Is a $25 Visa card equal $25

[Renthead Mommy]

If I buy $25 Visa card at the grocery store, is it worth $25 or are there fees taken out?

[AppleGreen]

I believe Visa charges a $3.95 fee on the purchaser end, more for higher value cards. I gave one last year as a gift and was surprised that that the card actually cost $28.95. The receiver did not need to pay a fee, UNLESS the card was inactive for a year, then there was $1.50 or something taken off the card's initial value. It may actually be a monthly inactivity fee after a month. I received a $50 gift card that had been unused (it was in a family member's estate). It only had like $6 on it due to inactivity fees. 

[ChocolateReignRemix]

You pay a fee when the card is purchased.  Once it is activated, the card is worth $25.

[happypamama]

I don't believe there are any fees taken out for at least a while.

 

You may pay a few dollars to purchase the card, but that'll be in addition to the $25, not taken from it.  The recipient will have $25 to spend.

[Alessandra]

We buy VISA gift cards at our bank. No fees whatsoever. The VISA cards I see at retailers have fees.

[goldberry]

Definitely watch those inactivity fees!  I thought about getting one for DD to have for emergencies.  But if it is for emergencies and she doesn't use it, the value goes down.

[DawnM]

I don't know if all of them have this, but I didn't understand it when I got a prepaid visa for the first time.

If you have say $3.22 left on your card, but your bill is $5.50, the visa will be denied at the retailers.  What I found out (after I threw away a card with some $$ still on it) is that you have to know the balance before you use it.  If the charge is higher than that amount, it will be denied.

 

So, if I had kept up with it, I could have said, "Please charge $3.22 on this card, and the rest on this other card."  

 

I don't want to give them because I don't want any money wasted if the person receiving the card doesn't know this or may not keep up with the balance left.