I've got at least four right now.

Not much good for online orders and real inconvenient at restaurants.

I'll probably procrastinate on trying to use them up until they expire. Like usual.

Use them at the grocery next time you stop in for beer and chips. Finish the sale with a credit/debit card. Plastic money at its best.

The issuers of these cards are planning on the fact that you won't use the last few dollars. It's like collecting a high interest loan for them. Free money in their pocket.

Im not above walking into a gas station and saying I need $4.78 on pump 4.

Good ideas, thanks guys.
Do the gas stations have to process these cards manually at the desk, not at the pump?

I will use them until there is a zero balance no mater what...I read an article a few years ago on how much the companies make on used balances and it is obscene

If these are the generic reward debit cards, you can also get an Amazon gift card to apply to your account in the exact amount left on the card. If you have multiple cards with small amounts that can add up.

quote:

Originally posted by Palm:
If these are the generic reward debit cards, you can also get an Amazon gift card to apply to your account in the exact amount left on the card. If you have multiple cards with small amounts that can add up.

Exactly what I do.

Use them! It's money you're throwing away if you don't. I used one at a local chicken wing place that still had less than a dollar on it. I'm a penny pinching SOB though.

If Florida is like California, you can cash out any gift card that has less than $10 at the retailer to which it's designated.

Ammo, cleaning supplies, etc.

I leave my <2$ cards on the counter for the next person. Most the time i have giftcards its to restaurants i wohldnt pay my own money to. Intentionally ring up as much as possible and ditch it.

I have one with 9 cents left on it. I am too embarrassed to present it. Should I karma it off?

quote:

Originally posted by RichardC:
Good ideas, thanks guys.
Do the gas stations have to process these cards manually at the desk, not at the pump?

Yes, because the way they work is the pumps pre-authorize $75 or a similar amount that they're programmed to automatically shut off at,then when the sale is completed they charge your credit card the actual amount, so the card you have will just decline at the pump.

The last time I cleaned out my wallet/desk/glove box and had a bunch of low balance gift cards, I used them to pay my cellular bill. ATT is happy to process multiple micro-transactions online.

-Rob

quote:

Originally posted by gpbst3:
Im not above walking into a gas station and saying I need $4.78 on pump 4.

What he said lol.

I'm a travelling RN so I get around a lot plus I get $145 per day Mon-Fri per diem that goes onto the company Visa. What I don't use I lose so at the end of the day, after I've paid for gas and lunch I get the remainder on 2 pre paid cards, half on gas cards the other half on a Visa card. I've got tons of gas cards that don't expire, and as for the Visa cards, they are used to maintain my dedicated work vehicle, pay for insurance, tires and whatever maintenance is due. Good thing is, at the end of the year expenses are 100% deductable as this car is used solely for work.

When I get a card that's in the under $1 to under $4 range, I'll bundle them together and buy me something at Target or Walmart. They've learned to dread my arrival at the end of the month lol.