The Gift of Good Taste
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Celebrate any occasion with a gift card! Vallarta gift cards can be purchased in store from any cashier. Gift cards are valid at all Vallarta Supermarkets store locations.
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*There is no fee for cash reloads at Safeway locations for any Everyday Select Rewards Prepaid Visa Card. Reload fees may be assessed by other reload locations and may vary from location to location. See the Cardholder Agreement for details and additional fees.
**Faster funding claim is based on a comparison of our policy of making funds available upon receipt of payment instruction versus the typical banking practice of posting funds at settlement. Fraud prevention restrictions may delay availability of funds with or without notice. Early availability of funds requires payor’s support of direct deposit and is subject to the timing of payor’s payment instruction.
***Earn 2% cash back with your card on signature purchase transactions at Safeway and Albertsons family of stores. A list of Albertsons family of stores and additional earning opportunities are available in your Online Account Center. Rewards are redeemed when you accumulate $10 in rewards and credited to your available balance within 3 business days up to a maximum of $40 per calendar year. Also, rewards may be forfeited if your account is closed prior to redemption.
****ID verification required. We will ask for your name, address, date of birth, and your government ID number. We may also ask to see your driver’s license or other identifying information. Restrictions apply. See card package for details.
When you’re looking to buy someone a gift but don’t know what to get, money expert Clark Howard wants you to be very skeptical about ever purchasing a Visa gift card.
Clark doesn’t like retail gift cards either, but it’s these prepaid gift cards that are a real concern. Here’s why…
Problem #1: Fees
First, the cards aren’t cheap. Visa gift card purchase fees vary by card, but the Target Visa Gift Card carries a $5 purchase fee for a $50 gift card, bringing the total to $55.
If you gave the recipient cash instead, you would save the $5 purchase fee.
The fees don’t stop there. Some Visa gift cards have monthly maintenance fees after a year of inactivity, so you want to read the fine print to look for cards that say there are “no fees after purchase.”
Visa gift cards are sold at major retailers like Walmart, Amazon and other stores with gift card displays — grocery stores, convenience stores, drug stores, etc.
Some banks, including U.S. Bank, also sell Visa gift cards to their customers.
Problem #2: Not Always Easy to Use
Clark’s second problem with Visa gift cards is that a lot of people say it’s difficult to use up the entire balance on the card, especially when there’s only $5 or $10 left.
Although the cards can be used at millions of retailers where Visa debit cards are accepted, both online and offline, there are times when purchases are declined.
For example, a member of Team Clark received a Visa gift card that was disabled at gas pumps and had to go inside the station to use it.
Restaurants can also be tricky. Some of them authorize an additional temporary 20% gratuity charge to your bill, but the actual charge is the price of the meal plus any gratuity you add.
If your bill is $50 before tip, your $50 gift card may be declined due to the preauthorization hold.
Hotels and car rental companies also place preauthorization holds. You must always make sure you have enough money on the card to cover the purchase amount and the hold.
Explanation of pre-authorization holds from the terms and conditions:
When making a purchase at a merchant that provides certain services or accepts tips, a preauthorization hold may be placed on your card for the estimated total price of your transaction.
This estimated total price will be for an amount greater than the initial purchase, 20% or more, to allow for tips, incidentals or additional services and will reduce your available balance.
CLARK TIP: If you have a gift card with just a few dollars left on it, spend it at the grocery store. They can usually handle split transactions without a problem.
Problem #3: Gift Card Fraud
Finally, thieves love gift cards. On his show, Clark shared how he heard a story from someone who went to use a new Visa gift card, but the value had already been emptied.
Visa gift cards can be replaced if they’re lost or stolen, but there may be a fee involved — sometimes $5 or more.
This is just one more reason Clark prefers credit over debit or gift cards. If you report a credit card lost or stolen, no money typically comes out of your pocket.
Clark’s Key Takeaway
“The marketing is so clever for the piece of trash Visa products, but they’re pieces of trash for a reason,” Clark said. “They’re vastly, overwhelmingly and completely inferior to giving somebody cash when you don’t know what to give them.”
More Clark.com Stories You May Like:
- Best Rewards Credit Cards: Team Clark’s Picks
- Why You Should Never Use a Debit Card to Pay for Anything
- Clark Howard: My 7 Rules for Using Credit Cards