Steal my gift card balance, please!

Monday, 14 December 2009 | by Pat's Picks

I have two dollars orphaned on my gift card. Could somebody just steal it, please? I’ve tried to liberate the remaining balance myself and it’s too much work.

When I took the photo for this post I realized I might be better off if I didn’t obscure the card number.  With only two dollars left on the card. someone would be doing me a favor if they took the numbers and stole the balance. I’d only be out two bucks and they’d have solved my problem.

Until then, I’m stuck trying to figure out how to spend it.

I’ve been Googling “REMAINDER ON VISA GIFT CARD” and it turns out this is a common problem. The banks and credit card companies haven’t won themselves many friends with their lame answers like “it depends,” which I found on the Wells Fargo website.

I ended up with a $50 “rebate” gift card after buying a cell phone. Apparently someone has decided that rebates aren’t complicated enough with all of the paperwork to apply for the rebate. Now you have to work hard to spend the money. Instead of sending a check in the mail, they send you one of these gift cards. (The card that is bringing me frustration today is issued by Visa. I don’t know if it’s any easier to use a Mastercard gift card. And even though my wife works for AmEx I’m not sure about that one either.)

Using the first $48 was easy. I entered my new credit card number like any other. Then I went to spend the rest. I ordered $10 worth of merchandise online and entered the gift card number to pay. What should have happened next didn’t. If this was set up with the customer in mind, they’d deduct the final $2 and then ask for another form of payment for the rest.

Sorry. That would be too easy.

Instead the entire transaction is rejected. Visa didn’t even tell the merchant why the payment was declined. So here’s what the e-mail to me said:

To protect your security and privacy, your issuing bank cannot provide us
with information regarding why your credit card was declined.

Perhaps this is why they’ve switched to these “rebate cards.” (According to New York Times columnist Ron Lieber, gift card issuers build in the assumption that people won’t spend everything they’re entitled to.)

So, as you head out for these final few days of Christmas shopping, allow me to share some of what I’ve learned. I’m hesitant to recommend single-store gift cards, but one benefit is that they are usually better integrated with the cash register. So instead of giving you a generic “declined” message for your transaction they might be able to do the right thing and help you to clear the balance.

Here are my tips so you don’t get stuck with a dollar or two remaining on your gift card:

1.  Avoid gift cards.
    It’s like giving cash anyway. So why don’t you just give cash? (Yes, sometimes it’s easier to send or e-mail a gift card. I realize there are benefits. But at least consider the old-fashioned alternative.)
2.  Know the balance.
    It’s absurd that life has to be this complicated, but if you know you have $2.51 cents remaining on your card, you will be able to visit a store in person and ask that they split your transaction. You’ll have to instruct the clerk to put exactly $2.51 on the gift card.
3.  Spend it all in one place.
    If you get a $50 gift card, keep it in your wallet until you’re buying something that costs more than $50. Like #2 above, you’ll still need to give very clear instructions about putting exactly $50 on the card. But at least you won’t get stuck making a donation to corporate America.

UPDATE: I’ve learned this is known in the gift card business as a “split tender” problem. And they haven’t really figured out how to solve it.