A while back, I got one of those Visa gift cards. As soon as I saw it, I recognized what it was. I'm no stranger to those gift cards, because I've had to buy a couple of them as gifts for others in the past. The idea is that it works just like a credit card, so the receiver can spend it on pretty much anything he wants. And since the person receiving the gift card doesn't have to pay for the amount that was pre-loaded on to the card, it's essentially free money.
As I'm discovering, though, there are a couple of minor details that can make using the gift card all sorts of interesting.
For example, my friend was telling me that, on occasion, restaurants will keep the "account" open for a few days. I'm not entirely sure I understand the rationale, but apparently the tip is treated differently than the meal itself. It sounds like some sort of bookkeeping oddity, and normally I'd just laugh about it. However, this particular oddity can mean that the gift card will be denied even though there are sufficient funds on it. Weird, but good to know.
Actually, that little factoid works as a double-edged sword. You know how no one wants to be the cheapskate who doesn't have enough money to pay for things? Knowing that it's possible for my gift card to be declined, I have to take proactive steps to explain the situation to people with whom I'm hanging out. Of course, any conversation that starts with, "so, my card might get declined ... " is going to leave you open to some friendly ribbing. And as luck would have it, I have plenty of friends who remind me of that fact.
Funnily enough, I've never once had the card cause a problem in this situation. I go out of my way to explain myself and endure a little teasing, all for nothing. Sometimes, I think the fates like to put me in these situations just for a good laugh.
The worst part of this is that even though brick-and-mortar establishments have never had a problem with my gift card, some online retailers have. The gift card is supposed to act just like a credit card, so I figured I could use it like, well, a credit card. It has 16 digits, an expiration date, and even one of those card security codes, just like a credit card. It sure looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, no? However, I have had websites tell me that "the issuing bank did not approve this transaction." Even after I typed in the digits slowly to make sure that user error wasn't the culprit, I still saw the same message.
Great. The one time that I am free from having to explain myself, the vendor suddenly decides that my money is no good. Feels a little like rubbing salt in the wound, doesn't it? Admittedly, not all online retailers have balked, but still. At this point, my choices are going through the whole conversation about the gift card & dealing with the inevitable teasing, or rolling the dice with a website that may or may not decide to mock me in a different way. See, I wasn't kidding about those fates and their quirky sense of humor.
At the end of the day, I get to spend this money guilt-free, so I'm not complaining too much. Still, I am going to seriously reconsider giving anyone one of these things as a gift in the future. Either that, or I may have to track down people I don't like, so I can pawn off one of these cards on them.
As I'm discovering, though, there are a couple of minor details that can make using the gift card all sorts of interesting.
For example, my friend was telling me that, on occasion, restaurants will keep the "account" open for a few days. I'm not entirely sure I understand the rationale, but apparently the tip is treated differently than the meal itself. It sounds like some sort of bookkeeping oddity, and normally I'd just laugh about it. However, this particular oddity can mean that the gift card will be denied even though there are sufficient funds on it. Weird, but good to know.
Actually, that little factoid works as a double-edged sword. You know how no one wants to be the cheapskate who doesn't have enough money to pay for things? Knowing that it's possible for my gift card to be declined, I have to take proactive steps to explain the situation to people with whom I'm hanging out. Of course, any conversation that starts with, "so, my card might get declined ... " is going to leave you open to some friendly ribbing. And as luck would have it, I have plenty of friends who remind me of that fact.
Funnily enough, I've never once had the card cause a problem in this situation. I go out of my way to explain myself and endure a little teasing, all for nothing. Sometimes, I think the fates like to put me in these situations just for a good laugh.
The worst part of this is that even though brick-and-mortar establishments have never had a problem with my gift card, some online retailers have. The gift card is supposed to act just like a credit card, so I figured I could use it like, well, a credit card. It has 16 digits, an expiration date, and even one of those card security codes, just like a credit card. It sure looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, no? However, I have had websites tell me that "the issuing bank did not approve this transaction." Even after I typed in the digits slowly to make sure that user error wasn't the culprit, I still saw the same message.
Great. The one time that I am free from having to explain myself, the vendor suddenly decides that my money is no good. Feels a little like rubbing salt in the wound, doesn't it? Admittedly, not all online retailers have balked, but still. At this point, my choices are going through the whole conversation about the gift card & dealing with the inevitable teasing, or rolling the dice with a website that may or may not decide to mock me in a different way. See, I wasn't kidding about those fates and their quirky sense of humor.
At the end of the day, I get to spend this money guilt-free, so I'm not complaining too much. Still, I am going to seriously reconsider giving anyone one of these things as a gift in the future. Either that, or I may have to track down people I don't like, so I can pawn off one of these cards on them.
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