Negative balance on a gift card?

[airdvr 197]

Seems this could only happen to me. Didn't think it was possible.

Please don't dent the planet.

Destinations by Roxanne

[Morrison79 0]

Since it's a gift card and they are not linked to a specific person it does not seem like there is a way that the company could collect on this negative balance.

[JohnMitchell 14]

That's like having negative money in your wallet.

When you tried to use it, did they grab you and make you pay up?
When you buy one of those for a gift, do they pay you to take it?

[NWFlyer 2]

That's really odd. I've found gift cards to be a pain in the ass because if it's a $25 card and you're making a $28 purchase (that you'd like to top off with cash), they'll decline it unless the store has a POS system that's smart enough to accept multiple forms of payment for specific amounts.

Well done.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[muff528 3]

Birthday gift for someone you don't like.

[skymama 35]

I won't give a Visa gift card to anyone. I was given one and thought I'd use it for a nice dinner out. Come to find out, you can't use it at a place that gives you service, you can only use it on retail purchases. That could have been a bad situation had I not had another credit card to use.

I used to give restaurant gift cards, but I won't now that places close overnight. For the OP, he probably had a card that charges a service fee if you haven't used it fast enough.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[NWFlyer 2]

Yeah, I'm not a fan. My employer gives out Amex gift cards a "spot bonuses," though, and I earned a $500 one earlier this year. Fortunately I had my eye on a piece of furniture that priced out at $496 including tax so I was able to use most of the value of the card on a single transaction.

Of course now you've got me wondering if I need to cancel out the rest of the card because of fees...

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[skymama 35]

And I hate it when a company like AT&T will give you a rebate when you buy a phone and it's in the form of a Visa card instead of a check. It forces you to spend it; maybe I would have like to put that money in the bank!

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[NWFlyer 2]

I think it was a Visa gift card that I got from Verizon, and I figured out how to turn that into cash - I think it's buried somewhere on the gift card site when you go to register it.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[wolfriverjoe 1,340]

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I think it was a Visa gift card that I got from Verizon, and I figured out how to turn that into cash - I think it's buried somewhere on the gift card site when you go to register it.

When I got a Verizon rebate (Visa card) the instructions for turning it into cash were on the paperwork that came with it.

IIRC it was simply a matter of taking it to a bank that would do it, although if it wasn't a bank I had an account at, fees would have been charged.

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

[david3 0]

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And I hate it when a company like AT&T will give you a rebate when you buy a phone and it's in the form of a Visa card instead of a check. It forces you to spend it; maybe I would have like to put that money in the bank!

I saw a news report recently that reported people have left these cards behind after using the credits only to have the waiter or store clerk continue to use them. The bank then goes after the original holder for the charges, over credit limit fees and late fees.


.

[Andy9o8 0]

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Yeah, I'm not a fan. My employer gives out Amex gift cards a "spot bonuses," though, and I earned a $500 one earlier this year. Fortunately I had my eye on a piece of furniture that priced out at $496 including tax so I was able to use most of the value of the card on a single transaction.

Of course now you've got me wondering if I need to cancel out the rest of the card because of fees...

The answer to that is: unless you're 100% certain it's No, you should presume it's Yes.
Some banks will let you cash them out there; others won't. But one way or another, I'd advise you to use it up now.

(FWIW, your card might list a website at which you can check the terms and conditions.)

[NWFlyer 2]

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(FWIW, your card might list a website at which you can check the terms and conditions.)

Yep, I'm going to check it ... I just need to actually go into my office as the card is sitting in my desk drawer there (as is a $25 one I got for some other reason that I no longer remember).

With all the joys of telecommuting I rarely find the motivation to put on grown-up clothes and schlep 27 miles to go into an office where no one that I actually work with works. But that's another story altogether...

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[skipbelt 0]

i gotta remember this, thanks for posting

as i write this i am listening to
test your might -techno syndrome-

[Nightingale 0]

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I won't give a Visa gift card to anyone. I was given one and thought I'd use it for a nice dinner out. Come to find out, you can't use it at a place that gives you service, you can only use it on retail purchases. That could have been a bad situation had I not had another credit card to use.

I used to give restaurant gift cards, but I won't now that places close overnight. For the OP, he probably had a card that charges a service fee if you haven't used it fast enough.

That's weird. The Visa website says you can use the Visa gift or Visa debit cards at restaurants.

[turtlespeed 212]

Quote

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I won't give a Visa gift card to anyone. I was given one and thought I'd use it for a nice dinner out. Come to find out, you can't use it at a place that gives you service, you can only use it on retail purchases. That could have been a bad situation had I not had another credit card to use.

I used to give restaurant gift cards, but I won't now that places close overnight. For the OP, he probably had a card that charges a service fee if you haven't used it fast enough.

That's weird. The Visa website says you can use the Visa gift or Visa debit cards at restaurants.

Get a bill equal to the amount and tip 50% . . . It's like borrowing camping gear from Wal-mart!!

I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama
BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun

[ryoder 1,384]

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That's like having negative money in your wallet.

If you purchase a gift card with a negative balance,
do they give you money when you purchase it?

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[skipbelt 0]

yes ,it's part of the stimulus !

[skymama 35]

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That's weird. The Visa website says you can use the Visa gift or Visa debit cards at restaurants.

This was about 2 years ago, so maybe they've changed the terms. I even called the 1-800 number on the card while I was sitting at the table and that's what I was told.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[Andy9o8 0]

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And I hate it when a company like AT&T will give you a rebate when you buy a phone and it's in the form of a Visa card instead of a check. It forces you to spend it; maybe I would have like to put that money in the bank!

Within the past year, I got a couple VISA gift cards as rebate payments. I took them to my bank, and they cashed them out for me. But then there was also one recent time when I tried to cash one out at my bank, and they declined. They folks at the bank explained that the discrepancy was in the different terms & conditions for each particular card.

So I guess that's the bottom line: there is no single hard & fast rule across the board; it depends on each card's "terms and conditions" on a case-by-case basis.