Five ways to use up prepaid cards
I mentioned in a previous post that prepaid cards can be very annoying to use online, since you usually end up with a small, random amount leftover.
For instance, if I have a $50 prepaid card, I'll tend to use it for something less than $50 (since online retailers rarely are set up to take a partial payment), and then I end up with a small amount left on the card.
Or, in the case of my recent class action payment, I started out with an odd amount: $7.44!
You all had some great ideas to solve this dilemma, so I'm rounding them up here.
1. Use it right away to buy a branded gift card
Sak said:
A good way to use up random prepaid cards is to buy a gift card for a place you frequent regularly because stores will allow you to apply your gift card balance and pay for the rest.
This isn't going to work well if you have a random amount left on a gift card (I don't think you can buy a gift card for, say, $8.62), but if you get a $50 prepaid Visa gift card, you could definitely use that to buy a $50 store-branded gift card.
And that would be much easier to use.
2. Use them toward a utility bill
Marcy said:
I always use those random prepaid cards as a partial payment on my utilities. I have everything setup on autopay, but if I get one of these cards, I simply log in and apply the full card amount to my bill, then the autopay adjusts. This way, I don’t have to figure out how or where to use the card, plus, I get to use the full amount of the card.
This is a creative idea, and would work as long as you don't mind using your gift card for something utilitarian (literally. ha.)
3. Buy an Amazon gift card
Michelle suggested this (and so did other readers!):
Prepaid gift cards – the inability to use them for partial payments drives me nuts, so I log into my Amazon account, and use the prepaid card to buy an Amazon gift card for the same amount, that I then add to my Amazon gift card balance.
4. Use them to buy gas
Bobi said:
Tip for prepaid cards: use them at the gas pump and you can pump the exact amount (even if the card doesn’t scan at the pump, you can usually pay inside.)
5. Use them at Aldi
From me (ha!):
I don't know if this works at every retailer, but if it's a physical prepaid card (like those Visa ones), I have successfully swiped them at Aldi to use them up, and then the machine asks me to use another card to pay the remainder of my grocery bill.
Could you use them to make a donation online to a worthy cause? I think that places like animal shelters, food banks, etc take cards, and one can select the amount. Just have to make sure it's a place that doesn't add a convenience fee- but I think most non-profits don't do that.
@mbmom11,
That's a great idea.
@K D, Seconded!
@mbmom11, Yes, I've done this as a way to use an odd amount left on one of those cards.
@mbmom11,
My local food pantry has an Amazon wish list - so, you could use your gift card to buy an Amazon gift card, and then buy items that are sent to the food pantry directly.
I received that same contacts rebate card last year and it was like $300! So I did not have to remember to swipe that card I attached it to my phone/Apple Pay. I was able to use it in stores and just tap my card and also when I purchased small items on my phone.. when it finished it just rolled over to my credit card and I removed that old one from my phone.
For physical cards that I end up with random small amounts I will call and verify the balance and write it on the card in permanent marker. When I go to the store I will have the cashier run the card for that exact amount to use them up- then pay the balance however I want.
@jes, yes! Finding stores that can run a transaction for that exact amount is really useful. I do that at our local grocery store.
@Kristen - for what it's worth, I have NOT had luck at doing this at Aldi (it's always been "payment declined" when I try to just swipe it or tap it!)
Option #3 always works for me, though I don't usually use gift cards. But I tend to want to use them right away to get them out of my wallet where they may well get forgotten. Ditto with Capital One points which I always add onto whatever Amazon order I have going.
Smart to not save them up, because reward points are prone to being devalued as time goes on!
@Kristen, I had some rebate gift cards that started monthly sure charge the first month after receiving it in the mail (& of course I did not knowit).
I've also ran into where some gift cards expire within ____ days. Luckily some of thos state it in LARGE PRINT on card.
My favorite for those pesky little amounts os books. I look pn my book app on my phone for books under the amount I have and treat myself.to a reading adventure
This is a very useful set of ideas, thank you. I've never had a problem doing a split payment at any decent-sized physical store.
I wonder if you could donate the small amount to a charity?
If you get another card for the same company could you combine the amount?
Just don't do what I've done in the past where I forgot about the card and let it expire!
Exactly. That’s like throwing money away and none of us here enjoys that!
Very timely topic. I just spent time transferring three different visa gift cards into Amazon cards. I get my kitty litter at Amazon, so I'm all set for awhile. Thanks!
These are such great ideas! I just used a $100 e gift card from contacts to pay my dentist bill, which allowed split payments. Why have I never thought of this before?
Ooh, that is a very practical way to use the rebate card!
Like the idea about using for electricity payments. Plus good idea to apply to an amazon gift card. Thanks
Restaurants are usually good at accepting multiple payment methods on a single tab. We used this for a pesky airline meal voucher.
I’m pretty sure in your Amazon account, you can add the gift card as a payment method without going through the extra gift card step.
i found out that if you know the exact amount of whats left you just have the cashier run it for that amount and then pay the rest with cash your debit card. that way you can use every cent, and you don't have to go around with a small amount waiting for the perfect time to use it.
@amanda,
At our store, if you didn't use the whole amount of the gift card, the credit/debit card receipt will tell you how much is left on your card. Not sure if this is true at all businesses, but check your receipt and see. Otherwise, you can phone the card issuer or look it up online.
I've read that merchants love issuing gift cards bc they know that a lot of them will never be used, and they will keep the money you didn't spend.
Like Amanda said, if you make sure you have the exact amount, you can use it at stores (mostly, anyway) and pay the difference. I also add it as a payment card in Amazon, just like my debit or credit card. I choose it, then pay the rest with my bank card.
I've had a couple of cards that just didn't work - I couldn't get them to load at Amazon or any other online site, or use them at a store at all, once it got down to a very few dollars. I don't remember why those cards were different. I hope I don't get more like that - it's frustrating.
I have an online bank account that takes whatever is in the account and then asks for another card. I never overdraft.
I can use them at my grocery store if I know the exact amount left on the card. The cashier will enter the info for a partial payment. They are already set up to do this for SNAP, so it’s not anything out of the ordinary for them.
The partial payment for utility bills gave me an idea. I’m going to try this in my medical bill account.
I don't think I've ever had an issue with doing a partial payment in a store. Online--yes. But in a store I just ask, "Can you ring this up for X.XX specifically? Then I can pay with a different card." As long as the exact amount is typed in and available on the card, it always takes it, whether it's a generic card for any store, or that specific store card.
And in the off chance I don't use a full card, I use a sharpie marker to write the balance on the back of it so I know what to ask for the next time!
Though I haven't gotten giftcards in a while....
My cards all have sharpie amounts on them too. 😉
I use mine paying my monthly insurance policy (which doesn't charge me a fee). Then in a few months I go in & delete giftcard from payments (on app) since I can only have 6 payment options.
I've noticed that companies/stores/vendors are starting to (regularly) have cash price or cedit/debit price--adding surcharge they pay for credit/debit (sometimes not posted). I encountered a (physical store) vendor than charges 10% for credit/debit (which had never charged before), Luckily I had enough cash. And of course a minimum to use credit/debit.
@Regina,
A Mom and Pop diner near me now charges almost 4% for using a card. I go by the ATM before I go there for breakfast. (Of course, going out to eat is only an occasional treat, and I have an idea it's going to be more and more rare for folks who get stuck with the extra fee.)
@Regina, if they don't post it, they can't charge you the fee.
@WilliamB, but most establishments factor it into the cost of meal/goods. Debit fees *should* be considerably less *but* most small businesses band together via a merchant network. So debit and credit are both the same percent (and 4% is high from what I've seen). If I don't see a sign at a small business, I may ask for a cash discount depending on how much I'm spending. I don't haggle over a few dollars - if I did, that would mean I cannot afford what I just spent, cash or no cash.
And depending on your state, posting may or may not be legally required.
Now I just have to find those cards. . . and then figure out what they are worth. Ugh. Am I too busy to save a few dollars? Maybe. . .
At our drugstore, we let people use credit, debit or gift cards, plus another card or cash to purchase items. We do this all the time. So it pays (literally!) to ask your cashier if a given store does this. The worst they can tell you is no. (Being told no never hurt anyone.)
But chances are the answer is yes.
I can't remember which store specifically but I received the residual on the card in cash.
I've always used them at walmart. They take the full amount then you owe the difference in another payment form.
I add the value on the card to my Amazon gift card balance by first adding the virtual or prepaid card to my payment methods on Amazon, and then reloading my Amazon gift card balance with that payment method.
What great ideas! I have $12.74 on a card I was trying not to forget about. How did I never think of applying to an account like electricity or a credit card (I always pay off the balance - but then I just have less to pay) or add it to an Amazon card where I will use it. Thanks for all the helpful tips!!!
You can add a physical card to your wallet on your phone which will turn it into a digital card. Then it can be used at a lot more places. We do this with cards that come as rebates, or gift cards we receive through the mail.
You can then just use the amount on the gift card and pay the balance with a second card. You don’t usually need to know the exact amount in this case. Once the gift card is used, we just delete it from the wallet, although may want to keep it on there for a bit if you think you’ll have a return.
I work in retail and folks split transactions between cards all the time without knowing the amount on each card. If the first card has a lesser amount than the total purchase, the system will just automatically ask for the balance left, in another form of payment, which can be a different card or cash.
If you know the exact amount, you can take them to the bank and they will give you cash. I did this with prepaid Visa cards. The teller said they can only do it if you know the exact amount. Something about how their system works
Wow, this post was so timely for me. I had two prepaid cards from settlements in small amounts and added them to my Amazon account. Thanks so much!
Thanks for the suggestion to pay a utility bill. I just made 3 payments totaling $29 on my electric bill. It's a Sunday night so I will check tomorrow if they all worked.