Valid through 12/16, IncentiveCardLabs is offering Visa gift cards fee free with code HappyHolidays.
With large denominations, they add on an extra fee, but if you buy the gift cards with $250 or less in value per card, you can buy them online with no fees other than a single shipping charge. For example, here’s my sample checkout with 40 $250 Visa cards and the promo code HappyHolidays applied:
Why you might not like this deal: No PIN
This above promo is great for those who want to buy Visa gift cards for real promotional uses (e.g. for prizes or gifts to customers). If, however, you are thinking of buying them just to earn miles you should know that these gift cards have no PINs. So, they cannot be used to load Bluebird, for example. Here are the details from their FAQ (bolding is mine):
How does the Visa Incentive Card work?
A Visa Incentive Card can be used wherever Visa debit cards, Interlink® cards and STAR® cards are accepted. To use the card at a point-of-sale terminal, simply select “credit” and sign the receipt. A Visa Incentive Card does not have a PIN, therefore, selecting “debit” will cause the card to be declined. Each time the Visa Incentive Card is used, the purchase amount is deducted from the available balance until that balance reaches zero. Once the entire card amount has been spent, it can no longer be used as a method of payment.
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I would also be interested to know if you could pay taxes with these cards as a debit card with the fixed rate processing fee.
does anyone know if these cards are processed as debit when paying taxes through any of the sites that offer that service to governments?
I would think so, but I don’t know for sure
They’re still a debit card, right? I can use a debit card without a pin to make online payments to my daycare but not credit.
Probably, but there’s always a chance that it won’t work. For example, Simon Mall gift cards don’t work with Evolve Money even though that service is supposed to be able to use all debit cards.
What about using to buy money orders (at a friendly place)?
That won’t work because there’s no PIN on these Visa gift cards. I’d personally rather buy Visa gift cards elsewhere. They might have a fee, but they’re more useful.
You would still need a PIN for that
Why would you buy these? I don’t see a reason unless you needed to meet a minimum spend on a card within the next 6 minutes.
Minimum spend is one reason, but even that might be better for loading Redbird. I’d buy them with Discover for the 4th quarter 5% back now that AP’s gone as an option.
oops just saw big crumbs is giving 1.8% on amex gcs. Your right, I probably don’t want these.
I’ve already maxed out my Redbird load for this months. This would let me make some min. Spend for a bonus this year and I can unload onto Redbird next month.
Makes sense.
Why wouldn’t red bird work?
? Ditto
Just load Redbird directly with a credit card, no need to buy Visa GCs.
Oh. Duh.
It would work, but then you might as well load REDbird directly with your credit card.
FM are you really buying that many? If so I assume a prelude to multiple 30X purchases or?
No, I’m not buying any. That was just a test to see how it would price.
@FM: Do you have an idea if this qualifies for Discover Q4 5% ? Amex GC purchase is going to cash advance is discover it and hence getting declined (I’ve set 0 cash advance limit).
I don’t know. I would guess that it wouldn’t qualify, but that’s really just a guess.
@ FM: Thanks. Any other ideas for maximizing discover 5% ? GCMall fees are high.
I don’t know of any fee free options, no.
No pin is rough, but it could be an alternative to Amex GCs for Discover spending, for a card that’s taken in more locations. At least, I assume that this would qualify for Discover’s 5%.
No PIN = no good. Glad to see the CAPTCHA is gone, hopefully SPAM comments are not out of control.
interesting. if someone has a way of liquidating that would be fantastic … otherwise bah.