Visa and Mastercard gift cards can be extremely useful tools to maximize rewards on credit card spend. These cards are sold both in fixed denominations and in variable-load forms where you can put anywhere between $20-$500 on the card. They are accepted almost everywhere that you can use credit or debit. Outside of periodic sales, there is almost always an activation fee on these cards, usually from $3.95-$7.95.
Much of the points and miles world regards these gift cards as only being useful for “manufactured spend,” or MS, where the gift cards are somehow liquidated into cash or money orders that can then be deposited. However, there are many additional ways to use gift cards and they can be a great tool for anyone trying to maximize rewards on spending. Note – Banks have different levels of tolerance for spending on gift cards. It’s best to start off small and ramp up your spending over time. Amex, in particular, is very sensitive about GC purchases. Be very careful with how much and how often you buy, or you risk claw back, pop-up prison and potentially, shutdown.
Regardless of how you use them, the first step is to find Visa or Mastercard gift cards that can be bought with a credit card, with low activation fees, and without risk of incurring cash-advance fees. This post solely focuses on options available within the United States. And even within the US, options will vary immensely by region, by county and by store.
Updated 10/31/22 – Updated deals and increased activation fees for Staples, Office Depot and Lowe’s
Visa and Mastercard gift cards can be useful tools to maximize points and miles earning
Ways to Use Gift Cards
- Time-Shift Spend – Probably the best way to earn a lot of points in a short amount of time is by signing up for new credit cards with welcome offers and completing the timed spending requirements (ie, spend $3,000 in the first 90 days to get 60,000 points). Banks will sometimes target customers for spending offers on existing cards as well. However, many of us have gotten ourselves into periods where we might have competing spending offers and/or sign-up bonuses, pushing us to the limit of what we can spend in the next X amount of days. Gift cards can be a great tool in this case, allowing you to “time-shift spend.” For instance, if you’re $1000 short of a spending bonus and you have 4 days to go, you can buy $1000 in gift cards to complete the spending requirement and then use those gift cards for normal spending at your leasure. Warning – Do not attempt this with Amex cards, they are known to claw back welcome offers achieved using giftcard purchases.
- Earning category bonuses everywhere – This is one of my favorite ways to use gift cards (See: Chase Ink Cash: 5x reasons why it’s my favorite no annual fee card). Using credit cards that have good category bonuses (5x Office Supply, 3x-4x Grocery, 3x Gas, etc) you can buy gift cards at a retailer that qualifies for that category and then use the gift cards that you purchased for unbonused (or less-bonused) spend elsewhere. While it does require keeping track of multiple cards, some with partial amounts, it can be a fantastic way to get above-average return on almost all spending.
- Player 2 Spending – Most of us know the pain of having a player 2 who doesn’t care to care about category bonuses. My wife has a firm 3 card limit, meaning she doesn’t want to have to track more than 3 cards at a time in her wallet. So, we’ll go through times that she’ll have a gas card, a dining card (because both of those categories require preauthorizations that can be cumbersome on some gift cards) and use Visa gift cards that I purchase from office supply stores everywhere else. She doesn’t have to keep track of bonus categories and I’m comfy knowing we’re earning 5x on what she spends.
- Spending that requires debit cards – There are always a few spending categories that only accept debit cards, have a drastically reduced fee for using debit cards (ie taxes/utilities) or who only accept one flavor of credit card, but multiple types of debit (Costco, for example). There are a lot more options these days for earning 2%+ on debit spend, but most folks’ primary debit card will be lucky to get 1% back. By using gift cards, you can get 3x-5x transferrable currencies (or cash back) on spending that would otherwise be lightly-bonused, if at all.
- “Manufactured Spend” – This is the big kahuna for some, a completely frustrating wild goose chase for others. The most common version involves using gift cards to buy money orders at supermarkets or department stores and then depositing those money orders directly into a bank account. This is EXTREMELY region, store and even sometimes cashier-dependent. We had talked about trying to go through the different issuers’ gift cards and developing a reference source for them, but the problem is that there is just too much variability to map it all out…and it’s changing constantly. Check out our Guide to Manufactured Spending as well as Nick’s excellent article about how to attack it conceptually. Suffice it to say that experimentation, local MS buddies, time and patience are essential tools.
Note that the vast majority of cards discussed below are PIN-enabled. It’s important to know the PIN, even if not intending to use it, as you sometimes will be prompted to enter the PIN in order to complete the purchase. In some cases the PIN is the last 4 digits of the card and in other cases you have to manually set it
Current Visa and Mastercard Promotions
There are often promotions to save on purchase or activation fees, or instant rebates on gift card purchases. Current promos (if any) are listed here:
| Store | Promotion Details | Sortable End Date |
|---|---|---|
| Staples | More easy 5x: Staples fee-free $200 Mastercard gift cards | 2023/5/27 |
| Hy-Vee | Hy-Vee: Buy $500 Mastercard gift cards & get $30 off | 2023/05/23 |
Online Options for Gift Card Purchases
Amazon.com
| Notes | Details |
|---|---|
| At Amazon.com (our affiliate link), the highest denomination is $200 and those come with a $6.95 activation fee. That’s high as an overall percentage. It might make sense though if you have a credit card which earns 5% on Amazon purchases. | Max value: $200 Max order size: None listed. Per card fee: $6.95 Can include your name on gift card? No Portal rebate available? No PIN enabled? Yes Cash advance fee? No Issued by: MetaBank Credit card category bonus: Amazon |
BJ’s Wholesale Club (www.bjs.com)
| Notes | Details |
|---|---|
| The image of the $200 Vanilla Visa on the BJ’s website shows an activation fee of $6.95, but they actually only charge $5.45. That’s still a high fee, but might be worth it if you’re looking to max out wholesale club spending when it’s a 5% category on cards like the Chase Freedom and Discover It. | Max value: $200 Max order size: Seemingly no limits, but unlikely that BJ’s will fulfill a $10,272.50 order for 50 of these cards. Per card fee: $5.45 Can include your name on gift card? No Portal rebate available? Possibly. Gift card purchases from BJ’s sometimes track online even though they’re excluded. PIN enabled? Yes Cash advance fee? No Issued by: Varies Credit card category bonus: Wholesale clubs |
GiantEagle.com
| Notes | Details |
|---|---|
| Online gift card purchases from GiantEagle.com don’t code as groceries as their online gift cards are processed by Blackhawk Network You don’t have to live in an area with Giant Eagle stores to have them mail gift cards to you. |
Max value: $200 Max order size: $2,747.50 (inclusive of fees) Per card fee: $6.95 Can include your name on gift card? No Portal rebate available? No PIN enabled? Yes (last 4 digits) Cash advance fee? No Issued by: Metabank Credit card category bonus: None |
GiftCardGranny.com
| Notes | Details |
|---|---|
| It’s not clear who processes payment for these cards (presumably Gift Card Granny, but that might not be the case), although the cards themselves are listed as being issued by MetaBank. | Max value: $500 Max order size: $Unsure Per card fee: $6.95 with $1.99 shipping per card. Can include your name on gift card? Yes Portal rebate available? Possibly. Gift Card Granny might be available on one or more shopping portals, but we don’t know if Visa gift card purchases will track. PIN enabled? Yes. Cash advance fee? Unsure Issued by: MetaBank Credit card category bonus: None |
GiftCards.com
| Notes | Details |
|---|---|
| Order online through a cash back portal in order to recover some or all of the fees. When first buying cards from GiftCards.com, it is recommended that you start slowly. If you buy too many in a short period of time, they may shut down your ability to buy more cards. |
Max value: $250 Max order size: $2500 (inclusive of fees) Per card fee: $4.95 + shipping. Shipping is either $1.99 per card for first class mail or $7.45 for an entire order with tracking. Can include your name on gift card? Yes Portal rebate available? Yes. Portal rates are sometimes better for Mastercard gift cards than for Visa gift cards. Find current portal rates here (but note that you’ll have to click into each portal to find Visa/MC specific rates). Cash back may be earned on up to $2K per month through portals (this changed in July 2020). PIN enabled? Yes. After activating online you’ll be given a 4 digit PIN and you can then change the PIN if you prefer. Cash advance fee? No Issued by: MetaBank Credit card category bonus: None |
GiftCardMall.com
| Notes | Details |
|---|---|
| Order online through a cash back portal in order to recover some or all of the fees. GiftCardMall is known to have an itchy trigger finger when it comes to cancelling orders. If you intend to place larger orders, you should increase order size slowly. |
Max value: $250 Max order size: $10,000 (inclusive of fees) Per card fee: $5.95 + shipping. Shipping fees vary depending on the number of cards you purchase and they sometimes run promotions for free shipping. Can include your name on gift card? Yes Portal rebate available? Yes. Find current portal rates here (but note that you’ll have to click into each portal to find Visa specific rates). The cap is $2K in orders per month for portal rewards (see this post). PIN enabled? Yes Cash advance fee? No Issued by: Metabank Credit card category bonus: None |
HarrisTeeter.com
| Notes | Details |
|---|---|
| The activation fee of $5.95 is very high given the card’s low maximum denomination, earning 4x fuel points when Harris Teeter runs that promotion can potentially save you more than the fee when buying gas. Online gift card purchases from Harris Teeter don’t code as groceries as their online gift cards are processed by Blackhawk Network | Max value: $100 Max order size: $1,064.50 (inclusive of fees) Per card fee: $5.95 Can include your name on gift card? No Portal rebate available? No PIN enabled? Yes (last 4 digits) Cash advance fee? No Issued by: Metabank Credit card category bonus: Groceries |
IncommIncentives.com
| Notes | Details |
|---|---|
| Incomm Incentives appears to be set up to sell gift cards in bulk to businesses, so they might have some kind approval process to be accepted. They offer $500 cards for a $3.25 fee, so it might be worth considering if you have an eligible business. Note that these are Vanilla Visa gift cards, so these can’t be used for debit transactions over $50 at Walmart. | Max value: $500 Max order size: Seemingly none. This option is set up to buy in bulk (VanillaGift.com directs you to Incomm Incentives if trying to buy $10,000+ in Visa gift cards). Per card fee: $3.25 Can include your name on gift card? Yes Portal rebate available? No PIN enabled? Yes Cash advance fee? No Issued by: Varies (Vanilla). Credit card category bonus: Unsure. |
Kroger.com
| Notes | Details |
|---|---|
| While the activation fee of $5.95 is very high given the card’s low denomination, earning 4x fuel points when Kroger runs that promotion can potentially save you more than that fee when buying gas. Online gift card purchases from Kroger don’t code as groceries. That’s because, similar to Office Depot, their online gift card offering is run by GiftCardMall. | Max value: $100 Max order size: $1,064.50 (inclusive of fees) Per card fee: $5.95 Can include your name on gift card? No Portal rebate available? No PIN enabled? Yes Cash advance fee? No Issued by: U.S. Bank Credit card category bonus: None |
Meijer.com
| Notes | Details |
|---|---|
| Online gift card purchases are powered by Blackhawk Network which most likely means that they won’t code as a grocery purchase. | Max value: $500 Max order size: $5,095.50 (inclusive of fees) Per card fee: $5.95 Shipping fee: free trackable shipping Can include your name on gift card? No Portal rebate available? Unsure PIN enabled? Yes (last 4 digits) Cash advance fee? No Issued by: Metabank Credit card category bonus: Groceries |
OfficeDepot.com
| Notes | Details |
|---|---|
| Although in-store gift card purchases of Visa gift cards at Office Depot can earn you 5x on Ink Plus and Ink Cash cards, that’s sadly not the case online. That’s because Office Depot’s online gift card offering is powered by GiftCardMall and payments are therefore processed by them rather than Office Depot. | Max value: $500 Max order size: $5,095.50 (inclusive of fees) Per card fee: $5.95 Shipping fee: free trackable shipping Can include your name on gift card? No Portal rebate available? No PIN enabled? Yes (last 4 digits) Cash advance fee? No Issued by: Metabank Credit card category bonus: None |
Quill.com
| Notes | Details |
|---|---|
| Quill is an online-only office supply store owned by Staples and it sells essentially the same assortment of gift cards. It is necessary to register your account as a business in order to buy gift cards. They are frequent card linked offers that can make gift card purchases profitable, even with the activation fee. | Max value: $300 Max order size: $2,000 (inclusive of fees) Per card fee: $8.95 Shipping fee: free trackable shipping Can include your name on gift card? No Portal rebate available? Sometimes PIN enabled? Yes (last 4 digits) Cash advance fee? No Issued by: Metabank Credit card category bonus: Office Supply |
SamsClub.com
| Notes | Details |
|---|---|
| The $6.48 activation fee and the fact that it’s a Vanilla card means buying Visa gift cards from Sam’s Club online isn’t too enticing. However, there are often Amex Offers for Sam’s Club which can make buying them more worthwhile (and profitable) if you wouldn’t use the Amex Offer for organic Sam’s Club purchases. | Max value: $200 Max order size: Seemingly no limits, but unlikely that Sam’s Club will fulfill a $10,324 order for 50 of these cards. Per card fee: $6.48 Can include your name on gift card? No Portal rebate available? No PIN enabled? Yes Cash advance fee? No Issued by: Varies Credit card category bonus: None |
Simon Gift Cards Bulk program
| Notes | Details |
|---|---|
| If you wish to purchase Simon Visa Gift Cards that can be loaded with up to $1,000 per card, you need to first register and be approved for the Simon bulk ordering program (which requires manual verification from Simon’s end and making your first purchase in person at a Simon Mall location). You will then re-enter the verification process each time you add a new payment method to your account. Note that you should avoid using an Amex because Amex doesn’t award points for Simon Mall purchases. | Max value: $1,000 Max order size: $10,000 per day whether in a single or multiple orders (inclusive of fees) Per card fee: $3.95 Order processing fee: $10 per order Shipping fee: Varies. From around $10. Can include your name on gift card? Yes. Portal rebate available? No PIN enabled? Yes (last 4 digits) Cash advance fee? No Issued by: Metabank Credit card category bonus: None |
Simon / GiftCardMall.com
| Notes | Details |
|---|---|
| This option is different to Simon’s own direct sales of Visa gift cards. This portal is run by GiftCardMall and payments are processed by them which means that you can earn rewards on American Express cards which you can’t do when buying from Simon Mall directly. | Max value: $500 Max order size: $5,000 (before fees) Per card fee: $3.95 with $0.50 shipping per card ($0.50 is for non-trackable shipping, trackable shipping is $6.99 regardless of how many cards you order. Can include your name on gift card? No Portal rebate available? Unlikely. Although it’s processed by GiftCardMall, it’s on a subdomain. Clicking through to GiftCardMall from a portal and then manually adding ‘simon.’ before ‘giftcardmall.com’ probably won’t work, but could be worth a try. PIN enabled? Likely seeing as it’s issued by MetaBank. Cash advance fee? Unsure Issued by: MetaBank Credit card category bonus: None that I’m aware of |
Staples.com
| Notes | Details |
|---|---|
| If you pay with a Chase Ink Cash (or the Ink Plus, which is no longer available to new applicants), the $8.95 fee is more than made up for by the 5X Ultimate Rewards points earned (5 X 308.95 = 1545 points per $300 card). In fact, if you wanted to, you could cash in 895 of those points to reduce your net fees to zero and still earn 650 points per $300 card (i.e. ~2.2X). | Max value: $300 Max order size: 5 cards Per card fee: $8.95 Can include your name on gift card? No Portal rebate available? No PIN enabled? Yes (last 4 digits) Cash advance fee? No Issued by: Metabank. Credit card category bonus: Office Supply |
Target.com
| Notes | Details |
|---|---|
| A $6 fee means you’re paying 3% when buying a $200 prepaid card. | Max value: $200 Max order size: $2,060 (inclusive of fees). Per card fee: $6.00 Can include your name on gift card? No Portal rebate available? No PIN enabled? Yes Cash advance fee? No Issued by: TBBK Card Services, Inc. or MetaBank Credit card category bonus: Unsure. |
USPS.com
| Notes | Details |
|---|---|
| A great thing about ordering from USPS is that they offer free trackable shipping, so the activation fee is the only cost added on. Stephen had problems trying to check out when logged in, so you might need to use the ‘Checkout As Guest’ option. | Max value: $500 Max order size: $5,000 (before fees) Per card fee: $5.95 with free trackable shipping. Can include your name on gift card? No Portal rebate available? No. Although it’s on a sub-domain of GiftCards.com, it doesn’t seem to track after clicking through from a shopping portal. PIN enabled? Yes. After activating online you can choose a PIN. Cash advance fee? No Issued by: MetaBank Credit card category bonus: None |
VanillaGift.com
| Notes | Details |
|---|---|
| VanillaGift.com is one of the few remaining options for buying $500 Visa gift cards online. Note that Walmart doesn’t accept Vanilla Visa gift cards as debit transactions for more than $50. | Max value: $500 Max order size: $10,000 (inclusive of fees) Per card fee: $5.95 Can include your name on gift card? Yes Portal rebate available? No PIN enabled? Yes Cash advance fee? No Issued by: TBBK Card Services, Inc., MetaBank, N.A. or Sutton Bank Credit card category bonus: None |
In-store Options for Gift Card Purchases
None of the following in-person options provide a way to recover fees through portals, nor do they offer gift cards with your name on them. That said, it is sometimes possible to earn rewards with card-linked offers. See: Card-Linked Programs & The Networks They Run On (AKA Which Programs Stack) and Stephen’s Top 6 Card-Linked Programs.
AAA
| Notes | Details |
|---|---|
| Check your local AAA office to see if they sell Visa gift cards. Often they’ll run no-fee promotions, especially late in the year. | Max value: $500 Max order size: ? Per card fee: Varies. Often $3 to $3.95 for members. Sometimes fee-free during promos. PIN enabled? Yes Cash advance fee? Possible Issued by: Metabank Credit card category bonus: Some AAA branches code as insurance. If you have a card offering a bonus for insurance payments, you might qualify for a bonus this way. Additional Notes: Some people have reported that buying gift cards from AAA is a cumbersome and time consuming process. Others have had no such problems. We’ve received at least one report of a customer being charged a cash advance fee when buying AAA gift cards. Make sure to lower your credit card’s cash advance limit below the amount you plan to spend. |
Credit Unions
| Notes | Details |
|---|---|
| Credit unions often sell Visa gift cards to their members sometimes with no fee at all. When they do charge fees, they’re often lower than elsewhere. One example of a credit union that offers Visa gift cards can be found here. | Max value: $500 Max order size: ? Per card fee: Varies. $3.95 is typical. PIN enabled? Yes Cash advance fee? Possible Issued by: ? Credit card category bonus: None. Additional Notes: Ask your credit union whether they accept 3rd party credit cards for these purchases. Many credit unions only allow credit cards to be used if you pay with a credit card from that credit union. Important: There is always a risk of being charged a cash advance fee. Make sure to lower your credit card’s cash advance limit below the amount you plan to spend. |
Discount Stores
| Notes | Details |
|---|---|
| Stores like Walmart, Target, BJ’s, and Sam’s Club sell a variety of Visa and/or MasterCard gift cards. Sam’s Club and BJ’s wholesale sell Vanilla brand cards. | Max value: $500 Max order size: Varies by store Per card fee: Varies PIN enabled? Yes. Cash advance fee? No Issued by: Varies (Sam’s Club and BJ’s Wholesale sell Vanilla gift cards) Credit card category bonus: In some cases Walmart or Target may code as a grocery store for earning credit card category bonuses. For Sam’s Club, look for cards offering wholesale club bonuses. |
Drug Stores
| Notes | Details |
|---|---|
| Many drugstores sell Vanilla brand Visa and MasterCard gift cards loadable up to $500. | Max value: $500 Max order size: Often limited to one $500 card. Per card fee: $5.95 PIN enabled? Yes (Use any 4 digits upon first use to set the PIN) Cash advance fee? No Issued by: Bancorp Credit card category bonus: Earn 3x with Chase Freedom Flex, Chase Freedom Unlimited, AARP Essential Rewards Mastercard, Bank of America’s Customized Cash Rewards, Miami Marin’s Credit Card Earn 5x with Citi Custom Cash. Also cards like Discover It card, Chase Freedom, Chase Freedom Flex, Affinity Cash Rewards sometimes offer drugstores as a 5X quarterly category. |
Gas Stations / Convenience Stores
| Notes | Details |
|---|---|
| Some gas stations and convenience stores (which sometimes conveniently code as gas stations for credit card purposes) sell Visa and MasterCard gift cards loadable up to $500. The ability to pay with a credit card varies from region to region and store to store and is often limited to Vanilla brand gift cards. | Max value: $500 Max order size: Often limited to one $500 card. Per card fee: Usually $5.95 PIN enabled? Yes (Usually you can use any 4 digits upon first use to set the PIN) Cash advance fee? No Issued by: Bancorp Credit card category bonus: A number of cards offer up to 5% cash back at gas stations (found here). Note that some category bonuses are restricted to payments at the pump — those will not work for buying gift cards. Also watch for gas station quarterly category bonuses with cards such as Chase Freedom Flex, and Discover. |
Grocery Stores
| Notes | Details |
|---|---|
| Many grocery stores sell Visa and MasterCard gift cards loadable up to $500. While Visa cards operate normally, U.S. Bank Mastercards do not automatically work as debit cards at Walmart registers. A workaround is to hit the red cancel button almost immediately after swiping so you can change the payment type to “debit”. | Max value: $500 Max order size: Varies by store Per card fee: $5.95-$6.95 PIN enabled? Yes. PIN usually comes in the package. If it doesn’t, call 1-866-952-5653 to set the pin. Cash advance fee? No Issued by: U.S. Bank (usually) or Metabank in some cases. Credit card category bonus: A number of cards offer up to 5% or even 6% cash back at grocery stores (found here). Also watch for grocery stores as quarterly category bonus with cards such as Chase Freedom Flex, and Discover. |
Lowe’s
| The home improvement giant sells Visa and Mastercard gift cards with values up to $200. They will run frequent promotions that give Lowe’s eCredit back with the purchase of each card (these can then be used or resold). See this post. | Max value: $200 Max order size: Varies by store/cashier Per card fee: $6.95-7.95 PIN enabled? Yes (Last 4 digits) Cash advance fee? No. Issued by: Metabank Credit card category bonus: Hardware/Home Improvement |
Office Supply Stores
| Notes | Details |
|---|---|
| Stores like Staples and Office Depot sell Visa and Mastercard gift cards with values up to $200. | Max value: $200 Max order size: $2,000 (inclusive of fees), though during promotions you may be limited to 1 card. Per card fee: Usually $6.95-7.95 for $200 cards PIN enabled? Yes (last 4 digits) Cash advance fee? No Issued by: Metabank. Credit card category bonus: 5X Chase Ink Cash (or Ink Plus, which is no longer available to new applicants), Amex Simply Cash, Discover Business. Other category bonuses can be found here. Additional Notes: If you pay with a Chase Ink Cash card, the $6.95 fee is more than made up for by the 5X Ultimate Rewards points earned (5 X 308.95 = 1034.75 points per $200 card). In fact, if you wanted to, you could cash in 695 of those points to reduce your net fees to zero and still earn 339.75 points per $200 card (i.e. ~1.7X). Keep in mind that office supply stores may also sell “Everywhere” Visas, which have lower fees, but aren’t as widely accepted. |
Simon Malls
| Notes | Details |
|---|---|
| Many Simon Malls sell gift cards. Visa gift cards aren’t always on display so you may have to ask for them. | Max value: $1,000 Max order size: There’s a $10,000 daily limit (inclusive of fees) per day. See this post for details. Per card fee: $3.95 (usually) PIN enabled? Yes (Last 4 digits) Cash advance fee? No. Other issues? Amex cards do not earn rewards nor spend credit towards welcome bonuses when buying gifts at Simon Mall. Issued by: Metabank Credit card category bonus: None |
Expired Visa and Mastercard Promotions
| Store | Promotion Details | Start Date | Sortable End Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simon Mall | 60% off purchase fees on Simon Visa Gift Cards online w/ promo code SCARE22SAVE60 | 10/28/22 | 22/11/02 |
| Office Depot/Office Max | Office Depot: Buy $100+ Visa gift cards online and get $10 off | 10/28/22 | 22/11/03 |
| Staples | More easy 5x: Staples fee-free $200 Mastercard gift cards (Now live) | 10/30/22 | 22/11/05 |
| Office Depot/Office Max | Office Depot/OfficeMax: Buy $300+ Mastercard Gift Cards & Save $15 | 11/6/22 | 22/11/12 |
| Staples | Easy 5x: Fee-free Visa Gift Cards at Staples | 11/6/22 | 22/11/12 |
| Meijer | Meijer: Save $10 When Buying $150+ Visa Gift Cards | 11/6/22 | 22/11/12 |
| Quill | Quill Chase Offers: Up to 20% back on up to $250 + possible 5x Ultimate Rewards | 10/1/22 | 22/11/30 |
| Meijer | Meijer mPerks: Save $10 On $150+ Mastercard Gift Card (Must Load Coupon) Load this digital coupon to your mPerks account and then buy the largest denomination Mastercard to maximize rewards and come out a few bucks ahead of the activation fee. | 12/2/18 | 2018/12/08 |
| Walgreen's | Walgreens Chase Offer: Get 10% Back (Limit $5 Cashback – Targeted) This offer explicitly excludes gift card purchases, but it's possible that they may still work. YMMV. If it works, it will mostly wipe out the activation fee on one Visa Gift Card. | 12/2/18 | 2018/12/14 |
| Safeway / Vons / Randall's / Albertsons | Mastercard Gift Card deals at Safeway (& affiliates) and Publix This Just4U coupon is only good on the $50 and $100 Mastercards, but it effectively eliminates the activation fee on a couple of them. | 12/2/18 | 2018/12/15 |
| Office Depot | Office Depot: $10 Off $300+ In Mastercard Gift Cards Net activation fees for two $200 cards are $3.90, but you'll earn 2,070 UR or $20.70 by paying with an Ink Plus or Ink Cash card respectively. | 12/09/18 | 2018/12/15 |
| Publix | Mastercard Gift Card deals at Safeway (& affiliates) and Publix This coupon is good for $10 off $100 or more, so buy the largest denomination Mastercard possible to maximize rewards and come out a few bucks ahead of the fee. | 12/2/18 | 2018/12/15 |
| Lowe's | Chase Offers: 10% back at Lowe’s, Office Depot, Starbucks, Advance Auto, more A max of $12 back turns a $200 Visa Gift Card into a $5 money-maker. | 11/20/18 | 2018/12/19 |
| Staples | Staples: $5 off a $200 VGC [12/16 to 12/22] | 12/16/18 | 2018/12/22 |
| Office Max / Office Depot | Office Depot: $15 Instant Discount On $300+ In Visa Gift Cards | 12/16/18 | 2018/12/22 |
| Simon Malls | Simon Malls to offer $1 off Visa Gift Card activation 12/10-12/24 The activation fee on $500 Visa Gift Cards is $2.95 under this promotion, which runs 12/10-12/24/18. | 12/10/18 | 2018/12/24 |
| Staples | New Chase Offers for Staples, Olive Garden, Cinemark (10% back, low caps) The $6 back from this offer will nearly wipe out the activation fee on one Visa Gift Card. Extended until 12/31/18. | 11/23/18 | 2018/12/31 |
| Giftcards.com | Get Fee-Free Visa Gift Cards On Giftcards.com With Code FEEFREE2018 | 12/28/18 | 2018/12/31 |
| BJ's Wholesale | Visa Gift card special for BJ's Wholesale members [YMMV] The sign on the rack showing $0 indicates that this is not a mistake, but it probably won't last. No certain end date. | 12/07/18 | 2018/12/31 |
| Bed Bath & Beyond | Bed Bath & Beyond: Buy $50+ In Third Party Gift Cards & Get $10 BB&B Gift Card (Rebate Submission Required – Limit 10) This offer includes Visa Gift Cards and can be repeated up to 10 times, making it a pretty easy win if you value the BBB gift cards and/or can sell them. | 12/15/18 | 2019/01/01 |
| Staples | Fee-free Visa Gift Cards & easy 5x at Staples next week | 01/13/19 | 2019/01/19 |
| Staples | Nice stack at Staples: 30% back + 10% back It's unclear whether or not this will stack with the 10% back offer than ends on 12/31, but even if it doesn't this makes Visa or Mastercard gift cards profitable. | 12/25/18 | 2019/01/24 |
| Staples | Staples: Get Fee-Free $100 Mastercard Gift Cards (Limit 10) Stack with the Staples Amex Offer and Chase Offer to save even more. | 1/22/19 | 2019/01/26 |
| Kroger | Kroger: Earn 4x Fuel Points On All Gift Cards Including Visa & Mastercard Gift Cards This offer is only valid from February 1 to February 3. | 2/01/19 | 2019/02/03 |
| Kroger | Kroger: Earn 4x Fuel Points On Fixed-Value Visa & Mastercard Gift Cards From Feb 8-10 This offer is only valid from February 8 to February 10. | 2/8/19 | 2019/02/10 |
| Safeway | Roundup Of Gift Card Deals: VGCs, Uber, iTunes, Spotify & More Albertsons/Safeway has a couple of digital coupons offering up to $25 off Visa gift cards. | 2/14/19 | 2019/02/26 |
| Office Max / Office Depot | Easy 5x: $10 off $300 in Visa Gift Cards at Office Max / Office Depot [3/10-3/16/1] | 03/10/19 | 2019/03/16 |
| Kroger | Kroger: Earn 4x Fuel Points On All 3rd Party, Visa & Mastercard Gift Cards (Expires 3/26/19) This offer valid for two weeks, giving you plenty of time to take advantage of the deal. | 3/13/19 | 2019/03/26 |
| Staples | Staples fee-free Mastercards 3/24-3/30/19 While this had no stated limit, corporate has since sent out a memo limiting it to one per customer. | 03/24/19 | 2019/03/30 |
| Meijer | Meijer: Save $10 When Buying $150+ In Visa Gift Cards This should be a profitable deal if your store has $200 Visa gift cards. | 3/24/19 | 2019/03/30 |
| Harris Teeter | Mastercard gift card promo at Harris Teeter 3/29-3/31 This one is only valid for a couple of days, but it's a good way to rack up some supermarket spend. | 03/29/19 | 2019/03/31 |
| Office Max / Office Depot | Easy 5x returns: $10 off $300 in Mastercard Gift Cards at Office Max / Office Depot [3/31-4/6/19] | 03/31/19 | 2019/04/06 |
| Safeway / Vons / Randall's / Albertsons | Save on Mastercard GCs at Safeway/Albertsons through 4/9/19 This Just4U coupon is only good on the $50 and $100 Mastercards, but it effectively eliminates the activation fee on a couple of them. | 03/27/19 | 2019/04/09 |
| Staples | Staples: Get $5 Off $200 Visa Gift Cards In-Store This reduces the activation fee to $1.95; pay with Chase Ink Cash or Plus card or stack with the Staples Amex Offer. | 4/7/19 | 2019/04/13 |
| Meijer | Meijer mPerks: Save $10 When Buying $150+ Mastercard Gift Cards If your local Meijer has $200 Mastercard gift cards, this will be a profitable deal. | 4/14/19 | 2019/04/20 |
| Office Depot | Office Depot: Buy $300+ Visa Gift Cards & Get $15 Off This is a profitable deal even before taking into account earning 5x if you have an Ink Plus or Ink Cash card. | 4/14/19 | 2019/04/20 |
| Kroger | Kroger: Earn 4x Fuel Points On All 3rd Party & Fixed-Value Visa & Mastercard Gift Cards You can save $8+ for each $100 Visa gift card if you can fill up with 35 gallons. | 4/8/19 | 2019/04/24 |
| Staples | Staples fee-free $200 Mastercard gift cards next week Starts 4/21, this makes for an easy 5x. Just be sure to liquidate these sooner rather than later. | 04/21/19 | 2019/04/27 |
| Giant / Martin’s / Stop & Shop | Giant/Martin’s/Stop & Shop: Save $15 On Groceries When Buying $250+ Visa Gift Cards This Just4U coupon is only good on the $50 and $100 Mastercards, but it effectively eliminates the activation fee on a couple of them. | 04/21/19 | 2019/05/02 |
| Staples | Easy 5x: Fee-free Visa Gift Cards at Staples next week | 05/05/19 | 2019/05/11 |
| Kroger | Kroger: Earn 4x Fuel Points On Third Party Gift Cards & Fixed-Value VGCs & MGCs Save up to 14% on third party gift cards and make a profit on VGCs/MGCs if you can fill up more than 13 gallons. | 05/05/19 | 2019/05/12 |
| Office Depot | Office Depot: Save $12 When Buying $300+ Of Everywhere Visa Gift Cards These types of Visa gift cards have restrictions on where they can be used, but it's a profitable deal and so is worth considering. | 05/26/19 | 2019/06/01 |
| Albertsons, Safeway et al | Save $10 On $100 Visa Gift Card At Safeway, Albertsons, Vons, etc. Make a few bucks in profit while taking advantage of some bonused spend at grocery stores. | 05/26/19 | 2019/06/08 |
| Albertsons, Safeway et al | Albertsons/Safeway/Vons, etc.: Save $15 On 2x $100 Mastercard Gift Cards, $10 On 2x $50 Cards Make a few bucks in profit while taking advantage of some bonused spend at grocery stores. | 06/05/19 | 2019/06/18 |
| Albertsons, Safeway et al | $10 off $100 or more in Visa Gift Cards at Safeway / just for U stores One-time use, but stack this with a card that earns a nice category bonus at US Supermarkets for a quick hit. | 06/16/19 | 2019/06/29 |
| Simon Malls | Simon Mall Visa gift cards $1 off June 10-30, 2019 The activation fee on $400-$500 Visa Gift Cards is $2.95 under this promotion, which runs 6/10-6/30/19. | 06/10/19 | 2019/06/30 |
| Staples | Easy 5x: Fee-free Visa Gift Cards at Staples next week | 06/30/19 | 2019/07/06 |
| Giant/Stop & Shop/Martins | Giant/Stop & Shop/Martin's: Save $15 On Groceries When Buying $250 Visa Gift Cards This is a profitable deal and helps you get some bonused spend at grocery stores. | 6/23/19 | 2019/07/06 |
| Meijer | Meijer: Buy $150+ Visa Gift Cards & Save $10 Instantly With Digital Coupon This is a profitable deal and helps you get some bonused spend at grocery stores. | 7/7/19 | 2019/07/13 |
| Meijer | Meijer: Save $10 On $150+ Mastercard Gift Cards & $5 On $50+ Happy Gift Cards This is a profitable deal and helps you get some bonused spend at grocery stores. | 7/14/19 | 2019/07/20 |
| Staples | Easy 5x: Staples fee-free $200 Mastercard gift cards next week Pay with Chase Ink Cash or Plus card or stack with the Staples Amex Offer. | 7/21/19 | 2019/07/27 |
| Albertsons, Safeway et al | Safeway/Albertsons/Vons, etc: Save Up To $25 On Visa Gift Cards With 2 Digital Coupons Make a few dollars and get ~$300 of grocery store bonused spend. | 7/21/19 | 2019/08/03 |
| Staples | Easy 5x: Fee-free Visa Gift Cards at Staples next week | 08/04/19 | 2019/08/10 |
| Hannaford | Hannaford: Save $10 Off Next Grocery Purchase When Buying $150+ Visa Gift Cards If Hannaford sells variable load Visa gift cards, this will be a profitable deal. | 8/18/19 | 2019/08/24 |
| Office Depot | Office Depot: Buy $300+ Mastercard Gift Cards & Get $15 Instant Discount The $15 instant discount more than offsets the activation fees, making this slightly profitable. | 8/18/19 | 2019/08/24 |
| Stop & Shop | Stop & Shop: Buy $150+ Visa/Mastercard Gift Card & Get $15 Off Next Order, Plus Earn 2x Gas Rewards Points On Mastercard Gift Cards Each $500 Mastercard gift card can save you almost $30. | 8/23/19 | 2019/08/29 |
| Albertsons, Safeway & other Just For U stores | Albertsons/Safeway: Save Up To $25 On Visa Gift Cards, 10x On Happy, 8x On Google Play & AutoZone The Visa gift card digital coupons can be a $3.20 money maker overall, while the some of the Happy gift cards could be used to buy Visa & Mastercard gift cards at Home Depot and Bed Bath & Beyond. | 8/18/19 | 2019/08/31 |
| Kroger | Kroger: Earn 4x Fuel Points On 3rd Party Gift Cards, VGC & MGCs (March 1-3) This offer is only valid from March 1-3. | 3/1/19 | 2019/3/3 |
| Giant | Giant: Earn 2x Gas Rewards Points On Mastercard GCs, 10x On Lord & Taylor, Cracker Barrel & Domino's GCs This will be profitable if you need to fill up with 6 gallons or more. | 4/5/19 | 2019/4/11 |
| Office Depot | Office Depot: Save $15 When Buying $300+ Visa Gift Cards Make $1.10 profit for every couple of $200 VGCs you buy, plus rack up some 5x spend. | 8/25/19 | 2019/8/31 |
| Kroger | Kroger: Earn 4x Fuel Points On 3rd Party Gift Cards & Fixed Value Visa & Mastercard Gift Cards (8/30-9/2 Only) Save up to 14% on third party gift cards and make a profit on VGCs/MGCs if you can fill up more than 13 gallons. | 8/30/19 | 2019/9/2 |
| Albertsons, Safeway & other Just For U stores | Albertsons/Safeway: Buy Mastercard Gift Cards & Save Up To $25 Make a total of $3.20 profit and get some grocery store bonused spend in. | 8/25/19 | 2019/9/7 |
| Meijer | Meijer: Save $10 When Buying $150+ Visa Gift Cards This will be profitable provided your local store has variable load or $200 Visa gift cards. | 9/8/19 | 2019/9/14 |
| Kroger | Kroger: Earn 4x Fuel Points On Gift Cards & Fixed-Value Visa & Mastercard Gift Cards Save up to 14% on third party gift cards and make a profit on VGCs/MGCs if you can fill up more than 13 gallons. | 9/10/19 | 2019/9/28 |
| Albertsons, Safeway & other Just For U stores | Albertsons/Safeway: Buy $100 Visa Gift Card & Get $10 Off Or 8x Reward Points The $10 instant discount is good, but the 8x Reward Points version of the offer can save you up to $20. | 9/15/19 | 2019/9/28 |
| Office Depot | Office Depot/Office Max: Save $10 When Buying $300+ Mastercard Gift Cards This isn't break even, although it could still be worthwhile if you have a 5x/5% Ink card. | 9/22/19 | 2019/9/28 |
| Publix | Publix: Spend $50+ On Groceries & Save $10 On $50 Mastercard Gift Card And/Or $50 Gas Gift Card You'll make a $5.05 profit on the Mastercard gift card after accounting for its activation fee. | 9/21/19 | 2019/10/4 |
| Office Depot | Office Depot/Office Max: Save $15 When Buying $300+ Visa Gift Cards This is a profitable deal even before taking into account earning 5x if you have an Ink Plus or Ink Cash card. | 9/29/19 | 2019/10/5 |
| Staples | Staples fee-free $200 Mastercard gift cards next week Starts 10/20, this makes for an easy 5x. Just be sure to liquidate these sooner rather than later. | 10/20/19 | 2019/10/26 |
| Kroger | Kroger: Earn 4x Fuel Points On All 3rd Party Gift Cards & Fixed Value Visa & Mastercard Gift Cards (Nov 1-3 Only) Save up to 14% on third party gift cards and make a profit on VGCs/MGCs if you can fill up with 14+ gallons. | 11/1/19 | 2019/11/3 |
| Stater Bros | Stater Bros: Buy $100+ Visa/Mastercard Gift Card + $10+ Groceries & Save $10 This is a profitable deal that can be done more than once. | 10/30/19 | 2019/11/5 |
| Albertsons, Safeway & other Just For U stores | Albertsons/Safeway/Just For U: Save $10 When Buying $100+ Visa Gift Cards This is a profitable deal. | 10/27/19 | 2019/11/9 |
| Meijer | Meijer: Save $10 When Buying $150+ Visa Gift Cards This is a profitable deal. | 11/10/19 | 2019/11/16 |
| Rite Aid | Rite Aid: Earn BonusCash On Visa Gift Cards & Gift Cards For Delta, Hotels.com & More The $6 BonusCash doesn't fully offset the activation fees, but it certainly helps. | 11/10/19 | 2019/11/16 |
| Staples | Easy 5x: Fee-free Visa Gift Cards at Staples next week | 11/03/19 | 2019/11/16 |
| Albertsons, Safeway & other Just For U stores | Albertsons/Safeway/Just For U: Buy $100+ Mastercard Gift Cards & Get $10 Off This is a profitable deal. | 11/10/19 | 2019/11/23 |
| Hy-Vee | Hy-Vee: Buy $150+ Visa Gift Card & Get $10 Instant Discount (No Limits?) You'll make a profit on each VGC you buy. It should work on variable load VGCs and there seems to be no limit on how many you can buy. | 11/20/19 | 2019/11/28 |
| Staples | Staples: Buy $200 Mastercard Gift Cards With No Activation Fee Stack with the Staples Amex Offer or pay with a 5x card. | 12/1/19 | 2019/12/7 |
| Meijer | Meijer: Save $10 When Buying $150+ Mastercard Gift Cards This is a profitable deal. | 12/1/19 | 2019/12/7 |
| Albertsons, Safeway & other Just For U stores | Albertsons/Safeway/Just For U: Save $10 On $100+ Visa Gift Cards This is a profitable deal. | 12/1/19 | 2019/12/7 |
| Kroger | Kroger: Earn 4x Fuel Points On Third Party Gift Cards & Fixed-Value Visa & Mastercard Gift Cards Save up to 14% on third party gift cards and make a profit on VGCs/MGCs if you can fill up with 14+ gallons. | 11/17/19 | 2019/12/10 |
| Office Max / Office Depot | Easy 5x: $15 off $300 in Mastercard Gift Cards at Office Max / Office Depot [12/8-12/14/19] | 12/08/19 | 2019/12/14 |
| Office Depot/OfficeMax | Office Depot/OfficeMax: Buy $300+ Visa Gift Cards & Save $15 Instantly This is a profitable deal even before taking into account earning 5x if you have an Ink Plus or Ink Cash card. | 12/15/19 | 2019/12/21 |
| Staples | Easy 5x: Fee-free Visa Gift Cards at Staples next week | 12/15/19 | 2019/12/21 |
| Staples | Easy 5x: Fee-free Visa Gift Cards at Staples next week | 01/12/20 | 2020/01/18 |
| Kroger | $10 off $150 in Visa or Mastercard gift cards at Kroger Combine this with a card that earns a good category bonus at US supermarkets. | 01/08/20 | 2020/01/21 |
| Kroger | $5 off $50 Visa or Mastercard Gift Card at Kroger Combine this with a card that earns a good category bonus at US supermarkets. | 01/24/20 | 2020/01/25 |
| Albertsons, Safeway & other Just For U stores | Safeway/Albertsons/Just For U: Save $15 On 2x $100 Visa Gift Cards, $10 On 2x $50 Cards Both of these digital coupons are profitable deals. | 02/09/20 | 2020/02/22 |
| Kroger | Kroger: Earn 4x Fuel Points On 3rd Party & Fixed-Value Visa & Mastercard Gift Cards (Feb 28-Mar 1) Combine this with a card that earns a good category bonus at US supermarkets. | 02/28/20 | 2020/03/01 |
| Staples | Staples fee-free $200 Mastercard gift cards next week Starts 3/22/20. Poor timing given the fact that most of us are trying to stay home as much as possible and many retail stores and malls are closing. | 03/22/20 | 2020/03/28 |
| Staples | Staples Amex Offer: Save 10% On Up To $500 (Biz Cards Only) This can be used to save on Visa and Mastercard gift cards, as well as third party gift cards. | 1/21/20 | 2020/06/30 |
| Lowe's | Lowe’s Amex Offer: 10% back up to $100 [Targeted] This can be used to save on Visa and Mastercard gift cards, as well as third party gift cards. | 1/2/20 | 2020/06/30 |
| Staples | (Back) Easy 5x: Staples fee-free $200 Mastercard gift cards | 07/19/20 | 2020/07/25 |
| Staples | Easy 5x: Fee-free Visa Gift Cards at Staples (8/2 - 8/2) | 8/2/20 | 2020/08/08 |
| Staples | $5 off Visa Gift Cards at Staples 8/16-8/22 | 8/15/20 | 2020/08/22 |
| Office Depot/OfficeMax | Office Depot/OfficeMax: Buy $300+ Visa Gift Cards & Get $15 Off Instantly This is a profitable deal even before taking into account earning 5x if you have an Ink Plus or Ink Cash card. | 3/8/20 | 2020/3/14 |
| Meijer | Meijer: Save $10 On $150+ Visa Gift Cards & 10% On $50-$500 Happy Gift Card You'll make a $4.05 profit when buying a variable load Visa gift card. | 3/29/20 | 2020/4/4 |
| Office Depot/OfficeMax | Office Depot/OfficeMax: Save $13 When Buying $300+ Mastercard Gift Cards | 3/29/20 | 2020/4/4 |
| BJ's Wholesale Club | BJ’s: Save $3 on Visa gift cards from home, stack with 5% Discover cashback | 4/5/20 | 2020/4/11 |
| Albertsons, Safeway & other Just For U stores | Albertsons/Safeway/Just For U: Save Up To $25 On Fixed-Value Mastercard Gift Cards You'll make a $3.10 profit on the $100 cards and $0.10. on the $50 cards. | 3/29/20 | 2020/4/11 |
| Albertsons, Safeway & other Just For U stores | Albertsons/Safeway/Just For U: Save $10 When Buying $100+ Mastercard Gift Cards You should be able to buy a variable load Mastercard gift card to increase your bonused spend. | 5/3/20 | 2020/5/16 |
| Kroger | Kroger: Earn 4x Fuel Points On 3rd Party Gift Cards & Fixed-Value VGCs & MGCs (May 22-25 Only) Combine this with a card that earns a good category bonus at US supermarkets. | 5/22/20 | 2020/5/25 |
| Office Depot/OfficeMax | Office Depot/OfficeMax: Buy $100+ Visa Gift Cards & Get $10 Instant Discount You'll make a $3.05 profit on each card and can also earn 5%/5x on Ink Cash & Ink Plus cards. | 5/24/20 | 2020/5/30 |
| Giant/Martin's/Stop & Shop | Giant, Martin’s & Stop & Shop: Earn 2x Points On Mastercard Gift Cards (May 29-June 4) Every $500 variable load Mastercard gift card you buy can save you up to $20 on gas. | 5/29/20 | 2020/6/4 |
| Albertsons, Safeway & other Just For U stores | Albertsons/Safeway/Just For U: Save $10 When Buying $100+ Visa Gift Cards This is a profitable deal. You should also be able to buy a variable load Visa gift card to increase your bonused spend. | 5/24/20 | 2020/6/6 |
| Kroger | Kroger: Save $3 On Variable Load Visa & Mastercard Gift Cards With Digital Coupon This makes a $500 card only have a $2.95 activation fee. Combine this with a card that earns a good category bonus at US supermarkets. | 5/20/20 | 2020/6/9 |
| Giant/Martin's/Stop & Shop | Giant/Martin’s/Stop & Shop: Earn 3x Points When Buying Visa Gift Cards (Including Variable Load) Every $500 variable load Visa gift card you buy can save you up to $30 on gas. | 6/5/20 | 2020/6/11 |
| Staples | Staples: Activation Fees Waived On $200 Visa Gift Cards | 6/7/20 | 2020/6/13 |
| Office Depot/OfficeMax | Save 10% At Office Depot/OfficeMax With Targeted Chase Offer (Max $8 Back) You should be able to use this in-store to buy gift cards. | 5/2/20 | 2020/6/14 |
| H-E-B | H-E-B: Get H-E-B Gift Cards Free When Buying Select Gift Cards (Visa, Home Depot, Uber, Netflix & More) Combine this with a card that earns a good category bonus at US supermarkets. | 6/10/20 | 2020/6/16 |
| Staples | Staples: Buy Fee-Free $200 Mastercard Gift Cards | 6/14/20 | 2020/6/20 |
| Office Depot/OfficeMax | Office Depot/OfficeMax: Buy $100+ Visa Or Mastercard Gift Cards & Get $10 Off | 6/14/20 | 2020/6/20 |
| Albertsons, Safeway & other Just For U stores | Albertsons/Safeway/Just For U: Buy $100+ Visa Gift Card & Get $10 Off Instantly This should work on variable load Visa gift cards. | 6/14/20 | 2020/6/20 |
| Kroger | Kroger: Earn 4x Fuel Points On 3rd Party Gift Cards & Fixed-Value Visa & Mastercard Gift Cards Combine this with a card that earns a good category bonus at US supermarkets. | 6/10/20 | 2020/6/23 |
| Office Depot/OfficeMax | Office Depot/OfficeMax: Buy $100+ Visa Gift Cards & Get $10 Off | 7/5/20 | 2020/7/11 |
| Staples | Easy 5x: Fee-free Visa Gift Cards at Staples (7/5 – 7/11) | 7/5/20 | 2020/7/11 |
| Albertsons, Safeway & other Just For U stores | Albertsons/Safeway/Just For U: Buy $100+ Mastercard Gift Card & Get $10 Off Instantly This should work on variable load Mastercard gift cards. | 6/28/20 | 2020/7/11 |
| Kroger | Kroger: Buy 2 Variable Load Visa Gift Cards & Save $5.95 With Digital Coupon | 7/22/20 | 2020/7/28 |
| Publix | Publix: Buy $50 Visa/Mastercard Gift Card & $50 Groceries & Get $10 Off | 7/22/20 | 2020/8/12 |
| Office Depot/OfficeMax | Office Depot/OfficeMax: Buy $100+ Mastercard Gift Cards & Get $10 Off | 8/16/20 | 2020/8/22 |
| Office Depot/OfficeMax | Office Depot/OfficeMax: Buy $100+ Visa Gift Cards & Get $10 Off Instantly | 8/23/20 | 2020/8/29 |
| Albertsons, Safeway & other Just For U stores | Albertsons/Safeway/Just For U: Save Up To $25 When Buying Visa Gift Cards Make a few dollars and get ~$300 of grocery store bonused spend. | 8/16/20 | 2020/8/29 |
| Kroger | Kroger: Save $3 On Visa & Mastercard Gift Cards In-Store With Digital Coupon This should work with variable load Visa & Mastercard gift cards. | 8/26/20 | 2020/9/1 |
| Albertsons, Safeway & other Just For U stores | Albertsons/Safeway/Just For U: Save Up To $25 When Buying $50 & $100 Mastercard Gift Cards Make a few dollars and get ~$300 of grocery store bonused spend. | 8/30/20 | 2020/9/12 |
| Meijer | Meijer mPerks: Buy $150+ Visa Gift Cards & Get $10 Instant Discount Make a few dollars and get ~$500 of grocery store bonused spend. | 9/6/20 | 2020/9/12 |
| Publix | Publix: Buy $50 Visa & Mastercard Gift Cards + $50 Groceries & Get $10 Off Instantly | 8/23/20 | 2020/9/19 |
| Staples | Staples: Buy $100 Visa Gift Cards & Get $3 Off Instantly (Sep 13-19) This is a poor deal from Staples this week. | 9/13/20 | 2020/9/19 |
| Office Depot/OfficeMax | Office Depot/OfficeMax: Buy $300+ Mastercard Gift Cards & Get $15 Back (Ends 9/26/20) You'll make a profit of $1.10 when buying two $200 Mastercard gift cards. | 9/20/20 | 2020/9/26 |
| Office Depot/OfficeMax | Office Depot/OfficeMax: Buy $300 Visa Gift Card ONLINE For $285 (Ends 10/1/20) Easy online $15 profit. | 9/20/20 | 2020/10/1 |
| Meijer | Meijer: Buy $150+ Mastercard Gift Card & Save $10 | 10/4/20 | 2020/10/10 |
| Office Depot online | Office Depot Online: Buy $300 Visa Gift Card & Get $15 Off + Free Trackable Shipping | 10/16/20 | 2020/10/22 |
| Albertsons, Safeway & other Just For U stores | Albertsons/Safeway/Just For U: Save Up To $25 On Mastercard Gift Cards (Ends 10/31/20) Make a few dollars and get ~$300 of grocery store bonused spend. | 10/18/20 | 2020/10/24 |
| Office Depot/OfficeMax | Office Depot/OfficeMax: Buy $300+ Visa Gift Cards & Get $15 Off (Ends 10/24/20) | 10/18/20 | 2020/10/24 |
| Meijer | Meijer: Buy $150+ Visa Gift Card & Get $10 Off Instantly (Ends 11/4/20) | 11/8/20 | 2020/11/14 |
| Staples | Easy 5x: Fee-free Visa Gift Cards at Staples | 10/11/20 | 2020/11/14 |
| Office Depot/OfficeMax | Office Depot/OfficeMax: Buy $300+ Visa Gift Cards & Get $15 Off (Ends 11/21/20) | 11/15/20 | 2020/11/21 |
| Hy-Vee | Hy-Vee: Buy $150+ Visa Gift Cards & Get $10 Instant Discount | 11/18/20 | 2020/11/24 |
| Albertsons, Safeway & other Just For U stores | Albertsons/Safeway/Just For U: Save Up To $25 On Mastercard Gift Cards Make a few dollars and get ~$300 of grocery store bonused spend. | 11/15/20 | 2020/11/28 |
| Kroger | Kroger: Save On 25 Different Gift Card Brands (Visa, Sephora, GameStop & More) | 11/21/20 | 2020/11/30 |
| Albertsons, Safeway & other Just For U stores | Albertsons/Safeway/Just For U: Save Up To $25 When Buying Visa Gift Cards Make a few dollars and get ~$300 of grocery store bonused spend. | 11/29/20 | 2020/12/5 |
| Meijer | Meijer: Buy $150+ Mastercard Gift Card & Save $10 Instantly (Ends 12/5/20) | 11/29/20 | 2020/12/5 |
| Kroger | Kroger: Earn 4x Fuel Points On 3rd Party Gift Cards & Fixed-Value Visa & Mastercard Gift Cards Combine this with a card that earns a good category bonus at US supermarkets. | 11/4/20 | 2020/12/8 |
| Albertsons, Safeway & other Just For U stores | Albertsons/Safeway/Just For U: Save $10 When Buying $100+ Visa Gift Card | 12/6/20 | 2020/12/12 |
| Office Depot/OfficeMax | Office Depot/OfficeMax: Buy $300+ Mastercard Gift Cards & Get $15 Off | 12/6/10 | 2020/12/12 |
| Staples | Easy 5x: Fee-free Visa Gift Cards at Staples | 12/06/20 | 2020/12/12 |
| Simon Mall | Simon Visa Gift Cards: 20% off purchase fee + free ground shipping & more | 5/15/20 | 2020/12/31 |
| Simon Mall | Simon Visa Gift Cards: 20% off purchase fee + free ground shipping & more | 5/15/20 | 2020/12/31 |
| Simon Malls | [EXTENDED indefinitely!] $1K Visa Gift Cards w/ $3.95 fee at Simon next week Anyone can purchase these $1K VGCs with a $3.95 activation fee by simply asking for them at guest services. Easy low-cost MS. | 07/17/19 | 2020/12/31 |
| Staples | Easy 5x: Fee-free Visa Gift Cards at Staples | 6/13/21 | 2021/06/19 |
| Staples | Easy 5x: Fee-free Visa Gift Cards at Staples | 7/11/21 | 2021/07/17 |
| Staples | Easy 5x: Fee-free Visa Gift Cards at Staples | 8/8/21 | 2021/08/14 |
| Staples | Easy 5x: Fee-free Visa Gift Cards at Staples | 9/5/21 | 2021/09/11 |
| Albertsons, Safeway & other Just For U stores | Albertsons/Safeway/Just For U: Save $10 When Buying $100+ Visa Gift Card (Ends 1/2/21) | 12/27/20 | 2021/1/2 |
| Staples | Easy 5x: Fee-free Visa Gift Cards at Staples | 1/17/21 | 2021/1/23 |
| Kroger | Kroger: Earn 4x Fuel Points On 3rd Party Gift Cards & Fixed-Value Visa & Mastercard Gift Cards Combine this with a card that earns a good category bonus at US supermarkets. | 1/28/21 | 2021/1/31 |
| Publix | Publix: Buy $50 Groceries & $50 Visa And/Or Mastercard Gift Cards & Get $10 Off (Ends 2/20/21) | 1/31/21 | 2021/2/20 |
| Albertsons, Safeway & other Just For U stores | Albertsons/Safeway/Just For U: Save Up To $25 When Buying Visa Gift Cards Make a few dollars and get ~$300 of grocery store bonused spend. | 2/10/21 | 2021/2/23 |
| Staples | Easy 5x: Fee-free Visa Gift Cards at Staples | 2/28/21 | 2021/3/6 |
| Meijer | Meijer: Save $10 When Buying $150+ Visa Gift Card (Ends 3/27/21) | 3/21/21 | 2021/3/27 |
| Staples | More easy 5x: Staples fee-free $200 Mastercard gift cards | 3/28/21 | 2021/4/3 |
| Albertsons, Safeway & other Just For U stores | Albertsons/Safeway/Just For U: Save Up To $25 On Mastercard Gift Cards Make a few dollars and get ~$300 of grocery store bonused spend. | 3/28/21 | 2021/4/10 |
| Meijer | Meijer: Save $10 When Buying $150+ Mastercard Gift Cards | 4/11/21 | 2021/4/17 |
| Office Depot/OfficeMax | Office Depot/OfficeMax: Buy $300+ Visa Gift Cards & Get $15 Off (Ends 11/21/20) | 4/11/21 | 2021/4/17 |
| Staples | $5 off Visa Gift Card activation fees at Staples | 4/11/21 | 2021/4/17 |
| Lowe's | Free $15 Lowe’s gift card with $200 Visa Gift Card, stacks with a lot | 4/22/21 | 2021/4/28 |
| Staples | More easy 5x: Staples fee-free $200 Mastercard gift cards | 4/25/21 | 2021/5/1 |
| Albertsons, Safeway & other Just For U stores | Albertsons/Safeway/Just For U: Save Up To $25 On Mastercard Gift Cards Make a few dollars and get ~$300 of grocery store bonused spend. | 5/2/21 | 2021/5/15 |
| Staples | Easy 5x: Fee-free Visa Gift Cards at Staples | 5/9/21 | 2021/5/15 |
| Office Depot/OfficeMax | Office Depot/OfficeMax: Buy $300+ Mastercard Gift Cards & Save $15 | 5/16/21 | 2021/5/22 |
| Office Depot/OfficeMax | Office Depot/OfficeMax: Buy $300+ Visa Gift Cards & Get $15 Off (Ends 11/21/20) | 5/23/21 | 2021/5/29 |
| Albertsons, Safeway & other Just For U stores | Albertsons/Safeway/Just For U: Save Up To $25 When Buying Visa Gift Cards Make a few dollars and get ~$300 of grocery store bonused spend. | 5/23/21 | 2021/6/5 |
| Staples | More easy 5x: Staples fee-free $200 Mastercard gift cards | 6/27/21 | 2021/7/3 |
| Meijer | Meijer: Save $10 When Buying $150+ Visa Gift Cards | 7/4/21 | 2021/7/10 |
| Meijer | Meijer: Buy $150+ Mastercard Gift Card & Get $10 Instant Discount | 7/11/21 | 2021/7/17 |
| Staples | More easy 5x: Staples fee-free $200 Mastercard gift cards | 7/18/21 | 2021/7/24 |
| Office Depot/OfficeMax | Office Depot/OfficeMax: Buy $300+ Mastercard Gift Cards & Save $15 | 8/15/21 | 2021/8/21 |
| Staples | More easy 5x: Staples fee-free $200 Mastercard gift cards | 8/22/21 | 2021/8/28 |
| Meijer | Meijer: Save $10 When Buying $150+ Visa Gift Cards (Ends 9/11/21) | 9/5/21 | 2021/9/11 |
| Staples | Easy 5x: Fee-free Visa Gift Cards at Staples | 9/26/21 | 2021/10/02 |
| Office Depot/OfficeMax | Office Depot/OfficeMax: Buy $300+ Visa Gift Cards & Get $15 Off (Ends 11/21/20) | 10/10/21 | 2021/10/16 |
| Staples | More easy 5x: Staples fee-free $200 Mastercard gift cards | 10/10/21 | 2021/10/16 |
| Staples | Easy 5x: Fee-free Visa Gift Cards at Staples | 10/17/21 | 2021/10/23 |
| GiftCards,com | GiftCards.com: Save 10% On Virtual Visa Gift Cards With Promo Codes TRICKORTREAT Or TREATS | 10/27/21 | 2021/10/31 |
| Staples | Easy 5x: Fee-free Visa Gift Cards at Staples | 10/31/21 | 2021/11/13 |
| Office Depot/OfficeMax | Office Depot/OfficeMax: Buy $300+ Visa Gift Cards & Get $15 Off (Ends 11/21/20) | 11/14/21 | 2021/11/20 |
| Staples | Easy 5x: Fee-free Visa Gift Cards at Staples | 12/12/21 | 2021/12/18 |
| Staples | Easy 5x: Fee-free Visa Gift Cards at Staples | 1/16/22 | 2022/01/22 |
| Staples | Easy 5x: Fee-free Visa Gift Cards at Staples | 1/16/22 | 2022/01/22 |
| Office Depot/Office Max | Office Depot/OfficeMax: Buy $300+ Mastercard Gift Cards & Save $15 | 2/14/22 | 2022/02/19 |
| Simon Mall | 40% off fees (incl. shipping) on Simon Visa Gift Cards online w/ promo code FEB22SAVE40 | 2/25/22 | 2022/03/05 |
| Staples | Easy 5x: Fee-free Visa Gift Cards at Staples | 2/27/22 | 2022/03/05 |
| Lowe's | Excellent Lowe’s Deal: Buy $200 Mastercard Gift Card, get a $15 Lowe’s Gift Card | 5/5/22 | 2022/05/11 |
| Staples | (Now Live) Easy 5x: Fee-free Visa Gift Cards at Staples | 5/8/22 | 2022/05/14 |
| Office Depot/Office Max | Office Depot/OfficeMax: Buy $300+ Mastercard Gift Cards & Save $15 | 5/15/22 | 2022/05/21 |
| Quill.com | (Update) Quill Chase Offers: Up to 20% back on up to $250 + possible 5x Ultimate Rewards | 6/5/22 | 2022/07/13 |
| Staples | Easy 5x: Fee-free Visa Gift Cards at Staples | 8/7/22 | 2022/08/13 |
| Gift Card Granny | Gift Card Granny: Save 2% On Visa & Mastercard Gift Cards With Promo Code SUMMER2022 | 8/1/22 | 2022/08/31 |
| Quill.com | [Extended] Quill Chase Offers: Up to 20% back on up to $250 + possible 5x Ultimate Rewards | 8/5/22 | 2022/08/31 |
| Staples | Easy 5x: Fee-free Visa Gift Cards at Staples (Live Now) | 9/4/22 | 2022/09/10 |
| Meijer Online | Meijer Online: Buy $100 Visa Gift Cards For $95 (Limit 10) | 9/4/22 | 2022/09/10 |
| Meijer | Meijer: Save $10 When Buying $150+ Visa Gift Cards (Ends 9/10/22) | 9/4/22 | 2022/09/10 |
| Giftcards.com | 5% off Virtual Visa Gift Cards at GiftCards.com | 9/1/22 | 2022/09/11 |
| Staples | More easy 5x: Staples fee-free $200 Mastercard gift cards | 3/20/22 | 2022/3/26 |
| Quill | Quill Chase Offer: 10% back on up to $300 + 5x Ultimate Rewards | 3/18/22 | 2022/4/25 |
| Hy-Vee | Hy-Vee: Make $24.05 Profit With Every $500 Mastercard Gift Card You Buy | 11/9/22 | 2022/11/15 |
| Giftcards.com | Giftcards.com: Save 5% on Mastercard gift cards | 11/11/22 | 2022/11/17 |
| Staples | More easy 5x: Staples fee-free $200 Mastercard gift cards (Now Live) | 11/13/22 | 2022/11/19 |
| Office Depot/Office Max | Office Depot/OfficeMax: Buy $300+ Visa Gift Cards & Save $15 | 11/13/22 | 2022/11/19 |
| Giftcards.com | Giftcards.com: Use Promo Code BFVIP To Save 5% On Virtual Visa Gift Cards | 11/21/22 | 2022/12/01 |
| Simon Mall | 25% off all fees on Simon Visa Gift Cards online w/ promo code DEC22SAVE25 | 11/30/22 | 2022/12/3 |
| Office Depot/Office Max | Office Depot/OfficeMax: Buy $300+ Mastercard Gift Cards & Save $15 | 11/27/22 | 2022/12/3 |
| Meijer | Meijer: Buy $150+ Mastercard Gift Card & Get $10 Instant Discount | 11/27/22 | 2022/12/3 |
| Office Depot/Office Max | Office Depot/OfficeMax: Buy $300+ Mastercard Gift Cards & Save $15 | 12/11/22 | 2022/12/17 |
| Office Depot/Office Max | Office Depot/OfficeMax: Buy $300+ Mastercard Gift Cards & Save $15 | 01/15/23 | 2023/01/21 |
| Staples | Easy 5x: Fee-free Visa Gift Cards at Staples | 02/05/23 | 2023/02/11 |
| Office Depot/Office Max | Office Depot/OfficeMax: Buy $300+ Mastercard Gift Cards & Save $15 | 02/12/23 | 2023/02/18 |
| Office Depot/Office Max | Office Depot/OfficeMax: Buy $300+ Visa Gift Cards & Save $15 | 3/19/23 | 2023/03/25 |
| Office Depot/Office Max | Office Depot: Buy $100+ Visa gift cards online and get $10 off | 3/27/23 | 2023/03/30 |
| Meijer | Meijer: Buy $150+ Mastercard Gift Card & Get $10 Instant Discount | 04/09/23 | 2023/04/15 |
| Office Depot/Office Max | Office Depot/OfficeMax: Buy $300+ Mastercard Gift Cards & Save $15 | 04/09/23 | 2023/04/15 |
| Office Depot/Office Max | Office Depot/OfficeMax: Buy $300+ Visa Gift Cards & Save $15 | 5/14/23 | 2023/05/20 |
| Office Depot/Office Max | Office Depot: Buy $100+ Visa gift cards online and get $10 off | 1/22/23 | 2023/1/28 |
| Office Depot/Office Max | Office Depot/OfficeMax: Buy $300+ Visa Gift Cards & Save $15 | 1/22/23 | 2023/1/28 |
| Kroger.com | Kroger.com: $10 off $150+ in Visa or Mastercard Gift Cards | 1/27/23 | 2023/2/1 |
| SimonMall | 25% off purchase fees on Simon Visa/MC Gift Cards online w/ promo code MAR23SPRING25 | 3/20/23 | 2023/3/23 |
| Meijer | Meijer: Save $10 When Buying $150+ Visa Gift Cards | 3/19/23 | 2023/3/25 |
| Giftcards.com | 5% off virtual Visa Gift Cards (+ portal rewards) up to $75 off at GiftCards.com (New Codes) | 3/16/23 | 2023/4/6 |
| Simon Mall | Free shipping and no processing fees on Simon Visa/MC Gift Cards online w/ promo code MAY23FLASH100 | 4/27/23 | 2023/5/1 |
| Staples | Easy 5x: Fee-free Visa Gift Cards at Staples (now live) | 4/30/23 | 2023/5/6 |
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[…] Gift cards are a common redemption option that allows you to redeem your gift cards for hotels, entertainment, restaurants, or shopping across multiple brands. […]
I see you note whether or not there is a cash advance fee. How does one get a cash advance on these cards?
Almost universally, you can’t. The cash advance fee refers to whether or not you’ll be charged a cash advance fee by your credit card when purchasing the gift cards (used to be more of a concern with certain products).
The limit on gift card purchases is 2K. Staples will only let you do 9 $200 gift cards at once when because the purchase fee is included in the 2K limit, thus 10 cards will code as being MORE than 2k (2,079.5, for example) However, a way around this is to buy the the 10th card separate from the first 9. The total gift card purchased are exactly equal to 2k. Did this with the Staples MC sale and had no problem using this technique to get 10 2oo k cards.
Forgive me for my ignorance but I thought that Visa/MC gift cards arent eligible to earn points and are coded as cash advances. Since US merchants provide L3 data. Is this the case or am I wrong? Would definitely wanna take advantage if its not enforced.
Nope, there’s no card thag I know of with a grocery bonus that doesn’t award category bonuses on GC purchases. Most grocery stores don’t provide L3 data (and even places that do, like office supply stores, don’t code gift cards as cash advances, ie, gift card deals at Staples with the Ink card.)
But this mainly applies only to VISA/MC cards right? As Ive heard Amex can do clawbacks on points for GC.
So Simons Malls purchases would just code as regular purchases for VISA/ MC just dont use amex for simons malls correct?
Correct
I don’t think officedepot.com has had $500 Visa gift cards for YEARS
Hello. I have had no issues in the past loading my Serve prepaid card using Visa Gift cards. Today I noticed Dollar General updated their terminals, so that the cashier has no keyboard anymore, and the swiping of my serve card takes place at the terminal in front of me at the counter. When trying to load my Serve card, we couldnt get it load using any debit card. I tried a visa gift card, as well as my wells fargo bank debit card, and neither one was not allowed. unfortunately I dont have the exact error message. I will get that next time.
Is anyone aware of any issue loading Serve cards with a debit card using the new terminals? Or did my casher not understand how to use the terminal? I wouldnt think that functionality would be removed all together. I didnt try to load it with cash, I just went to a store with older terminals and it loaded without issues.
anybody else have that issue?
Talking about serve card, do u know which gift card brand or issue bank is the right one to reload my serve card?
[…] until more money is added. The card can be reloaded online or by phone, and there is no way of adding more fun to a Visa Gift Card without buying another one and transferring the balance […]
Does anyone have problems using Vanilla Visa gift cards issued by Meta bank or Sutton Bank? Some online transactions get declined with them but not with ones issued by Bankcorps.
Do you know of any restaurants that sell Visa gift cards or Amazon gift cards?
Better question …why would they?
Does anyone use a few $1000 SimonsMall VGC to pay taxes for player 1 and 2. If so what it is the best credit card to buy them with?
It can. See Greg’s excellent post on it here. The limits are that some processors don’t except Metabank GC (that’s who issues Simon Mall’s VGC) and the payment limit by processor. So, depending on the amount of taxes you want to pay, yes.
As to which credit card to use, NOT AMEX (Amex will give you 0 points at Simon). Outside of that, one that you’re meeting a minimum spend on and/or one that gives you a good base rate of earning (ie Venture X, Double Cash, etc).
It’s also worth taking a look at US Bank cards that you can buy from some supermarkets. Although you’ll be able to pay less (because each card maxes at $500) and you’ll pay $6-7 more per $1000 in activation fees and processing fees, you can then use a bonused grocery store card (like Amex Gold, etc). You can decide whether or not the points are worth the extra spend/hassle, but it’s an option.
If using amex at the grocery like the gold card youd still earn points when purchasing VISA/MC GC? arent they excluded from earning points because its a cash like transaction? Doesnt the merchant provide L3 data to amex?
No, I doesn’t and yes, it earns points like any other grocery purchase.
Prepaid my state taxes with the Staples $200 card. PIA to do these one at a time, but good way to flush cards. They would only accept about 6 cards per day, so it takes a few days. No fee either. Next is to try on my local taxes. I know they charge a fee on debit cards.
What state?
my new time shift spend for large Amex spend requirements is fully refundable airfare and hotel in the first 3 months, but then I hit the spend in month 4/5 and then cancel the flights/hotels. So I still hit the real total spend, and in each statement period I’m positive so should not be a clawback.
I know folks who’ve done this and gotten shut down, and folks who’ve been able to ride it for quite some time. If you’re in the latter, then bless you!
There is currently another Meijer Mperks promotion for $10 off a Visa. Just like the one from 2018 listed in your “expired promotions” table.
Shoot, looks like it expires today. Thanks for letting us know, we totally missed that one!
Thanks so much for this excellent info. I noticed in the “Manufactured Spend” paragraph your statement “The most common version involves using credit cards to buy money orders at supermarkets or department stores and then depositing those money orders directly into a bank account”. Is this correct, to be able to use a credit card?
No, thanks for catching that. I thought that I had fixed it already!
such a thing as visa/mastercard prepaid cards with a chip? my grocery store that allows MO purchases now requires cards with chips to be used for purchase.
“Note that Walmart doesn’t accept Vanilla Visa gift cards as debit transactions for more than $50.”
Says who?
This could be one of those examples of there being some regional exceptions some gift cards liquidation options.
I feel like there should be a sentence about potential fraud or a link, and the risk is higher in certain parts of the country.
When you say fraud, do you mean someone liquidating funds from the card before the buyer does?
Yes. It seems like a lot of examples of this are in the same areas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and parts of Georgia. https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/manufactured-spending/1588993-gift-card-fraud.html
That seems like an issue that comes and goes in almost every urban area. I’ve had it happen a couple of times to me, both inside and outside of Seattle. The nice thing is that the card companies are very good about making you whole (and these days often know that the card is compromised before you do). It’s a pain, and it takes awhile to get a new card, but I’m not aware of recent examples of folks not being able to get reimbursed.
Something to be careful about: Simon Gift Card Bulk Orders are not shipping very fast. Last month an order took 8 days to ship, but the credit card was billed (not just pending) 4 days before it was actually shipped. This month it looks like the same thing again.
This is concerning as you may have to pay your credit card bill before the cards have shipped – which I thought would be highly irregular as normally goods are moved from pending to complete only when shipped.
Notes on Simon’s web site blames Covid-19, but that is no excuse to bill before shipping.
One of the big rules of MS is that you should always be able to cover the spend that you are floating, just in case of delays like this or if your quick liquidation method gets shut down. If you are overextending yourself through MS, then it might be time to reassess the amount of risk you are taking.
Do vanilla VGCs still work at grocery stores like Kroger for liquidating?
Just found out that Metabank does not allow transactions for charitable donations (after purchasing $1K on the various Staples fee-free deals).
I was trying to donate to the local animal shelter, Feeding America, and a couple others.
I’ve never had any success getting a cash advance on these cards. Has anyone found out a way to get cash out of these cards?
I ask because there is a category for “Cash Advance Fee”. This is puzzling.
usually the only way to get the liquidity back out of a cash-value gift card is through a money order or loading the amount into some store currency like Amazon.
I think this is a great technology that will play a role in the future. Thanks to this, we can replace damaged organs or anything like that for the benefit of other people. I think that this development can be cool to use in the future, recently in college we studied this topic and we needed to hand over the project. I wrote mine using http://essaypapers.reviews/ service and got an excellent score. But now this topic is very interesting to me.
Would it be possible to put this in a spreadsheet?
For the USPS site, you can actually add your name to the card, but you need to type your name in the “message” box separately from the “recipient” box.
Anyone having any luck recently with reloading any reloadable debit card with gift cards. I’m trying to stop getting money orders
Best option is to not buy gift cards.
Looks like the option for buying VISA gift cards at Office Depot’s GCM site is gone. USPS is still alive.
[…] sites now sell a max denomination of $250 per gift card, Simon is looking a bit better (though see this post for other options still around for buying Visa and Mastercard gift cards). In my case, I’m willing to pay a bit more than the cheapest cost possible in exchange for […]
Giant Eage fee for 200 $ is 6.95 not 4.95
https://www.simon.com/giftcard/ is another option to buy online.
500 $ . No name on the card. 3.95 fee . Shipping – 50 cents per card or 7$ trackable .
Better option that usps or office depot , since all use GCM , but fees are lower.
Seems like a good option– anyone know if Amex will give points on this order if GCM is processing? or is it still subject to the Simon Mall restriction?
It looks like the card purchase fee at Giant Eagle online is only $4.95 for the $50 cards. It’s $5.95 for the $100s and $6.95 for the $200s. Even with a 5% card at grocery stores, the feel is eating most of the lunch.
Under the drug stores section, for category bonus you could add the new 3x at pharmacies with Freedom Flex and Unlimited.
The USPS online purchase of gift cards will it code as shipping, i.e. the $20 reimbursement for packaging and shipping companies from Amex Biz Platinum will kick in?
I don’t think so, I just purchase a $500 card as a test and its showing up as BHN GIFTCARDS on my Chase Ink
[…] updating a post on Frequent Miler this evening, I noticed something interesting on the gift card portal that GiftCardMall runs for […]
How to add name on Incomm Incentives Vanilla Cards?
Also cannot place an order before choosing a “greeting” like Thank You, Great Job etc.
I had similar issues regarding adding the name and choosing a greeting. It also seems as though you need to have a “corporate” account with a Tax ID in order for your account to be approved for ordering.
Embarrassing the lengths bloggers go to right now to get advertising hits. If your income is gonna go down, best to go scorched Earth and take down the entire MS hobby, huh? At least you’ll make a few more final bucks in the process.
You sound like an opportunistic parasite whose blood supply is being cut off. If you’re going to call it a ‘hobby’, then you shouldn’t see anything wrong with the bloggers sharing information and making it a fun game of opportunities for the entire community, because it is, after all, a hobby.
Although I’ve always called this a hobby, generated and redeemed more points and miles than I even know, even before I knew there were others also in the game, I can now say the earth is indeed scorched now in a lot of areas as far as liquidation. So, it doesn’t really matter to me if it’s talked about it. I still have miles and hotel points I can’t even use. One day I hope that changes and more economies/countries open back up. Thanks COVID-19 and those who froze it and then thawed it out to “study” it when it wouldn’t have naturally thrived like this. The beginnings of what would curiously “evolve” into COVID-19 should have stayed in a cave. And, it amazes me that stores would rather promote cash-only mo’s rather than gcs being used that can be traced back to a cc. And some think the hobby is somehow ml, yet cash is the true ml result. Sorry for my rant for the day, but it’s not at any commenter or this site. I still find very useful information on FM.
Which “everywhere” visas can be liquidated at Walmart? I heard only grocery and style… dining?
Nick,
Amex award points on simon bulk? If not, that should be noted.
I don’t think anybody has tried given the volume you’d have to do only to find out they don’t. But you’re right that it’s worth noting that. I’ll update, thanks.
Wonder if they code the same as personal online ordering? That is a cheaper test.
They don’t code the same. I’m not convinced that means they would earn points, but they don’t code the same.
It says that “office Supply” gift cards are Vanilla Gift cards, but I don’t see that on the package. Simply that they are offered by Meta bank. Can they be used at Walmart to buy a money order or not?
That is a copy/paste error from Drug Stores. Office Supply are usually Metabank
How about VanillaGift.com?
[…] been available through cash back portals, which reduces net cost considerably (See our guide to the Best options for buying Visa and Mastercard gift cards). While payout rates and caps have varied some over time, the current monthly cap for Gift Card […]
[…] Best Options for Buying Visa and Mastercard Gift Cards […]
The link for drugstores does not have info for drugstores.
Thank you. That’s now fixed.
I just bought a virtual gift card on GiftCardMall.com using my rewards credit card. What’s the best way to liquidate this?
I bought a Visa gift card from USA Connect and it expired in 12 months. The company took the entire amount of the gift card, not just a small fee. Is this common?
i keep having my order cancelled by giftcards and giftcardmall. Has anyone else encountered this and were able to resolve it? I called their help desk which was an effort in futility. They just said keep trying a different card or email and make sure your billing address matches. 6 failed attempts. Any suggestions?
Has anyone tried buying the $200 vgc at staples and use it to pay your credit cards bill at Walmart? Is there a fee to do that and is it a good method to ms?
Thanks
Yes. You can pay to Visa or Mastercard with $1.5 fee up to 4 payment cards(4 gift cards) at once.
Known to trigger shutdowns with banks you are paying….see Pointchaser.com for more info
Has anyone tried buying Costco Cash Card and cash out at a register? I have called a local Costco and they said OK. There’s no card fees, shipping or taxes. And we can buy up to $1000 per card. As far as I know, California is one of the states that allows cashing out. “Any gift certificate sold after Jan. 1, 1997, is redeemable in cash for its cash value or subject to replacement with a new gift certificate at no cost to the purchaser or holder” .
This is the key: “or subject to replacement with a new gift certificate…” It the balance is $10 or more, they are not going to give you cash, in my experience. Would love to hear about contrary date poitns.
My only option is Safeway if it’s in person. Only giftcards.com online.
But Safeway has not restocked their variable gift cards in over 4 weeks. The remaining ones in stock are dwindling. Very few people seems to be buying them in my area, but in a couple of weeks, they’ll run out.
I’ve read a few places in comments that the Vanillas can now be used to load serve/Bluebird at Walmart without the $50 limit. Is that YMMV?
I’ve heard the same. Might be worth trying.
A $500 vanilla giftcard worked to load serve at a walmart in Florida. It appeared to go through as credit, as no pin was requested. Wonder if a credit card would work…anyone tried?
Isn’t it still possible to buy visa/mc gift cards in person at Office Depot for 5x pts with Ink Cash/Plus? I know you obviously don’t get a portal bonus, but you didn’t list this as an option under the “in-person” category. Is this not an option anymore?
yes that is still possible anytime. Good deal when they offer fee free or reduced fee (has been $1.95 per $200). YMMV on how many you can buy. I’ve generally been able to buy $2,000 total, although on these deals the terms say limit one and a manager once limited me to one card.
If you only once had a manager limit you to one card, consider yourself lucky. I’ve run into that policy more and more in recent months (and in a variety of stores/regions of the US). I’ve also had places that’ll sell $2K, but it’s location-dependent.
Sorry for the slow response! Not sure why we were missing that in this post as we had Staples in there for online purchases. I’ve updated the post and included office supply stores.
Nick –
You need to update the reply stream: Ahold stores (Stop& Shop, Giant, etc.) DO accept CCs when purchasing VGC or MC. In addition, many times through-out the year you can can get multiple times gas points when buying GCs, such that I got many full tanks of gas for just the activation cost of the gift cards, besies getting the points Also, besides getting multiple points with certain CCs at grocery stores, AMEX Hilton Ascend will key as grocery and acrue points toward a free weekend night, as opposed to buying GCs at Simon where they don’t.
AAA will shut you down for volume and you have no recourse when that happens.
[…] See also: Best options for buying Visa and MasterCard gift cards. […]
Buy VISA/MC cards to pay bills? Silly to pay the gift card fees. Just use your new credit cards to prepay monthly bills for signup bonuses and get it back from no monthly payments for some time. Note: No place in Dallas, TX area will sell money orders using PIN-enabled gift cards. Sad.
Croger not Kroger
[…] rewards. You can read more about this in our Manufactured Spending Complete Guide. See also our Best Options for Buying Visa and Mastercard Gift Cards for more information on which cards to purchase at various stores as well as which category […]
The cashback portal TCB.COM is showing VGC from GC.com and Giftcardmall.com earning cashback now, but at lower 0.75% now. Can someone reconfirm? Is Giftcardmall.com earning 2% or not, like in past?
I apologize if this has been covered before, but OV visa and MC gift-cards are issued by Bankcorp . Where can they be liquidated after purchase?
Either Dollar General or Family Dollar will load them onto Amex Serve cards. Walmart will not for over $49.99
1. Unhappy DP from staples.com. I test-purchased a $300 GC online with my Chase Ink Business Preferred, expecting the 3x bonus rate, but chase.com reports it only earned 1x as “all other.”
The bonus works fine for things like Travel. Anyone else seen this at Staples? Is it likely to be the same in-store?
2. While ApplePay is a 5x category for Freedom this quarter, has anyone found a store (preferably in NYC) that accepts it for gift cards?
1) Unfortunately, office supply stores are not a bonus category for the Ink Business Preferred. The 3x categories on that card are travel, shipping, internet, cable, phone, and advertising with social media sites. Staples purchases would only be 1x whether in-store or online.
Chase Ink Plus and Ink Cash cards offer 5x on office supply stores (Ink Plus capped at $50K spend per year; Ink Cash capped at 25K spend per year). I have updated this guide to clarify that it is the Ink Plus or Ink Cash cards that earn 5x at Staples.
2) I’m not an Apple user, but I would expect that you could use Apple Pay for merchant gift cards at any store that accepts credit cards for those purchases (hopefully someone can chime in if their experience differs). If you’re looking for Visa/Mastercard gift cards, I’m not sure who takes Apple Pay. In NYC I understand it to be especially difficult to buy VGC/MGCs with a credit card, so I would expect the same to be true with Apple Pay there.
I can use Apple Pay to buy gift cards at staples. Got my statement and it pay 5 pts per dollar
Does staples have $500 VGC/MC GC’s? If not, which ones did you buy?
Puja: From personal experience, the biggest card at staples.com is $300 with $8.95 (~3%) fee. I’ve read but haven’t confirmed that the in-store max card is $200 with $6.95 (~3.5%) fee. Both methods have transaction limits.
1. Thanks. I conflated categories with other Ink cards.
2. I’ll report my ApplePay/Freedom results for GC purchases in NYC when I get them. A working 5x bonus would be the best GC deal I know.
3. Related, and I hope not off topic, I could use advice on a change of Ink cards, with GC purchases as the primary driver. I’m at 5/24. I have had Ink Preferred for 6 months. I received the 80k bonus. Most of the main Ink Preferred benefits are redundant for me, or unused. My CSR gives me 3x travel and car insurance; an Ink Plus/Cash would earn more (5x v 3x) for internet and cable; and I don’t use the other bonus categories. If I drop Ink Preferred for Ink Plus or Ink Cash, I’d lose cell phone insurance, but right now my employer pays the phone bill. Unless I’m missing something, an Ink Plus or Ink Cash seem clearly better than Ink Preferred in my shoes.
Would it be better to:
a. Apply for a new Ink Plus or Ink Cash (I read somewhere they don’t count for 5/24) to get the new card bonus, then cancel the Ink Preferred?
b. or product change my Ink Preferred to Ink Cash or Ink Plus?
Would either course be likely to bring unwanted attention from Chase? I doubt it (I’ve only bought 2 GC ever) but I have six-figures of UR points I really don’t want to lose.
Thanks, everyone, for giving a hand to a relative newbie.
Update on question 2):
A RiteAid in NYC had no issue letting me buy an Amazon GC with ApplePay. I set ApplePay to use my Chase Freedom card, which is giving a 5x bonus for app payments. Amazon cards are sold at face value — no fee. I test purchased a $25 card for $25, scanned it in as credit using the Amazon app, and got 125 UR points. Almost too good to be true. I’d be wary of overdoing it, but I have no idea what volume is likely to set off alarms.
If Amazon gift cards are like cash for you, then that’s a good way to go. Note that you can also get 5X buying Amazon (and other) gift cards with the Chase Ink Cash card simply by buying gift cards in an office supply store.
[…] See also: Best options for buying Visa and MasterCard gift cards. […]
[…] course, there are still plenty of options for buying Visa and Mastercard gift cards, and GiftCardMall has had some good sales […]
Yes been buying them for months
giftcardmall has $500 visa cards available, instead of the $250 as earlier mentioned. Has anyone been able to purchase these?
Thanks for pointing this out! Updated post.
Guys I bought 4 MasterCard GC’s of $500 each from Croger. Where do I liquidate them?
WM red button cancel trick to change as debit is one option right?
However do they work at Croger MO too, itself?
Yes, obviously not in the same interaction though.
Use gift cards to prepay utilities and other monthly bills. Get it back from no monthly payments.
‘Get it back from No Monthly Payments”? What do you mean, pls explain.
I can’t possibly write it any clearer. Your prepaid credits will take care of monthly bills.
That would be quite dumb, though. I would use credit cards to pay utility bills and earn points/rewards on that spend.
Why buy giftcards with credit cards and then use giftcards to pay for something i could use my CC to pay for?
Amanda-You didn’t note to whom my reply was directed. It was for the one who was *already* stuck with gift cards and needed help to use them.
@Amanda, also there are plenty of utilities do not take credit cards.
Is Croger same as Kroger? If not, what is it?
I got $500 VGC from local grocers store issued by US bank. Earlier i was aboe to liqudate them at local PO for MO. But that avenue is closed. Where can i liquidate these cards (have 6 of them) now? Please help this Lad in Distress…..Sighs
Walmart.
Any one having issues placing order with giftcarmall.com?
I have placed orders smoothly till last month and suddenly this month, website is giving issues. Despite trying different borwsers and different CC’s, error keeps coming when trying to purchase saying ‘Order cannot be processed, transaction declined, could be credit card issue”
Called their customer service and they said they have been getting calls about the same…????????????
Do share your experience, and inputs/suggestions.
It’s GCM, people are banned for no reason at all plenty of times. I’ve moved to another state and still am banned. I bought a single $200 GC form them years ago.
Yep, that was the line I heard for nearly a year — the lower level reps telling me that they couldn’t tell me what the problem or “reason” was. When I’d ask for supervisors, they were trained to be polite, to sympathize, but that there was nothing that they could say…. (that the decisions were made in another department)
BUT all that seemed to change (at least for me), when one sympathetic supervision suggested the “level 2 review” — AND I was assured that I would actually get a call back from someone who really could work with you to figure out what the problem/reason was. (and more often than not for me, each time a block appears, it’s usually something trivial — yet not self-apparent)
Yes, it’s a super pain dealing with gcm…. and they deserved all the disdain and barbs they get. (though I gather that bad reputation may be part of the reason this “level 2” process is now supposedly available)
BEWARE OF GCM, Fraud company. I purchased 3 cards of $500 each and selected free shipping. Cards never arrived and were lost/stolen in the mail………..Filed dispute with GCM and they asked me to file dispute with visa network since these are visa cards…………………turns out they said cards were already used/balance drained on all 3 by someone else who got their hands on my cards…………refused to help me outright……..Hence forcibly i filed dispute with Amex as i had used Amex CC for the order………..guess what, while Amex is investigating this……….fraud GCM sent me 3 replacement GC supposedly for $500 each and notified AMEX to close their investigation as they had fulfilled the order………….hence AMEX closed their investigation………
TO MY UTTER SHOCK, ALL THE 3 GIFTCARDS SENT AS REPLACEMENT CARDS BY GCM HAVE ZERO BALANCE, YES ZERO FREAKING BALANCE………..When i called GCM about it, they said they will look into it…………….and even WORSE…………when i try to look up the card balance online, the numbers do not even register or are recognized by GCM website…….
hence i have reopened DISPUTE with AMEX AGAIN…………
Bottomline, stay away from GCM, as in greed to get 2% CB on your order, you will end up losing like $1500 like i stand to lose, at this point of time………..
Any suggestions/inputs on how to recover my $1500 is welcome……Thanks
Apologies in advance if anything I write here is redundant to earlier posts.
I’ve had better luck over past six months buying vgc’s (custom $500) via gcm, including this month, but it’s always an upsetting adventure….. Among the things that have helped for me:
1. If you’ve encountered problems, consider what you might have done that “changed.” Not that you did anything “wrong,” per se, but you might have done something major/little that prompted a mindless robot block…. Did you suddenly do a lot more volume? Different browser, different computer, location? (More below)
2. NEVER use Google Chrome for GCM transactions. Maybe it’s just the set up on my machine. (though it is the latest this and that) But for me, Firefox works; Chrome NEVER works. (Some reps at GCM will affirm this; others flatly deny it. I affirm it.)
3. Use the same credit card. GCM’s nasty “algorithms” are so intrusive that they will (mindlessly) sneeze and block at any change. (If you must change, as I will soon, do the first transaction with the new card very modest/small. If it fails, as it likely will, call GCM customer reps. If first level can’t “fix it,” ask for a level #2 review/inquiry/help. If you’ve been a good customer in the past, that will get their attention.)
4. Never change your email address on the account. I went for the first half of this year unable to buy anything with GCM, despite having had a few successes end of last year. Clueless, I “reasoned” that if my previous account went “bad,” then set up a new one. (with new email, but same me, address, credit cards, etc.) Bad move. Took me over half a year to figure out this had become a critical problem, getting me blocked everywhere. (thanks to a level #2 rep.)
5.Don’t get angry. (preaching to myself here) Patience. If the first GCM rep. you speak with comes across as a battle axe who treats you like a criminal, politely end that call early, wait a few days and call back…. Be patient, yet persistent; you’re really NOT a criminal. (though the GCM system, like paypal, can make you feel like one, where you’re presumed “guilty” of something, until you can “prove” your innocence.)
6. If first level rep. can’t help, DO ask for second level review — and ask specifically for them to call you. (worked wonders for me last summer when one second level rep. heard my saga — then suggested I go back to that account from last year that I’d moved away from…. then she worked with me, monitored my attempts live…..)
7. GCM reps. may not be impressed when you tell them you have no problems doing transactions with their “sister” company GC’s.com . (Some might take that as extra cause to push for a level 2 inquiry, but even at that level, some will darkly snark back at you claiming well “that’s because we’re better at security than they are….” If you encounter that “attitude,” smile/laugh and call back another time.)
8. It’s worth the aggravation…. I can confirm that GCM is paying out significantly more than GC’s. (twice actually — though you will wait a lot longer for it)
Remind me never ever to waste my breath like this into such a wasteland.
Nobody here gives a damn really. Take me off this miserable list.
Walmart
i care
I just bought $500 MC Gc from GC.com issued by Metabank
However they keep registering at WM as CC Instead of DC to buy MO
Any recent changes or issues with y’all regarding the same?
Did you try the trick of quickly cancelling the transaction and changing payment type to debit? This is a known thing that you need to do with Mastercards at Walmart. See the mastercard trick, here: https://frequentmiler.com/visa-gift-card-pins-and-example-uses/
I got an email that iconsumer is providing 9% cashback on giftcards.com till 10/31/17.
Can you confirm/update/provide more details about the same?
Here is copy/paste of my email…..what does this language mean? Anything tricky?
==========================================================================
Increased Cash Back
3.6% Cash Back – Total 4% Rebate
.9% Cash Back – Total 1% Rebate
Offer Good Through
October 31, 2017
Jia….. Would that you were right, but suspect you’ve misread the message. Cashbackmonitor only has iconsumer paying out a paltry (.)9 — as in less than one percent, plus the (.)1 percent (as in .001) in currently meaningless iconsumer stock. 1% total.
Where are you getting 4%?
Sorry 4% is for Gap i think.
Oops it is 0.9% and not 9%. My bad. Glad i did not pull the trigger and buy from there yet.
GC.com gives 1% CB at other websites too right? Like TCB.com for visa GC’s?
Does Mastercard give 1% or 2% there at gc.com?
Does Safeway on West Coast sell MO like WM? If yes same as WM with max of $1000
(Split with 2 of $500 VGC each? Fee charges?
Does anyone know any place in the Dallas, Texas area that will sell money orders using loaded gift/PIN cards?
Walmart
I meant ANY place in Dallas Area. If WM would work, I wouldn’t have written. I’ve tried WM, drugstores, grocery stores, gas stations,USPS, …………
AAA cards ar $3.95 issued by Metabank. I’ve purchased $13,000 in June when there was no purchase fee for June (same time every year in our region). They are PIN enabled, but I don’t recall if I had to change the PIN or if it was the last four. Store limits vary, but they freak out over anything over $2K.
Thank you! I’ve updated the AAA section.
Thanks for your report Chris. Interesting that you indicate no issues purchasing vgc’s in such volume via your AAA. (MidAtlantic, no?) In my experience with the overstaffed AAA locations in central Virginia, you get hit with micro-interrogation plus very lengthy in-store processing times for each and every attempted vgc…. (plus insistent questions wanting to know how you planned to use them…. I’d usually answer simply, “for travel purposes” — but felt like I was getting the “guilty until proven innocent” treatment — even though I rarely bought more than 1 per month)
Recall past reports then of AAA banning (sic) its own members from purchasing VGC’s…. with doing volume well below your report.
If AAA has eased up in this realm, I might consider re-joining AAA.
Sub
Updated info about GiftCardMall gift cards
[…] Buy Visa/MasterCard debit gift cards with a rewards credit card (see: Best options for buying Visa and MasterCard gift cards) […]
1) Can you revise update the portal C.Back rates for Buying VGC and MC GC’s? I think rates have dropped significantly at GCM and GC.com
2) Are Mastercard GC’s also available at both these sites?
3) Lastly are C.Back rates same for VGC and MC GC’s at both these sites??
1) I’m not normally “that guy,” but have you considered posting a comment answering your own questions so that others could benefit instead of just asking someone to do it for you? Log onto cashbackmonitor, look up the rates and post.
2) Really? How hard is it to log onto 2 websites and see if they carry a product?
3) see 1
Does visa dining cards work
Try the fashion ones. I don’t think the dining ones work at Walmart (but I could be wrong — I don’t remember for certain)
Katie,
I have two local WM stores where I purchase MOs. One works fine with Sunrise VGC, the other does not.
Notify me of follow-up comments by email
any DP on using it to do MO?
If it works for loading Serve, it should work for MO too
What kind of Serve card to get? I am
Confused with all subtypes available and want one without any fees and can be used to load money at WM with VGC/MC Gc’s
One VIP Serve is probably your best bet. More details here: https://frequentmiler.com/american-express-serve-types-guide/
Thanks Dear. Where can i get this “One VIP Serve” card from? Online it is not there on Serve website. Is it free to get or has one time fee?
You can signup for ONE VIP Serve here: https://www.serve.com/onevip/#one-vip-loyalty-access
I got the One VIP serve card. Thanks for your help and guidance in this matter.
One last question. Just like with BB, can i load This serve card with VGC/MC GC’s at WM/CVS?
How do i do it and is there a fee for loading Serve?
Also monthly limits?
Not at CVS, but yes at WM
There is no fee to load that version of Serve
Load limits: $2500 per day; $5,000 per month
Hi Greg, Katie here.
I tried to open One VIP Serve but got message saying ‘Sorry we cannot approve your card at this time. What the Crap is that? I had Serve that i had closed more than 4 yrs ago. Why is it not letting me open one? Any way i can turn this around? Called Serve customer service, and they were helpless and clueless.
That’s unfortunate. You may have to keep calling until you get someone who knows what they’re doing (or give up and try something else)
I bought a $500 VGC issued by Sunrise Banks. Would it work to get MO at either WM or PO?
Metabank works at WM and Bancorp works at PO, right?
How about this VGC i got got from Sunrise Banks?
I’ve bought and used Sunrise GC at WM.
To do MO @WM with Sunrise GC? Appreciate the prompt reply.
Actually, I used GC to load Serve.
Hi,
I’m a newbie and I need to spend $3500 in the next 4 weeks to meet the Chase Sapphire Reserve spending requirement. Will buying $3500 worth of visa gift cards work?
It all depends on your ability to liquidate those gift cards in your local stores; I couldn’t turn any GC into MO in the Hallandale area in FL. I did, however, use Plastiq to successfully meet $8000 for my Delta Skymiles cards (Platinum and Gold). Use their service, for a small fee, to send payments via check. Good luck! My Plastiq referral code: 561865 to send $200 fee free. http://www.plastiq.com
Thanks Mia for the reply.
Yes, that will work. If your goal is simply to time-shift spend, then you shouldn’t have any problem (e.g. buy the gift cards now and spend them over time). If you hope to liquidate the gift cards by buying money orders or other means, that will take more effort to find out what works in your area.
Thanks so much Greg! My goal is simply to time-shift spend, and just wondered if there’s any difference between buying Visa Gift Card and buying Store-Specific Gift Card when it comes to increasing my credit card spend to meet the Chase Sapphire Reserve SignUp Bonus spending requirement. I was suspicious because it’s involving using a “Visa” credit card to buy another “Visa” gift card.
Hey Greg, I am trying to meet Chase minimum spend…I’m just curious if there are any issues these days when buying Amex Gift cards online with a Chase Visa? Does Chase look down upon this, does it properly apply towards minimum spend? Will it raise any suspicion? I remember a while back Citi used to code them as Cash advances…
I don’t think that Amex will let you buy them with a Visa card unless you’re talking about buying them in-store (grocery, drugstore, etc)? If the latter, it shouldn’t be a problem.
sub
sub
Update: “example of a credit union that offers Visa gift cards” link is dead.
Thanks Ramzi. Fixed.
The post says giftcards.com cards are issued by Bancorp, however their website has the following small print, has something changed recently?
“The GiftCards.com Visa® Gift Cards are issued by MetaBank®, Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc.”
Mine were MeteBank from a few weeks ago.
However, Mastercard would be issued by Bankcorp.
Thank you. Fixed.
does it matter if issued by Metabank or Bankcorp? How and why would that matter? Can someone explain?
Some places don’t accept Metabank (ie USPS) and others don’t accept Bancorp (ie Wally).
I got a $500 VGC issued by Sunrise Banks. Would it work to get MO at either WM or PO? Pls advise.
Metabank works at WM and Bancorp works at PO.
How about this VGC i got got from Sunrise Banks?
I’ve never tried it. However, a couple of weeks ago I tried to use my Mango debit card, which is also issued by Sunrise, at the USPS and the transaction failed.
[…] For detailed options, please see: Best options for buying Visa and MasterCard gift cards. […]
[…] See also: Best options for buying Visa and MasterCard gift cards. […]
[…] See also: Best options for buying Visa and MasterCard gift cards. […]
Reporting from Hallandale, Fl.
Unable to use my $500 Vanilla VGC from CVS (Bancorp) to purchase MO from Walmart (known issue); declined at Publix (local grocery store) and PO.
Any luck liquidating VGC lately? Please share tips! Thanks!
Where USPS offices accept VGC’s for MO purchase (not all do), vanilla appears to be an acceptable flavor
I came across your article today. I just purchased 2 $300 vanilla visa gift cards for holiday gifts from CVS. Since purchasing them, I’ve read several bad reviews on them and that company. I see you said that you havent had issues with them. I’m concerned and wonder why there are so many poor reviews… any tips on how to use these to make sure they work properly? They have both been activated… thank you!
Dear Admin, For One Vanilla Debit cards at CVS,
1) Should I buy non reloadable $500 OV card for $5.95 fee or Reloadable $500 OV for $3.95 fee? Any advice AND BENEFITS OF One over the other?
—————–
2) My $500 OV I got for $5.95 fee can’t be used at WM AS debit card as it keeps going as credit card. WHAT should i do? Any way to get over this at WM to use a debit card and purchase MO?
3) Any other ways to liquidate this One Vanilla card bought from CVS? I guess i am stuck with no option to liquidate these
Julie: I wouldn’t worry. They generally work well.
BOB:
1. Most stores will take cash only for the reloadable OV. So, if your goal is to earn credit card rewards, you need to go for the non-reloadable version. Note that there are both $5.95 fee and $4.95 fee versions. Go for the $4.95 fee if you can. The benefit of the reloadable card is that it is reloadable, can be used at ATMs, etc. The benefit to the non-reloadable is that it can often be paid for with a credit card and it can be used immediately (the reloadable has to be registered with your SSN, etc.)
2. WM registers don’t like Vanilla brand gift cards as debit cards unless each transaction is less than $50. I don’t think there is any work-around other than paying less than $50 each time (which would be a huge hassle).
3. Try the PO instead.
How would it work at PO? Does it work as debit at PO by default unlike at WM where it goes as credit transaction every time i try to use it?
Yes it will work as debit
Post has been (belatedly) updated as follows:
1) Removed warning about possibly getting PIN-less Visa cards from GiftCardMall. That practice seems to have stopped. Still have warning about GCM cancelling many/most orders.
2) Removed note about gift cards no longer being available in many grocery stores. Many stores have started carrying the cards again. Also Whole Foods now sells them nationwide.
[…] For detailed options, please see: Best options for buying Visa and MasterCard gift cards. […]
[…] For detailed options, please see: Best options for buying Visa and MasterCard gift cards. […]
Jerry and readers,
I am in the market for a vanilla CC that can be used for recurring charges and have a name on it that is not my own. Reloadable preferred, non-reloadable ok. Tried GiftCards.com and it was fine for non-recurring but rejected for recurring. Could you please suggest a few options?
Seem that MO can’t be issued from many places including post office. Does anyone know where to buy MO by using VGC?
Your ability to buy MO’s at the post office and other places is highly dependent on your region.
See March 11 post above.
Subscribe. Please notify me by email of any changes or updates to this page.
Thanks!
[…] allowing the purchase of Vanilla Reload cards with credit cards. The new challenge was to find the best ways to buy Visa and Mastercard gift cards and earn miles while doing so. Thanks to now having PINs, Visa and MasterCard gift cards could be […]
Anyone know of Western Union outlets that take a credit card for purchase of
a money order?
Or…
grocery stores that take a debit or cc for a money order?
Thanks.
MOs are cash instruments, and you will never be able to buy a MO directly with a credit card. If they accept a card at all it will be debit only.
There are grocery stores that take debit for money orders, but it varies regionally as to what is allowed.
Thanks for the info Greg!
Appreciate it.
I just bought loaded VISA gift cards with new Citi Hilton credit card and, when activating them, set my desired PIN. Bought money orders at Walmart money center (NOT at a cashier) and deposited MOs into my checking account. Why mess with Bluebird? I paid 67c cash for each $1,000 MO. 75,000 bonus Hilton HHonors points + points for buying the gift cards.
Jerry,
You stated that you bought loaded VISA gift cards.. are they the reloadable or one time and done?
One and done. Hard to find reloadable ones anymore and no cost savings, anyway.
Do you mean you didn’t have to talk to cashier to buy MOs at Walmart? Can you please explain how that process works?
I can’t write any clearer. WM money center (NOT cashier). If you can’t find it, ask someone.
Jerry
Where did you buy the VISA GC.
Store? Online?
Any CVS or Kroger. $5.95 per $500 MC or VISA. In Galleria Mall (Simon), Dallas, TX service desk, $250 VISA cards for $2 fee. Max 4 cards at a time.
Yes, the Simon Mall opportunities are great. I quite well enjoy the $500 cards for just $3.95 in fees.
Correct me if i am wrong, but loading GC’s to serve/redbird/bluebird has stopped since last few months, right?
Am i missing something here?
Moderator, please share your expert opinion and thoughts.
It stopped for everyone who had their accounts frozen, but many people have still-functional Bluebird or Serve cards.
[…] Buy Visa/MC online and then pay bills online or via phone: It is sometimes possible to buy Visa or MasterCard gift cards online with little or no net fee (or to earn a nice category bonus). Then, you may be able to use those gift cards for bill payments where debit cards are accepted, but credit cards are not. For example, you may be able to use gift cards to pay rent with RadPad, or to pay taxes for a small fee. To learn the best ways to buy Visa and MasterCard gift cards, please see: Best options for buying Visa and MasterCard gift cards. […]
Just received the vgc from giftcards.com and went to Walmart cs to load it to serve, but it didn’t go through, tried two time one 500 and the other time 200, not sure if this is just my local Walmart or nationwide, any one has similar experience recently ?
I don’t think it’s nationwide, but I have heard similar issues from others
Just got 3 New Jetblue, Hilton Surpass, Regular Hilton and now Amex Platinum , get off work drive to cvs, purchase 1000 in onevan, go across street to Publix buy two money orders, drive 500ft to Suntrust deposit mo,drive 6 min home jump on computer pay cc. Worth the fee IMO
What’s onevan?
OneVanilla
So you’re paying $10 in fees on two $500 Vanilla Cards? That’s a little steep for the return.
Not steep for many miles or points on initial bonuses.
Just ordered 5k of Silver Visa Gift Cards from giftcardmall.com. Pending charge on Amex shows as “GIFT CARD MALL (CARDLAB)”. I made an order of Silver Visa Cards last week and got PIN enabled ones, but I see the warning here about Cardlab. I wonder if this is different from “Incentive Cardlab”?
I’m not sure. Did you get an email confirmation? When I ordered cards that were sent by Incentive Card Lab, the receipt clearly indicated that.
They ended up cancelling the order… Possibly because I went up to $5k from my earlier $3k order? The cancellation email did come from Incentive Cardlab
Bought $2K worth of Vanilla gift cards at CVS today at $500 each + $4.95 fee using AmEx SPG card. They scan your license – the daily limit is $2K. Worked great and paid off bills a few hours later that only took VISA / Mastercard. Didn’t love paying the fee, but worked great. Thanks for all of the advice in the blog & website!
may I know what type of bill payment you could pay by vanilla cards? I was trying to unload my one vanilla cards. thanks.
I used mine for a regular online bill where their payment system accepts Visa & Mastercard. Vanilla does say that the business must be US-based. As a precaution, I registered my zip code first before I paid the online vendor.
Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Tnx
Two days ago I tried to buy a $500 gift card at QFC with the Chase Freedom card. The bank would not allow the purchase. Has anyone been denied when trying to buy a gift card at a grocery store? I really want to spend $1500 for the 5x points!
Did you call Chase to see why it was blocked?
It’s very common for banks to deny purchase authorization attempts when the purchase is much larger or different than normal. Their goal is to stop people who may have stolen the card or the card number from using your card and getting away with lots of money. In general all you have to do is call the number on the back of the card to let them know that you still have the card in-hand and that you did mean to make the purchase.
I think you’ll find this post helpful too: https://frequentmiler.com/2015/01/23/bet-you-didnt-know-setup-credit-fraud-alerts-text-email/
Safeway Grocery Stores in my area of Denver no longer sell the $500 M/C or Visa Gift Cards.
They are only selling the $200 variety.
I haven’t seen a $500 at a Safeway around Denver in ages. When was the last time you saw one? I’m out by the airport so pretty much middle of nowhere.
GiftCards.com is now available through TopCashBack at the same 1.5% rate as iConsumer and Yazing.
GiftCards.com and GiftCardMall.com have returned to portals again. iConsumer hasn’t updated giftcards.com yet to show that it is tracking, but I’m sure they’ll fix that today or tomorrow. Yazing shows 1.5% still for giftcards.com