My family never used or never gave as gifts, gift cards. I had a new furnace and air conditioner installed last September 2019 and got a sizable rebate in the form of a gift card for the first time in my life. I used it for purchases at the grocery store and Wal-mart after “activation”. I was expecting that once the card got down “low” in funds, when used for payment it would be sucked dry and the clerk would ask for additional forms of payment. No way! When the card got low as to not cover the total purchase the clerk asked me, “How much do you want to use?” I didn’t know how much was left on the card! Yeah, I went to look it up later but I was pissed as hell (not at the clerk or store) as I immediately realized this was designed into the gift card paradigm. I whipped out a mainstream credit card and completed the purchase as it was no big deal to me except as I learned about the gift card scam.
If used until the gift card gets low on funds, one can’t just have the store clerk suck the rest off the card and tell you the balance you need to come up with! That really sucks. May God condemn to Hades the whole gift card industry as I’m sure a lot of cards expire with residual cash on them. Pure profit! They should be outlawed. Yeah, one can go to “ a website” and look it up but what a p.i.t.a. Especially if an older, non-computer literate person is the recipient of such a card/scam.
It could be changed if the store clerk could see there was only so much left on the card and advise the purchaser. They would have to decide to complete the purchase using another form of payment to make up the difference or to cancel the purchase and walk away. That would be more efficient, fair and easy so one could use all the cash on the card!
Or.................... Go back to gift certificates although that ties one to a particular vendor. If you know your recipient uses the purveyor, it’s a much better option as the gift certificate can be redeemed and if the bill is more than the cost, the user knows they’ll have to have another payment option available up front.
Any other opinions and strategies are welcomed on this topic. Kurt Savegnago
If used until the gift card gets low on funds, one can’t just have the store clerk suck the rest off the card and tell you the balance you need to come up with! That really sucks. May God condemn to Hades the whole gift card industry as I’m sure a lot of cards expire with residual cash on them. Pure profit! They should be outlawed. Yeah, one can go to “ a website” and look it up but what a p.i.t.a. Especially if an older, non-computer literate person is the recipient of such a card/scam.
It could be changed if the store clerk could see there was only so much left on the card and advise the purchaser. They would have to decide to complete the purchase using another form of payment to make up the difference or to cancel the purchase and walk away. That would be more efficient, fair and easy so one could use all the cash on the card!
Or.................... Go back to gift certificates although that ties one to a particular vendor. If you know your recipient uses the purveyor, it’s a much better option as the gift certificate can be redeemed and if the bill is more than the cost, the user knows they’ll have to have another payment option available up front.
Any other opinions and strategies are welcomed on this topic. Kurt Savegnago