How can I check my Visa gift card balance?

You can check your Visa gift card balance by calling the number on the back of the card and following the prompts from the automated phone system. You can also check your Visa gift card balance by visiting the website listed on the card and entering the card details into the site’s balance checking tool.

How to Check Your Visa Gift Card Balance

1. Call the phone number or visit the website printed on the back of your gift card.
2. Select the option for checking your balance from the phone prompts or website. Some sites may require you to log in to your account first.
3. Enter your 16-digit card number and the security code on the back.
4. Note your current balance.

Visa is a card network, rather than a card issuer. It handles transaction processing, but the issuer is the company that’s responsible for actually managing your card. That’s why you have to check your balance directly with the issuer, rather than at a centralized place run by Visa.

Visa’s website only has links to the balance checking tools for several companies that offer Visa gift cards, including Vanilla Gift, Giftcards.com, Gift Card Mall, Commerce Bank, Navy Federal, and Walmart. Below, you can find links to the balance-checking tools for some of the most popular Visa gift card issuers/sellers.

Where to Check Your Visa Gift Card Balance

*Commonly associated with Visa gift cards from Target

Key Things to Know About Visa Gift Cards

• Where you can use them: Generally, you can use a Visa gift card anywhere Visa is accepted, which includes most merchants that take credit cards worldwide. However, it’s possible your card might say “Domestic Use Only” on the front, in which case you can only use it at merchants in the U.S.
• Limitations on use: Certain merchants, like hotels or car rental companies, may not accept gift cards at the time of booking or rental, though they may allow you to use gift cards for final payment.
• Extra fees: You may have to pay slightly more than face value to purchase a Visa gift card. The card also might have other fees, like foreign transaction fees, charges to replace lost or stolen cards, or inactivity fees that reduce your balance each month after a year of inactivity.
• Expiration: By law, your Visa gift card funds can’t expire for at least five years. Depending on the company that issued the card, you might have even longer than that to spend the money. The expiration date will be printed on the card.
• Reloading: You cannot reload a Visa gift card. You can only reload prepaid cards. So once your gift card balance is $0, you can’t use it anymore. You should still keep the card for a while in case you need it to return an item you’ve bought, though.
• Credit card payments: You can pay a credit card bill with a Visa gift card, just like you would with a debit card.

Since Visa gift cards cost more than face value, it’s more economical to buy someone a gift card to a store they shop from often, and you can check out the best gift cards here on WalletHub.