So your generous friend gave you a Visa gift card for your birthday. Awesome! Now you want to put that prepaid balance towards a nice treat from Amazon…
But wait, how do you exactly use a physical gift card for online shopping? Does Amazon even accept alternative payment types like these?
Not to worry. I‘ll walk you through the entire process in just 6 simple steps.
As an ecommerce technology geek, I‘ve helped over 5,000 readers use gift cards online. With this easy tutorial, you‘ll discover:
- How Visa gift cards work and securely buy anything from Amazon
- Step-by-step guidance to add your card balance to your Amazon account
- Tips to shop seamlessly & track gift card usage
Let‘s quickly cover the basics of what makes Visa gift cards so popular, before getting to the how-to.
Gift Card Adoption Surges for Digital Natives
Visa alone has issued over 2 billion prepaid cards worldwide as alternative payment forms explode in popularity:
| Year | Total Visa Gift & Prepaid Cards Issued |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 billion |
| 2019 | 2 billion |
eMarketer found 92.4 million US adults using prepaid debit cards in 2020.
And over 65% of millennials have spent gift cards on food, retail, and digital entertainment. Convenience is driving adoption with 68% of adults sticking to digital loading over visiting physical shops.
So don‘t feel overwhelmed using your Visa gift fund balance for Amazon purchases. You‘re alongside millions of savvy shoppers!
Now onto to the step-by-step…
How to Add Visa Gift Card on Amazon
Step 1: Navigate to "Add Payment Method"
Hover over your account name in top right corner and click "Your Account." Go to the "Your Payments" section.
Under "Payment methods" select "Add a payment method"
Pro Tip: Save time by bookmarking the payments page in your Amazon account
Step 2: Choose "Add Credit or Debit Card"
Despite saying "gift card", your Visa functions like any old debit or credit card number!
So go ahead and select that option:
Step 3: Enter Your Gift Card Details
Treat this just like activating the card elsewhere. Fill in:
- Card number
- Expiration date
- Name on card
The name will be whatever signature you used when activating the gift card.
Be extra careful typing everything accurately! One small mistake could lead to headaches.
Step 4: Add Your Billing Address
Even with prepaid balances, Amazon builds in an extra fraud prevention step…
They make you enter a billing address associated with the card, as if you might receive an actual bill (which you won‘t with a gift card!)
Just enter the mailing address you use for your Amazon account. Annoying but it adds security.
And that‘s it! Amazon will now have your Visa gift card on file to use for future orders.
Step 5: Shop Away & Track Your Balance
You can now apply your gift card balance towards anything sold directly by Amazon.com:
But stay aware not to exceed your card‘s value. Amazon won‘t split payments between multiple sources.
I‘ll cover tracking tips in a moment…
Step 6: Pay Close Attention to Limitations
While easy to add, there are small things to watch for when shopping:
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No split payments – order total must be less than gift card balance
-
No entering a CVV code (3-digit code). Cards requiring this won‘t work.
-
You must check your balance separately from Amazon each time.
Now let‘s dive deeper on usage pointers and limitations…
Seamless Gift Card Usage Tips & Common Pitfalls
Using gift card funds on Amazon removes lots of friction compared to old paper certificates. But you still need to be an informed shopper.
Here are helpful pointers I give all of my coaching clients:
Carefully Calculate Order Totals
Keep a pad, napkin or notes app handy to add item prices + taxes + shipping together. This keeps you from painfully discovering at checkout your prepaid balance fell short!
I have clients who love building Amazon wish lists across categories like books, home goods, tech gadgets. Just remember to tally the full cart price before buying.
Balance Inquiries Outside Amazon
You can‘t check remaining funds from within your Amazon account profile. The ecommerce platform doesn‘t directly integrate with your prepaid balance, they just facilitate charge transactions.
Instead, use the gift card issuer‘s website or phone number to check your balance. Most providers like Visa allow this via automated phone prompts or login portals.
I advise checking your balance immediately before finalizing an Amazon order to confirm sufficient funds with the latest data.
Accept Split Shipment Hassles
If part of your order ends up out of stock or unavailable to ship immediately, Amazon will split your fulfillment into multiple deliveries.
This probably won‘t exceed your original order total. But it means staying on top of tracking multiple shipments and delivery dates.
Just be prepared if Amazon couldn‘t get their hands on all your items simultaneously!
Research Return & Refund Fine Print
Every gift card and prepaid program has their own rules if you need to send an item back for refund after purchase. And policies vary widely.
Some will credit the returned charge to your card‘s balance. Others issue Amazon store credit instead of your payment method.
So read the fine print carefully before swiping that card! Disputes and corrections become complicated.
And that covers best practices using your new payment balance on Amazon!
Let‘s recap the key takeaways:
-
Gift cards usage continues soaring with billions in circulation
-
Adding your card on Amazon takes just 6 quick steps
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Monitor order totals and external balance to prevent hiccups
-
Limitations exist around balances, CVV codes, returns
As an ecommerce technology veteran, I adore seeing barrier-free payments improve. Just a few short decades ago, inconvenient paper vouchers were the norm!
Hopefully you feel empowered to redeem your thoughtful Visa gift using Amazon‘s seamless experience.
Happy shopping and enjoy your new item! Please reach out if any questions pop up.
