Visa gift cards are the perfect gift for virtually any occasion. They can be used at any retailer that accepts Visa debit cards. Keeping track of the card's balance is simple with more than one option.
Checking Your Visa Gift Card Balance
There are a variety of ways to retrieve your available balance, depending on the card issuer.
Where to Start
The backs of Visa gift cards usually contain instructions for checking balances, including the toll-free customer service number, and web address (if applicable).
Verification Process
To obtain the available balance with any method you choose, you will need to provide the PIN that was included in the gift-card packaging and corresponding account number. This information is collected for security purposes. If you do not have the PIN on file, call the gift card vendor for further assistance.
Please note that the PIN cannot be used to obtain transaction approval with the debit option at the point of sale terminal. Instead, all purchases should be processed as credit unless stated otherwise since this number is typically only used for balance inquiries.
Point-of-Sale Balance Checks
Select retailers have the ability to provide cardholders with balance information via the in-store point of sale system. These retailers are:
- Abercrombie & Fitch
- Barnes & Noble
- Big 5 Sporting Goods
- Boscov's
- Dillard's
- Kmart
- Kohl's
- Marshalls
- Nordstrom
- Office Max
- Ross Stores
- Target
- T.J. Maxx
- Toys R Us
Popular Visa Gift Cards
Although there are many Visa gift card products available, here are a few of the most popular along with their website and contact phone number for checking balances.
| Issuer | Availability | Reloadable | Telephone | Fraud Protection |
| Vanilla Visa Gift Card | Retail Locations | No | 1-800-571-1376 | No |
| Visa Simon Giftcard | Online and Simon Mall locations | No | 1-866-300-9401 | No |
| Gift Card Mall Visa | Online | No | 1-866-397-9763 | No |
| Wal-Mart Visa Gift Card | Wal-Mart stores and Online | No | 1-866-633-9096 | Yes |
Special Considerations
In the event that the available balance is not enough to cover your purchase, notify the cashier that you will be making a partial payment to avoid a declined transaction. Once the balance is depleted, additional funds cannot be added if the gift card is not reloadable.
Entertainment Purchases
In some instances, merchants that typically collect tips may pre-authorize an additional amount of up to 20% of your check. Although this amount may change once the final transaction is processed, be sure that the available balance is sufficient to cover the balance with the estimated tip.
Expiration Dates
Once your Visa gift card expires, the funds will no longer be available for use from that card. However, some issuers may enable you to transfer any unused balance to a new gift card.
Cancellations and Refunds
Canceled transactions and refunded purchases may not be immediately reflected in the balance. Allow three to seven days for the processing of credits.
Dormancy Fees
Gift cards not used for an extended period of time may incur dormancy fees that could decrease your balance. Check with your issuer regarding this policy.
Seeking Assistance
If you are unable to retrieve your available balance using one of these methods, carefully review the information that came with the card or contact a customer service representative for further clarification.
