Saving Prepaid Gift Cards Will Save You Money

What do you get someone when you don’t know what they like? A gift card, of course! And if you now find yourself with a handful of prepaid gift cards after the holiday season, be sure not to throw them away as soon as you spend them. Wondering why anyone would ever want to hold on to trash (as if your purse wasn’t already cluttered!)? It turns out those Visa prepaid gift cards will come in handy — even if there’s no money left on them.

You can use prepaid gift cards for free trials.

New year, new you, right? Now is the time to try new things, and that includes anything from music-streaming service like Pandora to a video-streaming service like Netflix, or even a food diary app like the Keto Diet Meal Plan. But in order to take advantage of these free trials, many companies require you to enter your credit card information. Though you won’t be charged for the free trail, the fine print hides the fact that if you forget to cancel your subscription, the company will start charging your card in hopes that you won’t notice.

This is when you’ll be grateful you didn’t toss your leftover prepaid gift cards. Instead of giving away your precious credit or debit card information and risking an unexpected charge on your bank statements because cancelling a service slipped your mind (don’t worry, it happens to the best of us!), use the numbers on your prepaid gift card. Now, you won’t be charged if you forget to unsubscribe; the company will automatically end the service for you. See? Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

If you return an item, your gift card will be credited.

Because retailers treat prepaid gift cards like traditional debit cards, they will credit your original form of payment if you return something. That means if you buy a pair of winter leggings and decide they’re really not your style and need to be returned, the money will go back on your prepaid gift card, But if you’ve already sliced and diced your gift card, that means you’re out however much money you spent. Tough luck!

The same goes for rebates. Stores will often send you your rebate in the form of a prepaid gift card, and if you’ve already said sayonara to that little slip of plastic, you won’t be able to spend your refund should you choose to return something you’ve purchased with the rebate card. Womp, womp!

We know January is the season of resolutions, but if cleaning is on that list, be careful what you toss out. It’s better to be safe than sorry, so hold on to your prepaid gift cards until you’re past the refund window. Sure, it’s another card in your already stuffed wallet, but you’ll thank us later!