visa gift card

[newholiday]

Ive been stocking up on Disney dollars to use while in WDW
Someone mentioned to me last night to buy a few Visa gift cards to use when off property (dinners, etc)
Anyone ever do this?

 

[disneysteve]

I never did it for personal use, but 2 years ago I decided to give these to my office staff for holiday presents. Never again! They charge a fee just to get the card, plus postage to send you the card. Then they assess a fee each month after the first 6 months that reduces the remaining value of the card. All in all, a very expensive proposition.

A better idea if you want to avoid a big credit card bill when you get home - prepay your existing credit card account. Send them the money you would have used for the gift card, then go ahead and charge on your regular card. As long as you don't charge more than you pre-paid, there will be no bill to deal with when you get home.

Steve

 

[mad4themouse]

I bought a VISA giftcard to give to my DN for his birthday today. He'll be going to Chicago with his HS band next month and my SIL felt that this would be a good way for him to carry some of his spending money.

The card actually cost me $5.95 more than the amount that I put on it. Higher balances cost even more. You can put up to $600 on a single card at Bank of America. So, you will be spending money for the convenience of the giftcards. This may not be an issue for you. I know that if it were not a gift for a teenager, I wouldn't have spent the money.

The only problem that I could possibly foresee in using the card is if you were to make a purchase that exceeds the balance on the card. You would first have to pay the difference in cash and then have the cashier run the card. If you do it the other way around, the card would be denied for insufficient funds. So, it would be a good idea to always know the balance on the card.

Otherwise, the card acts pretty much like a bank debit card and is accepted anywhere that VISA is.

 

[DebbieB]

I gave my nieces and nephews Visa gift cards last Christmas. My one sister-in-law called and asked me not to give them to my nieces again. They visited several stores and you have to know what the exact balance on the card is to be able to use it.