Do you have a bunch of Visa gift cards lying around, and would you like to convert them to cash?
I know I’ve found old Visa gift cards when looking through my drawers. Sometimes it can seem like a hassle to use them.
You have to keep track of their balance or call some 800 number to find out what it is. Sometimes they expire or lose value if not used before a specific date.
And if they don’t cover the entire cost of a purchase, you need to use multiple payment methods.
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Cash can be so much easier than Visa gift cards.
And while you may get Visa gift cards for your birthday or Christmas, here are a couple of other ways to get them (almost for free!):
- Swagbucks – Earn SBs (Swagbucks) for searching the web, watching videos, and taking surveys. Earn a $10 bonus just for signing up!
- Survey Junkie – Be an influencer by sharing your opinion on different brands.
Related: Best Survey Sites to Make Money When You’re Bored
When you earn points on those sites, you can cash them out by redeeming them for gift cards. The number of points varies over time. However, sometimes you’ll find Visa gift cards that require fewer points than other gift cards (e.g., PayPal Cash, Amazon) of the same dollar value.
Then you can convert them to cash or use them like cash for other things.
However, be aware that there is a fee to convert Visa gift cards to cash for most of these methods.
7 Ways to Convert Visa Gift Cards to Cash
Since most of the methods require paying a fee and having to wait for your cash for some, I’m going to cover a couple of options that you can use immediately while keeping the full amount of your gift cards.
1. Gift Your Visa Gift Card to Others
If you typically give cash to certain friends or family for their birthdays, you can give them your gift card instead.
This way, you can avoid the costs involved in converting Visa gift cards to cash and use it in place of cash.
Before doing this, be sure to check the gift card’s actual value and that there aren’t any use-by dates coming up soon.
Nothing worse than giving a gift card to a good friend and finding out later it didn’t have the full balance on it.
2. Convert to Amazon Gift Card Balance
This option is perfect if you do a lot of shopping on Amazon.
Using Amazon Reload, you can use your Visa gift card to add funds to your Amazon.com Gift Card Balance.
I prefer to do this over the other options on this list.
Here’s why.
I’ve received Visa gift cards for holidays, bonus reward programs (like VerizonUp rewards), and other random places over the years.
Some of them have been physical gift cards, and some have been virtual gift cards.
Regardless of the type, I’ve found I toss them in a drawer, or the email gets lost in hundreds of other emails, and I forget about them.
Now, as soon as I get a Visa gift card, I add it to my Amazon.com Gift Card Balance.
And the great thing about that is when I make a purchase on Amazon, any gift card balance is automatically applied to the total.
I don’t have to worry about those cards going unused anymore, and I don’t have to pay any additional fees to convert my Visa gift cards to cash.
3. Use a Gift Card Exchange Kiosk
Gift card exchange kiosks aren’t easy to find.
Coinstar used to have kiosks that gave you an offer for your unused Visa gift cards. But they no longer have them.
AnytimeCash kiosks will not only convert Visa gift cards to cash, but will convert most other gift cards to money as well.
And these kiosks provide several other services, including check cashing, loans, ATM services, and more.
However, AnytimeCash only had kiosks around Phoenix, New Orleans, Miami, Jacksonville, and Philadelphia at the time this article was written.
So unless you live near one of those cities, you are out of luck.
3. Gift Card Exchange Websites
Raise is an online marketplace for gift cards.
You list your gift card and set the selling price. You get paid via direct deposit, PayPal, or check when you sell your cards.
CardCash is another similar site, but instead of being a marketplace, they buy them from you.
Typically you don’t actually have to send them the card. The value can be transferred electronically to them using the card number and pin. If you do have to mail them in, it will take a bit longer to receive your money.
And if your card has an expiration date or is a promotional gift card, it likely won’t be accepted.
And remember, using these services will cost you typically 8-15% of the value left on the card.
eBay, or another similar eCommerce site, is another option. You can list your unused cards for sale. And even though a commission is charged, you’d pay less than the other sites’ fee.
4. Pay Bills with Your Visa Gift Card
If you can pay any of your bills with a credit card, you should be able to use your Visa gift card to pay for it.
You can pay for routine bills like cable, phone, streaming services, memberships, and internet services. Or consider using it for everyday expenses like gas, groceries, or eating out.
5. Buy Money Orders
You may be able to use a Visa gift card to purchase a money order.
After you purchase the money order, you can deposit it into your banking account or cash it.
However, all cards can’t be used for this, and you can only purchase money orders with a credit card at certain locations.
Western Union and 7-11 allow the use of credit cards to purchase money orders. Most other places do not.
And of course, there will be a fee involved in buying a money order, as well as using a card to purchase it.
6. Using PayPal
Adding a Visa gift card to PayPal makes it available for purchases from your PayPal account.
You can use it to buy something using your PayPal account. Or, if you have another PayPal account, you can send the balance to your other PayPal account and withdraw the funds.
Of course, typical PayPal fees will be applied.
7. Purchase Items for Resale
While this method is a bit more involved, you could actually get more cash than your Visa gift card was worth.
If you find items at a deep discount, or just come across a great deal, you can buy it with a Visa gift card.
Then, you resell the item and make more money than you originally paid for it. Getting your cash from the gift card as well as some extra money.
But this method does involve a bit more time and work, so you need to determine if it is worth the effort.
Frequently Asked Questions About Converting Visa Gift Cards to Cash
Can I transfer money from a Visa gift card to a bank account?
Not directly. By using one of the methods above, you can use the cash you receive in exchange for your gift cards to deposit into your bank account.
For example, by adding your Visa gift card to your PayPal account, you can transfer the money to another account and then to your bank account.
Alternatively, you can sell your gift cards using Raise or CashCard and have your money deposited into your banking account.
Can you transfer money from a Visa gift card to PayPal?
As described above, you cannot directly transfer money from a Visa gift card to PayPal. However, you can load your Visa gift card to your PayPal wallet for use as a payment method.
Can I turn gift cards into cash?
Yes, you can use any of the methods described in this article.
However, be aware that typically there will be fees involved, and you will receive less cash than the full card value.
How can I transfer money from one Visa gift card to another?
It isn’t possible to transfer money between Visa gift cards.
However, you can consolidate multiple Visa gift cards by loading them to your Amazon.com Gift Card Balance and using the value for purchases on Amazon.
What can you do with unwanted gift cards?
There are several options available for you to use your unwanted gift cards, including:
- Sell your gift cards for cash
- Donate your gift cards to charity
- Purchase items to resell
- Gift them to family or friends
- Exchange them with others for gift cards you want
Summary of Converting Visa Gift Cards to Cash
While it is nice to receive Visa gift cards as a gift or as a reward, they can be a hassle to use.
Turning your Visa gift cards into cash helps you avoid throwing money away.
I hope you found an option that helps you turn your Visa gift cards into cash to be used however you’d like.