How to use remaining LOW balance on gift cards?

frank81 · Post by **frank81** » Thu Jun 13, 2013 11:53 am

The credit card companies don't get a benefit out of you not using your gift card. After so many months they have to be escheated to the state, just like checks written that were never cashed. Eventually it goes into those unclaimed property databases and after so many years (usually 7) it goes to your state's general fund to be spent on whatever.

Gift cards make most of their money due to cash flow - either you pay them upfront and the earn interest on the cash or you are owed money (like an insurance payout or a rebate) and they extend the cash cycle (indirectly earning interest) rather than writing you a check that is immediately cashed for the entire amount. Activation fees are secondary to that.

The way to use them is just walk into any store and use them. If you buy $10 worth of stuff and swipe a $2 gift card, it takes $2 off the card and the new subtotal is $8. Keep swiping until they are done. But please, be courteous and don't do that during normal busy hours.

joshh · Post by **joshh** » Thu Jun 13, 2013 4:30 pm

frank81 wrote:The way to use them is just walk into any store and use them. If you buy $10 worth of stuff and swipe a $2 gift card, it takes $2 off the card and the new subtotal is $8. Keep swiping until they are done. But please, be courteous and don't do that during normal busy hours.

The cards decline doing it this way

The only way they work is if the cashier types 87¢ (or whatever the balance is) and runs the card. Then they would have to type 94¢ (another example balance) and swipe that card. And so on...and so on...

I CAN spend it that way, I was just hoping of some other magic solution to use all 20 cards without making a cashier (and others in line) want to shoot themselves.

I have been using them for single items with whichever card has the closest balance over the cost of the sale price (think price is right...can't go over:o ) but it still leaves me a balance, although closer to zero than before.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Thu Jun 13, 2013 10:37 pm

Any retail establishment should be able to handle a split tender.

Use the card nearest the amount due that is less than the amount due. That will kill that card. Then use whatever will cover the new remaining balance.

That depletes one card per transaction and perhaps reduces the balance remaining on a second.

If the card is being denied due to insufficient balance, you have learned a valuable lesson - do not purchase 'prepaid credit cards'. A gift card is like cash. No one has to 'approve' spending it.

frank81 · Post by **frank81** » Fri Jun 14, 2013 9:50 am

joshh wrote:The cards decline doing it this way The only way they work is if the cashier types 87¢ (or whatever the balance is) and runs the card. Then they would have to type 94¢ (another example balance) and swipe that card. And so on...and so on...

I CAN spend it that way, I was just hoping of some other magic solution to use all 20 cards without making a cashier (and others in line) want to shoot themselves.

I have been using them for single items with whichever card has the closest balance over the cost of the sale price (think price is right...can't go over:o ) but it still leaves me a balance, although closer to zero than before.

Just do it during off hours when there isn't a long line. Time is moving faster for that cashier messing with your gift cards than it is standing there idle with no one to ring up.

You must be shopping at classier establishments than me...I always get stuck behind the people paying with the $3 in their pocket, swiping WIC, writing a check for the case of Mountain Dew, and paying for the rest with a credit card.

joshh · Post by **joshh** » Fri Jun 14, 2013 11:30 am

frank81 wrote:You must be shopping at classier establishments than me...I always get stuck behind the people paying with the $3 in their pocket, swiping WIC, writing a check for the case of Mountain Dew, and paying for the rest with a credit card.

Oh God!

Thanks for the advice everyone! I think I'll save them for a rude cashier

greitz · Post by **greitz** » Fri Jun 14, 2013 11:42 am

"...I always get stuck behind the people paying with the $3 in their pocket, swiping WIC, writing a check for the case of Mountain Dew, and paying for the rest with a credit card."

Guy at the grocery store last week bought a case of beer.... with a pocket full of dimes.

Wouldn't have been so bad if he wouldn't have dumped them all on the (moving) conveyor belt. Took a while to partially disassemble the conveyor belt to finish the transaction.

Glad I wasn't buying any ice cream that trip....

Gary

frank81 · Post by **frank81** » Fri Jun 14, 2013 12:08 pm

greitz wrote:"...I always get stuck behind the people paying with the $3 in their pocket, swiping WIC, writing a check for the case of Mountain Dew, and paying for the rest with a credit card."

Guy at the grocery store last week bought a case of beer.... with a pocket full of dimes.

Wouldn't have been so bad if he wouldn't have dumped them all on the (moving) conveyor belt. Took a while to partially disassemble the conveyor belt to finish the transaction.

Glad I wasn't buying any ice cream that trip....

Gary

I was behind that same guy on Memorial Day weekend except it was quarters!

Don't judge him to harshly, when I was moving into my current house we needed some frosty beers half way through and the change jar was more convenient than finding my wallet. I was that guy, plus pennies and nickels, no ID, filthy, and I walked to the store. And I even brown bagged a tall boy for the walk home. Beer paid for with change tastes the same.

joshh · Post by **joshh** » Fri Jun 28, 2013 10:19 pm

Well, I finally did figure out a way. Amazon lets you buy gift cards with any amount 15¢ or more. It took about 20 minutes but I purchased amazon gift cards via the email option. I then copy/pasted those codes from my email to my amazon account and have about $25 to spend.

Any suggestions?

charlese · Post by **charlese** » Sat Jun 29, 2013 5:54 pm

I know that Shopsmith will honor all remaining balances on their gift cards. At one time I had 10 of them with small balances. They all added up so the $100 dollar card had to only be decreased by a few dollars in order to buy a ????