Consider Getting College Students a Mastercard Gift Card
Gift cards can come in handy in a lot of different places. Whether you are checking out at the convenience store, ordering items from an online shop, or trying to alleviate the burden of some of your monthly expenses, a gift card can be used for just about anything at a variety of locations. Naturally, this means they can be especially helpful to college students struggling to manage their finances on top of many other responsibilities. Gift cards can be for food, personal hygiene products, clothes, entertainment, books, school supplies, transportation, and so much more, so the gifting possibilities are endless.
What a gift card user can get depends on the store or retailer the gift card is good for. Retail gift cards are closed-loop and cannot be used outside of specific locations or shops, which certainly puts a limit on what the gift card user can and can’t buy. Fortunately, Mastercard gift cards are around to make giving a gift card all the more easy for everyone. Unlike most gift cards you are used to, Mastercard gift cards can be used as payment at a variety of businesses and establishments since they are open-loop. While closed-loop gift cards are only good for specific locations or retail chains, open-loop gift cards can be used pretty much anywhere and function like debit or credit cards, only there is no chance of over-spending since a gift card has a set value that cannot be exceeded.
No college student in their right mind is going to turn down a chance to shop with a Mastercard gift card, so you will not have to spend any time worrying over whether or not your gift will be useful – there is no doubt it will be. But even so, it is important to get acquainted with the ins and outs of Mastercard gift cards before you make your choice. And if you do not know much (or anything at all) about Mastercard gift cards, just hold tight because we are going to cover all of the crucial info right here in this article, including all of the advantages and limitations of Mastercard gift cards.
Stay tuned for some essential details regarding Mastercard gift cards for college students.
What are the Benefits of Using a Mastercard Gift Card for College Students?
There are a lot of reasons college students would benefit from using a Mastercard gift card. From saving money on basic necessities to helping afford their books and school paraphernalia, a Mastercard gift card can be exactly what a busy college student needs to keep afloat during the never-ending tides of academic commitments.
Mastercard gift cards work a lot like general prepaid Mastercards and are accepted as payment anywhere Mastercard debit cards are accepted. This means your Mastercard gift card should work in dining establishments, campus bookstores, shops, and other businesses that a typical college student would frequent. All in all, a Mastercard gift card can offer a significant amount of financial relief to busy students who may not have the time to work as much as they would like to.
Mastercard gift cards can make the lives of busy college students a little less hectic by providing some form of financial relief, whether for books and other academic supplies or for groceries and takeout food.
Benefits and Limitations of a Mastercard Gift Card
If you are not familiar with all the great things to love about Mastercard gift cards, do not worry – we are going to cover all the important features pertaining to Mastercard gift cards, alongside advantages and certain limitations. This way both you and any college student you are buying for can be well-informed before making any purchases.
To start things off, it should be noted that Mastercard gift cards offer a fantastic way for college students to conveniently pay during transactions. Rather than fumble with crumpled dollar bills and loose change at the checkout counter, a Mastercard gift card is a sleek alternative payment method that will never be disorganized, not to mention it does not take up a lot of space in your wallet. For students who approach life with minimalist sensibilities, a Mastercard gift card can be much preferable in comparison to messy cash.
Mastercard gift cards also offer enhanced security and carry no real risk with them. Since debit and credit cards are directly linked to your personal banking information, there is always the unfortunate possibility of someone you do not want obtaining access to your private information and draining you of funds by making fraudulent purchases. Aside from debit and credit card information possibly being stolen, if you are someone who usually pays with cash, a Mastercard gift card may also be helpful in certain circumstances. For instance, if you misplace any money that you are carrying, it is basically impossible to get it back unless a good samaritan happens to track you down (which, let’s face it, is not all too common of an occurrence). You can kiss any misplaced or stolen cash goodbye without a second thought, but a Mastercard gift card can be recovered if it is lost as long as you act quickly. All you need to do is contact Mastercard Consumer Support Services at 1-800-627-8372 if you are in the U.S.
Security and convenience are both extremely important when you are looking for ways to complete transactions, but they are not the only two advantages to shopping with a Mastercard gift card for students.
On the other side of the same coin, Mastercard gift cards may have some features that are not particularly what you are looking for. One major drawback of Mastercard gift cards that can deter potential buyers is the fact that Mastercard gift cards, while technically a prepaid form of card, cannot be reloaded like other prepaid Mastercards. Gift cards are not meant to be reloaded again and again for long-term use, which is why gift cards are generally discarded once their initial value is used up.
For those who like to travel or study abroad, a Mastercard gift card can only be used in the country it was purchased. If you are looking for something like a gift card that can be used in multiple countries, you should check out the Prepaid Travel Card by Mastercard. This travel-friendly prepaid card can be utilized overseas and may be reloaded with funds as many times as you wish, and you do not need to register it to any of your personal banking accounts.
We have provided answers to a couple common questions below.
Q: Are there any limitations on where a Mastercard gift card can be used?
A: A Mastercard gift card can be used almost anywhere, but there are some restrictions to take note of before using your card. You may not use your Mastercard gift card at an ATM to withdraw cash, nor can you use one to check your available balance. Mastercard gift cards cannot be used at gambling merchants, for recurring billing, or at merchants who choose not to accept them. Any merchants that do not take electronic transactions are also unable to accept Mastercard gift cards.
Q: Can I get a refund for a Mastercard gift card transaction that was not authorized by me?
A: Part of what makes Mastercard gift cards such a great means of payment is their secure nature. If you have become the unfortunate victim of a scam or had funds taken from your gift card without your authorization, there is a good likelihood that you will be able to get your money back. Keep in mind that this does not happen automatically; you will need to take action to report unauthorized purchases by contacting customer support at Mastercard.
Buy a Mastercard Gift Card from Gift Card Granny
If you are familiar with Gift Card Granny, then you must know all about the cash back rewards you can earn when you purchase gift cards for your favorite brands and retailers available in the Gift Card Granny catalog. It is a fantastic way to save money while shopping for gift cards for folks you know, and can make the process of buying gift cards simple and fast. However, if retail gift cards are not your thing, you will be pleased to know that Gift Card Granny sells Mastercard gift cards too.
Once you are on the Gift Card Granny website, navigate over to the ‘Mastercard’ tab and select from the various Mastercard gift card options. Gift Card Granny offers a range of different gift cards perfect for all kinds of situations; there are custom Mastercard gift cards, predesigned Mastercard gift cards, Mastercard business reward cards, and virtual Mastercard e-gift cards. The basic functionality of the various Mastercard gift cards remains the same from card to card, but each one may offer advantages for specific occasions.
If you are buying a Mastercard gift card for a college student of an extended family member who you do not know very well, having a comfortable selection of professional designs to choose from gives you plenty of options appropriate for the situation. In the same vein, if you are planning to make a Mastercard gift card for your son or daughter and want to make the moment as special as can be, then you may prefer going with a custom Mastercard gift card so you can personalize the card with any photo you choose to upload.
Keep Track of Your Mastercard Balance
You are not limited to simply purchasing Mastercard gift cards on Gift Card Granny – you can check your current Mastercard gift card balance any time you wish so you can always make smart shopping decisions.
In order to check your Mastercard gift card balance, you must input your 16-digit gift card number and your 3-digit security code, both of which are present on your physical Mastercard gift card. Your gift card must be activated before you can check your current balance. Once you input all of the necessary information, you can click on the ‘check your gift card balance’ button to view an image of your gift card along with your available balance.
It is not hard to see that college students deal with a lot, and while there is no way you can change the reality of the college experience, there are things you can do to demonstrate your support. Buying a Mastercard gift card is only one example of all the helpful ways you can make a positive impact in the life of any college student you know with only a small amount of effort on your part. Showing that you care doesn’t get any easier than this, especially when Mastercard gift cards are only a few clicks away when you use Gift Card Granny.
Happy shopping!