Okay, something has changed since the last time I looked at this. Gift cards even with Visa/MC logos must be processed as gift cards (through a gift card network) not the debit/credit/ach system.
It should be obvious why no one should be able to determine the available balance on your debit card, bank account or credit card except you and the card issuer. But maybe the Visa gift cards aren’t considered debit cards any more.
There has been a lot of evolution in payment systems and non-bank issuers, I must not be up to date on it.
Apologies for spreading misinformation. I will ask around.
It might be the policy of the card, not the store.
I recently got a e-Visa card from one of those class action settlements, and it’s $2.78 and partial use, on any level, is not allowed. I would have selected a check had I known this.
But I got into an issue trying to buy a good-sized gift card for my niece who’s outfitting a new house. I walk into Kohls, go to the customer service desk. I want a $1,000 Kohl’s-branded gift card. Great; they’re happy to help. They get it set up. Now they want payment. I offer them my Kohl’s charge card. No can do. I offer my Visa card. No can do. They will only accept green cash money with presidents on it to purchase a gift card. So I give them a stack of readily counterfeitable 100’s which they do not even glance at, much less stripe with a test pen, and they’re happy.
OK-- adding them to my Amazon account worked-- I “reloaded” my gift card account.
I hadn’t thought that I could do that, because Amazon says you can’t use the Visa/MC prepaid cards to buy gift cards, but I guess that just means I can’t use a $200 Visa/MC card to buy a $50 Amazon card, 2 $25 Starbucks cards, some Subway cards, and a Best Buy card, and have them sent to me to give to other people.
I’m not sure why that rule exists, but it’s in the fine print.
Actually, kinda curious now-- if anyone knows the reason for that stipulation, and wants to post it, please do.
After I reloaded my nearly a dozen (there were 11) cards with amounts from $1.32 to $12.something, it was nearly $50, and took about 20 minutes.
Oh-- whoops-- thought I had read all the replies, but see that I missed one. I am even familiar with this scam, because someone tried to pull it on me once. He said he was going to put a lot of money into my account, and wanted me to purchase gift cards with it, but wanted my account number and PIN to do it. I told him he did not need my PIN to put money into my account.
I wasn’t familiar with the gift card end of the scam, but no way was I giving out my PIN.
I think that only applies to gift cards other than Amazon gift cards - and I think it probably has to do with scams. I can imagine that if I get you to pay me in gift cards as part of a scam, the scammer might want to use those gift cards to buy different gift cards immediately to make it harder to trace the money or for you to cancel the original gift cards.
Clarifying this: Let’s suppose I make a $20 purchase online. I can’t use the $2.78 for this, and then charge $17.22 to another card, or use Paypal or whatever.
I just got a (legit) email that I’m getting a $200 gift card from work for completing the health/wellness program this year. I have the option of a physical card or a virtual one emailed to my work email address. With the exception of putting it on Amazon (no!) how would this work? If I want to buy something online for $250 do any/many stores allow for multiple payments - $200 to cash out the gift card & then $50 from either my CC or Paypal to complete payment for the purchase? I don’t believe I’ve ever done multiple payment options for an online purchase, I’ve only paid 100% on either a CC or PayPal.
I’m thinking I want the physical card to buy what I want & then go to the grocery store with the balance & pay for the rest of my groceries myself.
Or just use your regular payment method for the on-line purchase, and then use the card for the groceries and/or other in person purchases?
(I don’t know about where you live, but here a couple hundred bucks would be wiped out pretty damn fast in just a few weeks of regular shopping. Or maybe even in just one, if I took advantage of it to stock up on canned goods/paper goods/cleaning items/etc. stuff that essentially immortal.)
Since you use PayPal you can add the card to PayPal (assuming it’s a Visa gift card?) and then if the store you want to shop at accepts PayPal you can then use it as your primary payment method and choose a secondary payment method for the remainder.