Got sent a prepaid visa card for my rebate

Is there anyway for me to withdraw the cash to either my bank or paypal? I don't think I can use the exact number on there. I'd have something leftover. Kind of annoyed I got sent this card instead of a check. Paypal let me add the card but not withdraw from it to my balance.

If paypal let you add it, then just use it as your first source of payment. Then it will use it till it's gone and then use your paypal balance or another form of payment.

I don't think I can use the exact number on there. I'd have something leftover

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No need to use the exact amount. If you don't have enough on the card, then you have to pay the difference with some other form of payment.

e.g. if you have $5 on the card, buy something for $6, then pay the extra $1. There, you're card is now empty.

I have a similar conundrum, I have three $100 AMEX gift cards.

What a joke they are, for each card there's a $5.95 service fee and if I don't use them in the 1st 12 months there's a extra $2 fee per card.

So a $300 face value = $282.15 or after 12 months $276.15

It's also a headache using three cards for one online purchase, have to call and place the order, if possible.

i noticed alot of companies are going towards this prepaid deals. they're relying on people not using the leftovers.


afaik verizon is a company doing this. your rebates are sent in a prepaid visa.

Silversinksam said:

I have a similar conundrum, I have three $100 AMEX gift cards.

What a joke they are, for each card there's a $5.95 service fee and if I don't use them in the 1st 12 months there's a extra $2 fee per card.

So a $300 face value = $282.15 or after 12 months $276.15

It's also a headache using three cards for one online purchase, have to call and place the order, if possible.

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Yeah AMEX is a ripoff. I much prefer VISA gift cards. But even they are often a pain because some you can use like a credit card--others must be used as a debit and some places just don't accept them at all.

Yup, mine says they won't work on ATM's ... got it from my Corsair rebate. Expecting 2 more rebates from Corsair, so I hope they're not these cards either.

The mall near where I live sells prepaid gift cards. They are basically visa debt cards, there is a 2$ fee when you buy them, and I think there is another 2$ after a year without using them.

I use them for online purchases from time to time, never had any problems with them. Just as long as you make sure the place accepts visa debt your good to go.

I used mine for gas. Had to go in and get it split between the prepaid card and my regular CC once it got low. A bit of a PITA. Might be easier to drain at the grocery store.

What about this, i can take my CC and go to my bank and draw from it. Has anyone tried to do the same with one of these cards? I don't see why it wouldn't work, but i can see why people wouldn't WANT it to work. I haven't had any rebates as of late, so i haven't gotten any of these cards.

Any B&M store with decent POS software can accept more than one payment method on the same purchase. For online purchases, you'd probably have to contact customer support (of the store, not the card), as most online sales systems are only designed to take a single payment method.

Just remember to keep track of your balance. These gift cards act as credit cards. If there's only $4.97 left on the card, and you make a purchase for $5, you need to tell the salesperson the exact amount to put on the card. While non-CC gift cards (the ones that you can only use at the store you buy them at) can have the remaining balance queried automatically by the POS software, that $5 purchase will automatically take the maximum it can from the card, and then show that you still owe $0.03. The credit card gift cards, however, being a credit card, cannot be automatically queried for the balance (if they could, it would make CC theft so much easier, anybody could just query the balance, find your credit limit, and run it up just below your limit to have less chance of the card being locked out). This is why you need to tell them the exact balance if it is less than the total purchase price. Usually there is a number on the back of the card, where you just call, type in the CC number on the card, and get your balance.

SilverSinkSam said:

What a joke they are, for each card there's a $5.95 service fee and if I don't use them in the 1st 12 months there's a extra $2 fee per card.

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AFAIK, that service fee should only be for the original purchase of the card itself. If the cards were given to you, that fee should've already been paid. And, as jason4207 said, it shouldn't be hard at all to use them up on groceries before the 12 months is out.

gangaskan said:

i noticed alot of companies are going towards this prepaid deals. they're relying on people not using the leftovers.
afaik verizon is a company doing this. your rebates are sent in a prepaid visa.

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The company that sent you the card wouldn't make anything on "leftover" balance. Once the card is active, the CC company is holding the money. If you don't use it for a year, and they start charging the usual $2 per month after 12 months of inactivity, it is the CC oompany keeping those charges, not the rebater.

jason4207 said:

I used mine for gas.

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Yep, same here. I always use them for gas. Unfortunately at almost every station you have to go in and prepay as the pumps won't accept these prepaid cards. PITA is right.

Any major bank (wamu, BofA, Wells Fargo), can run the gift cards for full value and give you cash back as long as its a visa, AmEx, MasterCard, etc. I've done it with multiple different gift cards at Wells Fargo.

Yeah my mom sent me one of these Visa's for my wife and I's anniversary, we went through hell with mixing up the activation codes and whatnot, then they accidentally suspended the card. And of course when we did get to use it, we of course couldn't use all the money, as mentioned previously. There's still like $6 on it or something, which I'm sure I could buy some gas with or something.

Overall, I told my mom, "Next time... just send a check."

Less assish though.

Yeah I've read a few rebate terms that use these recently. Crock of crap imo I'd MUCH rather have cash $$ in the form of a check. There's got to be some data mining scheme going on to make it worthwhlie for the rebate issuers, or perhaps it's a bit of fraud reduction along with the gift card issuer hoping that they get their little cut if it doesn't all get used.

If you don't like it I suggest contacting the company that issued the rebate (Corsair etc.) and let them know.