Gift cards
Gift cards are convenient for both consumers and businesses. As a recipient, you are empowered with choice and given a secure method of payment. For businesses, gift cards are practical marketing tools that increase customers’ engagement while growing sales by keeping them coming back. Therefore, if you have a retail store and you do not issue gift cards, you are losing on the chance to keep your customers coming back. As a shopper, taking advantage of the prepaid visa gift cards allows you to save on your everyday shopping. The best reloadable prepaid visa cards online in 2020 act in the same way as the regular debit cards. They allow users to transfer funds, shop, pay bills, receive direct cash deposits and make ATM withdrawals.
With little research, you will not only be able to get the cards on the cheap, but you can even get your hands on a prepaid visa gift card with no fees. Although most people do not know it, you can earn money back on your day-to-day shopping in the form of free gift cards. The options are many, especially in online shopping, but you should consider offers from bigger companies as they tend to have more offers, which means more cashback for you. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
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In today’s competitive business world, you can earn free gift cards by completing simple tasks such as answering simple polls, playing a game and watching TV. With a company like Swagbucks, you will earn points for completing simple tasks that you can exchange for free gift cards from Amazon. You can also earn free gift cards for completing surveys with Tonula being one of the best survey sites. The site gives you a wide array of surveys that you can answer to earn gift cards. Nevertheless, it is necessary to note that most gift cards have an expiry date and thus, you must use them as soon as possible. You should also note that the prices of goods keep increasing and thus, you should use the card as quickly as possible.
You should keep in mind that an unused gift card is an equivalent of cash only that it can expire if you fail to use it within the stipulated time. Your goal with a gift card should be to maximise the value of the card. If you have a gift card, you should first check the expiry date and plan ahead on how you are going to redeem the card to avoid rushing at the last minute when it may not be convenient for you.
What are the Best Ways to Save Money on Gift Cards?
Get discounted gift cards
While gift cards usually offer more value than cash, you can save more money if you can get yourself gift cards that are already discounted. There are several exchange sites that sell merchant branded options at a discounted rate. You can use sites like raise, cardpool or giftcardgranny to search for a discounted visa gift card or even sell the cards that you do not want to use. You can also buy discounted gift cards on eBay at their face value through the gift card store.
Use reward points
You can use reward points to buy almost everything, including gift cards. Some credit card providers offer visa gift cards at great discounts. You only need to check with the biggest card providers. For example, the members of Chase Ultimate Rewards can get gift cards from major brands like Kohl’s, Bloomingdale’s, and Macy’s, among others, at 10 to 20 percent fewer points than needed. Using reward points is a great way to stretch your holiday budget and rewards. It also means that your points and miles will not expire as you can redeem them for your usual shopping.
Take advantage of special discounts
Local retailers use gift cards to increase sales and create loyal customers, which is the reason why most merchants and restaurants offer gift card promotions. Looking for local stores and merchants offering specials on their gift cards can help you save on your next outing.
Check out for fees
Gift cards come in tow types that include store-specific cards and general-purpose gift cards. The store-specific cards can only be used at the issuing stores. For example, the Staples gift cards can only be used at Staples. General-purpose cards are issued by major institutions like credit card providers and banks, giving the holders the freedom to use at major stores that accept credit cards. The general-purpose gift cards are highly convenient, but they are also more expensive. With the general visa gift cards, you can save a lot of money by choosing prepaid visa gift cards with no fees. You should lookout for an upfront purchase fee, which averages $4 and a shipping fee that averages $4.44.
Best 5 Prepaid Visa Gift Card with No Fees
With the NetSpend prepaid visa gift card, you have a flexible way to manage your day-to-day money while getting something back. You do not only use the card to pay, but the card pays you for using it while at the same time protecting your money. You can quickly load the card with direct deposit, mobile check load, and at over 130,000 locations. It comes with a Smartphone app that lets you do everything, anywhere and text alerts that alert you whenever there is a transaction.
Pros
Zero monthly fee
Zero cash reload fee
Zero card purchase fee
Cons
$2.50 ATM fee
$5.95 inactivity fee
- Green Dot Visa Debit Card
You get 2-percent cashback with the Green Dot visa card for every dollar you spend shopping online or at stores up to $250 per year. The cashback is ready to spend immediately you earn it enabling you to redeem the amount in your next purchase. You also get free ATM withdrawals and free direct deposits. You also get SMS text alerts, pay bills on the go and fraud protection.
Pros
Zero ATM fee on network withdrawals
Zero online card purchase fee
Zero direct cash reload fee
Cons
You will be charged $7.95 if you fail to maximize rewards limits of $795
- Chase Liquid Prepaid card
Bluebird card gives you the convenience of banking without the exorbitant transaction fees. The card gives you the power to shop securely without attracting additional charge. You can confidently shop at stores or online, knowing that you have purchase protection and fraud protection.
Pros
No cash reload fee
No card purchase fee
No ATM fee
Cons
Free reloading is restricted
Monthly fee of $4.95
- Chime Visa Debit Card
This card gives you the flexibility to use your money at any store where a debit MasterCard is accepted without the excessive fees. The card does not charge overdraft fees or any fees to add, withdraw, or transfer money to your card. You are also able to easily reload the card with a mobile app or with a direct deposit. The card is built to enable other family members to use your money while maintaining full control. It is attractive for co-account holders like a babysitter, teens and students and budget-conscious individuals.
Pros
Zero monthly fees
No monthly fees
Zero card purchase fee
Zero in-network ATM fee
Cons
The card is not available everywhere
Reloading cash is limited
- Movo Virtual Visa Card
This Movo prepaid visa card is one of the best low-cost cards due to its broad exemption of charges. The card is free, and it does not require a registration fee and service charges as well as payments for domestic purchases. You also get a chance to manage your money through e-wallet for greater transfer flexibility. The card lets you purchase online without submitting your card number using virtual prepaid cards that you can generate at 50 cents per card.
Pros
No monthly fee
Zero ATM fee
No card purchase fee
Cons
It charges $4.95 inactive fee if the card is dormant for 90 days
FAQ
Where are Visa Gift Cards Sold?
Visa gift cards are readily available at major retail stores, online, and banks. You will need to factor the cost of purchasing the card as you may have to pay a fee when buying from various stores.
Problems with Visa cards
Visa gift cards are convenient and secure for shopping online and at your favorite store. However, it is worth noting that Visa cards have problems that you may have to experience when shopping. The most significant setback with most cards is fees as they can attract transaction, reloading, and monthly payments as well as purchase fee. Furthermore, depending on individual cards, you may have to experience difficulties such as reloading restrictions.
How Prepaid Cards Work
Although prepaid cards are almost similar to bank debit cards, they are not associated with a specific bank account. They are free-standing accounts that you can add money to through a variety of available methods. You will need to use the available deposit methods to shop with the card, which can be done through direct deposit, mobile, online, or at specific stores. Depending on the card, you can shop without attracting fees and even earn attractive cashback.
Closing Thought
Getting yourself a prepaid visa gift card with no fees is a good option if you cannot open a free checking account or payment you do not want to pay overdraft fees. It is also a good option if you would not like your online purchases to have a direct link to your account or when you want to give other people an option to purchase with your card. That said, when choosing the right card, you must consider reloading fee, inactivity fee, cancellation fee, and transaction fee, among other charges.