Vanilla Gift cards are preloaded electronic cards that give you the opportunity to express your appreciation and love to your friends or loved ones. This gift card can be used to shop in a lot of online and offline retail stores. And it comprises two variants with prices ranging from $10 to $500. The official platform for buying Vanilla cards is Vanilla.com
This card will not be accepted to make purchases on stores like Amazon because it mostly doesn’t come with an address or name on it. If you must make payments for items on Amazon using a Vanilla gift card, then you need to make sure to register the card using your ZIP code and other important information such as your name or address. Only when a Vanilla card comes with such information can it be accepted on Amazon.
In this article, I’ll be covering all the essential information and details you must know about Vanilla gift cards. That includes what a Vanilla card is used for, where to buy and sell Vanilla gift cards, and if Vanilla cards are redeemable. Nevertheless, before I get into these, how about I explain to you what exactly a Vanilla gift card is?
Without further ado, let’s delve right in.
What is a Vanilla Gift Card?
A Vanilla Gift card is a prepaid electronic card that allows you to make payments for items, goods, and services in most retail stores, and as such, you need not worry about purchasing stuff online or offline using your credit card. Although, Vanilla cards are only accepted in stores that support Mastercard, Visa, or American Express.
Vanilla gift cards are only viable for about 9 years, but funds available in them do not expire. From the moment you obtain a Vanilla card from any trusted platform, you need not hurry to make purchases with it. A Vanilla Gift card will not lose value even if you haven’t used it to make payments for items for an extended period of time. You should know that once this card is loaded, you can only spend the balance available in it.
One good thing about Vanilla cards is the fact that they can always be funded to make purchases, and this means that spending all the balance left on a Vanilla card does not make it entirely useless like other gift cards. If you want to make payment for an item with it but discover there are insufficient funds to do so, all you need do is fund that card and you’re good to go.
Vanilla Gift cards are usually sold between $5-$10 range depending on the retail store you’re buying from. It will not be sold higher than the said price range. This makes it one of the cheapest and most reliable gift cards out there. Now that we have enough information about what a Vanilla card is all about, let’s discuss other aspects concerning it.
Uses of Vanilla Gift Cards
Vanilla Gift cards are mostly used for online shopping and they can only make payments for items that your normal debit card is able to buy. Yes, there are limitations to what it can buy but it’s also a great means of paying for items if you do not want to spend raw cash.
These cards will allow you experience smooth and easy transactions online. There’s not a moment where you’re debited but your payment refuses to go through. Vanilla cards are better alternatives to normal credit and debit cards. You will enjoy every aspect of transacting with these gift cards online.
How to Activate Vanilla Gift Cards
At the point of sale, a Vanilla gift card can be activated. This means that you can activate your Vanilla card wherever you buy it. Alternatively, you may register and activate the card using the Vanilla visa website. You should know that your card must be activated immediately after it is purchased, ensuring that it becomes active and ready to be used as a payment method.
Another important thing to take note of is; You must sign at the back of a Vanilla gift card immediately and upon purchase. If this is not done, your Vanilla card will not be able to make payments for items in online stores. This is one of the required processes to make a Vanilla card active.
How to Check the Balance of Vanilla Gift Card
Checking the available balance of a Vanilla gift card is done with two easy procedures, You can either check online using the Vanilla card website or use the offline method which requires you to call the customer care service and get that information from them. Nevertheless, whatever method you choose to go with you must know your card PIN and number.
The customer care service line is at the back of your Vanilla gift card, and when you call, do well to follow the instructions given to know your available balance, but if you do not feel safe with this method, you can visit the official Vanilla card website which will require your card number and PIN to log in to your account and user profile, where you can view your current balance.
Does Vanilla Gift Card Expire?
As I earlier said, a Vanilla gift is only viable for nine years which means it can only be used within that period of time. When a Vanilla card expires, it will no longer be accepted to make payments for items you may be trying to purchase. All stores will decline that card. But what about the funds available in it, do they expire too? Well, they do not expire.
It’s important to know the date your Vanilla gift card will expire. This will help you decide whether to spend all available balances on it or not. Yes, it’s very possible to get your money back when your card expires but it is not advisable to take such a risk. You only have a 50% chance of getting refunded after your Vanilla card expires.
So it’s best to always spend all available balances on your card before it expires, but if you do not wish to buy anything online with funds in your card, then you may want to begin working on the refund process before your card actually expires. This increases the chances of getting your money back. You may also sell your card to platforms like Snappy Exchange as they offer very good rates for them.
If you want to find out the expiry date of your Vanilla gift card, all you need do is contact customer care service, and provide details regarding your card, to get its expiry date. You may also visit the website to chat with an agent to help you get that information. Remember, the customer service line is always at the back of your card.
Conclusion
Vanilla Gift cards are a great way of making payments online for items in most e-commerce and retail stores. They can be used in place of a normal debit or credit card. A Vanilla gift card can be used for a long period of time but of course, it does expire. Nevertheless, you will enjoy making use of it to purchase items online before that happens. You are also eligible for a refund of funds left in your balance when your card expires.
