchase and use a different payment method to cover the rest of the funds afterwards.

Store Restrictions

Sometimes there are stores that restrict the use of prepaid gift cards. This can often be found with any sort of monthly subscription charge. Fortunately, most retailers that accept credit or debit cards as forms of payment should be able to accept a prepaid Visa gift card with no extra trouble or additional cost to you. This includes just about everything, from gas stations to department stores!

How to Check Visa Gift Card Balance

Keeping tabs on your Visa gift card balance is extremely easy, now more than ever! You can easily check your prepaid Visa gift card balance using Gift Card Granny – all you have to do is enter your sixteen digit card number and three digit security code on this webpage, and then select ‘Check your gift card balance.’

Another option is to call the toll-free number number located on the back of your prepaid Visa gift card. Once you dial the number and follow the prompts, you will input your sixteen digit card number and three digit security code. You will then hear a message providing your Visa gift card balance.

Prepaid Visa gift cards make shopping a breeze both in-store and online. So long as you are aware of the terms relevant to your Visa gift card, you should have no trouble using it to help fund your shopping habits.

What are the Advantages of Using a Visa Gift Card?

If you have ever found yourself frustrated while gift shopping for another person, then you may want to consider opting for a prepaid Visa gift card. Gift shopping during the holidays or for special occasions can certainly be nice, but there’s little more that is as frustrating as gift shopping while you are pressed for time. So when time isn’t on your side and you have zero ideas in mind when it comes to selecting the perfect present, you may want to go with the ever-reliable Visa gift card.

The Benefits

Visa gift cards are easy to purchase in-store at a variety of different retailers, as well as order and ship online. Visa gift cards can also be further personalized by sending them in special mailers or with greeting cards. Since they can be mailed to pretty much any destination, they are a great gift for recipients who live long distances away.
As noted above, prepaid Visa gift cards are great gifts when shopping for folks who you aren’t sure what else to get. Visa gift cards easily beat typical retail gift cards whose funds are locked to specific locations or retailers since they can be used at almost any retailer that accepts major credit card brands as payment, which means the only places you can’t use them are at cash-only establishments. If your gift recipient is picky, then a prepaid Visa gift card is definitely the way to go.
State and federal laws pertaining to retail gift cards also apply to prepaid Visa gift cards. This gives Visa gift cards extra protection and prevents them from expiring for multiple years from the date of purchase, though certain dormancy fees may apply after prolonged periods of inactivity. If you find yourself worried over the Visa gift card expiration date, rest assured knowing you have at least five years to use your Visa gift card balance.
Prepaid Visa gift cards provide an extremely secure way to pay whether you are shopping in-store or online. Since there is no bank account linked to a prepaid Visa gift card, your recipient will not be putting their personal financial information at risk when making transactions on unsecure software (such as third-party websites). Folks who do not have bank accounts can also use prepaid Visa gift cards to make purchases, which is a huge plus.

The Drawbacks

This wouldn’t be an honest article if we didn’t cover all of the bases, which is why it’s important to take a step back to go over all the possible disadvantages that come alongside prepaid Visa gift cards. There aren’t many to worry about, but these drawbacks are no less important than the benefits and should always be considered before you make your purchase.

Since prepaid Visa gift cards are issued by individual banks and not Visa directly, there may be different terms and conditions to pay attention to. Banks and retailers can create their own regulations in regards to Visa gift cards, such as imposing higher activation fees or issuing specific fees due to long periods of inactivity. It’s important to go over these regulations and weigh out all of the potential pros and cons for both yourself and your gift recipient.
For some folks, money is a sensitive issue and they might prefer not knowing how much you spend on a gift. Prepaid Visa gift cards come with a specific value loaded onto them by the purchaser (you), which will then be known to your gift recipient. If your recipient prefers not knowing how much a gift costs, then you may not want to proceed with a gift card at all and go for something whose price tag you can keep hidden.
As fun as shopping is for lots of people, there are many folks who aren’t too keen on it. If that’s the case with your recipient, you may just want to go with a different present or physical cash that they can add to their savings.

Use a Prepaid Visa Gift Card for Yourself

If you for any reason want to buy a Visa gift card for nobody but yourself, then there’s nothing stopping you from doing exactly that. Whether it’s because you don’t want to carry cash, desire to limit your spending, or are paranoid over potentially losing wallet and all of your cash as a result, using a prepaid Visa gift card for yourself is a great solution to all of those scenarios and more.

The only downside would be the initial activation fee, which would cost you a few extra bucks at the time of purchase. Still, if it’s better for your shopping habits to have a prepaid Visa gift card, then the fee may well be worth it.

Buy a Prepaid Visa Gift Card from Gift Card Granny

Buy a prepaid Visa gift card

There are certainly a lot of great qualities associated with prepaid Visa gift cards, though some specific terms and conditions can change depending on where you purchase your Visa gift card. If you prefer to do your gift card shopping on Gift Card Granny, you can rest easy knowing that we keep things transparent and convenient for our buyers. We offer the lowest activation fees possible for our prepaid Visa gift cards and we do not surprise our buyers with any sudden, new fees that are not previously outlined by Visa regulations.

You can order your prepaid Visa gift card directly through the Gift Card Granny website and have it mailed straight to your recipient. If you want to have the Visa gift card sent to yourself first for your own personal customizations, that’s fine too! Prepaid Visa gift cards may also be sent digitally to your recipient for super time-sensitive orders.

In addition to prepaid Visa gift cards, Gift Card Granny offers a variety of retail gift cards for local and national brands that are sure to make the perfect present for anyone you are shopping for. Furthermore, all retail gift cards purchased via Gift Card Granny will earn the buyer a corresponding amount of cash back, which is credited to their account and may be used to cover the cost of gift card purchases made in the future.

If a prepaid Visa gift card sounds like the perfect gift for someone you know (or for yourself), then be sure to pick one up just in time for your next special occasion. It’s sure to go a long way!

How To Use A Visa Gift Card Online