Use a Visa Gift Card for Your Travel Expenses
With an abundance of gift card options on the market and wide-spread availability to consumers, giving a gift card to someone you care about is now as easy as it has ever been. A gift card can have a value of $10, $50, $300, or any other amount you deem appropriate for the occasion – it is something completely up to you, and truly beats any other present you could possibly surprise your friend or family member with. Gift cards are both sweetly thoughtful and wonderfully noncommittal in terms of gift-giving, as they allow your gift recipient to use your gifted funds to purchase something that interests them.
Gift cards that are not bound to specific retailers or merchants, such as prepaid Visa gift cards, make for some of the best gifts around. General retail gift cards have their limitations, but Visa gift cards can be used at a variety of stores and locations that accept major credit or debit cards. This makes them incredibly adaptable and a convenient way to provide payment at a number of different businesses. For folks buying a gift card for someone they may not know very well, a Visa gift card could be the answer to your gift card woes and be used by the recipient for practically anything at all.
But, does “anything” really mean anything at all? For instance, can you use a prepaid Visa gift card for travel costs and related expenses? Short answer: yes, you absolutely can. However, there are a lot of necessary details pertaining to the use of Visa gift cards to pay for travel expenses and the like, which we are going to explore throughout this article.
Some common questions we will be addressing include the following:
- Can I use my Visa gift card for hotel reservations?
- Can I use my Visa gift card for flights?
- How do I use my Visa gift card for rental cars?
Everything You Need to Know About Using Your Visa Gift Card for Travel
If you are planning to make a domestic trip in the upcoming future and have a prepaid Visa gift card on hand, it only makes sense that you would be concerned with the functionality behind using a prepaid Visa gift card for travel costs. After all, nothing beats saving money, especially when partaking in an expensive activity like traveling. The hotels, car rentals, plane tickets, food, and other essential travel costs can put quite the dent in your bank account in a short span of time, so it’s important to take advantage of saving when you can. A Visa gift card may be exactly what you need to mitigate any financial stress.
Whether you want to buy a prepaid Visa gift card for yourself or for somebody else, know that it is more than okay to use a Visa gift card for vacations, travel, and any related expenses such as dining, shopping, and entertainment. Whether it is to cover a practical cost associated with travel or purely for the sake of amusement while on a trip, a Visa gift card can be an extremely helpful travel companion.
Like a traditional credit or debit card, a prepaid Visa gift card may be used as a form of payment by most businesses, and that includes those involved in the travel industry. Hotels and airlines are two big financial commitments that a Visa gift card can help cover the costs of.
Visa Gift Card for Hotels
Where you stay matters when you are traveling, and hotel rooms can be quite the expense. If you usually pay with a card to book your hotel stays, then you’ll be pleased to note that a Visa gift card can be used as payment at most hotels. Using a Visa gift card for hotels makes things much more simple for you and this way you will not have to worry about receiving a gigantic credit card bill later.
Visa Gift Card for Airlines
Like hotels, most airlines accept major credit and debit cards, which means your Visa gift card should work at the airline of your choice. From Delta, Southwest, United, and many more major airlines located across the nation, travelers have plenty of flying options to consider while making long trips. Once you confirm the airline of your choice accepts Visa cards as payment, there should be nothing to hold you back from using your Visa gift card.
If you encounter any issues when it comes to payment, you should ensure the Visa gift card amount is enough to cover the total cost of your airline bill, or reserve its use for specific services while at the airport.
Visa Gift Card for Cruises
When you simply want the chance to sightsee at different destinations around the world, then you might as well go for a luxurious cruise on the high seas. A considerable amount of time will be spent sailing the open ocean waters, but there will be plenty of opportunities for exploration at various ports and coastal cities along your travels. You can use your Visa gift card to pay for your cruises tickets, associated costs, and pretty much anything else you will need during your nautical vacation. Most major cruise lines will be able to accept a domestic Visa gift card as payment.
Visa Gift Card for Travel Agents
Planning is everything when it comes to travel, and hiring a travel agent could help save you money on your trip overall. Consider using your Visa gift card to pay for appointments with your travel agent. Using a Visa gift card for travel insurance is also a good idea and grants you a safety net you can rely on in the event of an emergency.
How Do I Check the Balance on my Visa Gift Card While Traveling?
Knowing your Visa gift card balance is extremely important when you are actively making use of it. Whether you are out of town on a brief respite or on a blissful vacation sunbathing on sandy beaches, you always should have access to the funds on your prepaid Visa gift card. It’s a good thing checking your Visa gift card balance is easy regardless of where you are.
In order to check your Visa gift card balance while traveling, you should be able to do so by accessing the card issuer’s site and entering your sixteen digit card number and three digit security code. There is also a toll-free number on the back of prepaid Visa gift cards that you can call to discover your balance, though you will still need the card number and security code.
As a matter of fact, Gift Card Granny offers our own tool to check the balance of Visa gift cards.
Visa Gift Card for International Travel
Planning to go out of the country for your next vacation? The world is packed with tons of breathtaking sights spanning north to south, east to west. No one country holds everything there is to experience, and it’s only natural to want to break beyond invisible boundaries and explore everything this planet has to offer.
With all this talk of Visa gift cards and travel, you must be wondering if a prepaid Visa gift card can be used for international travel as well as domestic. While the answer is not a straight-forward yes, there are several things to take note of in regards to using prepaid Visa cards for international travel.
A typical Visa gift card you would purchase from a run-of-the-mill department store is generally only good to use in the country of which it was purchased. If you are planning an international trip and desire to bring a prepaid Visa gift card in lieu of cash or travelers’ checks, then you will want to consider options that can be used in a variety of different countries. Visa TravelMoney is a prepaid card that may be used to make purchases at millions of merchants worldwide that accept Visa debit cards. Benefits of this card include being able to reload the card with your home currency and spend money as needed based on the exchange rate, use it at an ATM to get local currency on hand, and obtain an emergency card replacement if it is lost or stolen.
Wherever your destination may lie, always be sure to take the time to properly prepare for your travels with the tools you need, from hotel reservations to acceptable payment methods.
Using Your Visa Gift Card for Car Rentals
Travel is not only limited to places you can reach by driving. Rather than spend three days on the road, airplanes can get you to your destination in a few short hours. That saves you a lot of time and gas money, giving you even more time to enjoy all there is to see.
Of course, now that you’ve finally arrived at your destination, you need to think about what you are going to do to get around. Walking may be an adequate option if you’re only staying in one area, but when you need to travel considerable distances, you might want the assistance of a vehicle. Since you didn’t drive, there’s only two options at your disposal: public transit or car rentals.
There’s no shame in taking the bus, but vacations should be about taking things easy, and renting a car gives you all the freedom and flexibility you need while out of town. Car rentals are built on comfort and convenience, allowing short-term visitors to thoroughly explore the various nooks and crannies of the neighborhood. Paired with a vehicle that is suited for your specific needs, you can make the most out of any trip with a car that feels right for you.
Assuming the business you choose to rent a car from accepts most major credit card companies, you can use a Visa gift card for car rentals. Those miles will add up fast, so it’s helpful to have some extra funds to spare.
Can I Use My Visa Gift Card for Uber or Lyft?
Rather than use the old-fashioned method of calling a cab, convenient and reliable transportation is now only a few taps away when you make use of mobility service apps like Uber and Lyft. These amazing services offer affordable car rides provided by independent workers who strive to satisfy and meet the needs of every single customer.
Rides with Uber and Lyft can be purchased through their respective apps, and payment may be provided in a variety of ways, from personal credit and debit cards to popular money services like PayPal and Venmo. Since Uber and Lyft accept major credit card companies, paying with a prepaid Visa gift card should not be a problem. However, make sure to verify that the amount on the Visa gift card is enough to cover the cost of the ride, otherwise it will not work.