If you are a user of gift cards, I believe you may have heard about MasterCard Gift Card or you have come in contact with it. It is one of the most popular use gift cards in many countries and it is a very useful method of making online payments as many online stores accept gift cards.
MasterCard gift cards are accepted just like cash for shopping, dining, entertainment, and even online. When you give the gift of MasterCard, it’s the perfect choice for any occasion and any celebration. Give a MasterCard gift card!
In this article, I am going to be giving you a lot of information about MasterCard Gift Cards and their usefulness. Kindly read to the end if you desire more detailed information. See Macy’s Gift Card.
What Is a Mastercard Prepaid Gift Card?
A Mastercard prepaid gift card is a perfect gift when you’re not sure what to buy for another person.
Working as a regular debit card, a Mastercard gift card can be preloaded with any amount of money between $25 and $10,000 for the recipient to spend how and where they please.
The advantages of a Mastercard gift card are that it is:
- Transferable to anyone
- Easy to budget with
- Not linked to any stores or outlets
- Available in physical or digital form
Mastercard Gift Cards Can Be Given to Anyone
You can give a Mastercard gift card to anyone, as long as their name is specified when the card is purchased.
Some gift card vendors even allow you to personalize Mastercard gift cards with a photo, although this may incur a fee.
Mastercard Gift Cards Are Easy To Budget With
You can check the balance on a Mastercard gift card easily by:
- Calling the helpline on the number printed on the back of the card. Once you have dialed the number, an automated system will ask for the card details before informing you about the remaining balance, so be sure to have the card handy
- Visiting the website listed on the back of the card You may have to create an account to get the card balance information
Once you have checked your balance, budgeting how much you spend with the card becomes easy—once the funds are exhausted, the card can no longer be used. The danger of overspending (present when dealing with credit cards) is removed.
Mastercard Gift Cards Are Not Linked to Any Store or Outlet
You can use Mastercard gift cards at any place where Mastercards are generally accepted.
Some store-specific cards such as those from Amazon or Walmart allow you to purchase only from those vendors. Mastercard gift cards give you the freedom to shop anywhere you see the Mastercard logo.
Mastercard Gift Cards Are Available in Physical or Digital Form
Mastercard gift cards come either as plastic physical cards or eGift cards.
Physical cards have to be delivered to your address, with the PIN sent via separate mail. Details of eGift cards are sent via email, so your balance is available to use immediately.
The only disadvantage of the digital format is that you can’t use your gift card to:
- Draw cash from an ATM
- Make physical purchases in-store
Mastercard Gift Card vs. Visa Gift Card
There are few differences between Mastercard gift cards and Visa gift cards in relation to their usage and benefits. Both are preloaded, non-reloadable, widely accepted cards that provide flexibility in gift-giving and spending. They share some limitations, which are:
Expiry Date: Both cards are valid for a set number of years. While the funds do not disappear, you cannot use an expired card.
Associated Fees: Alongside the cost of purchasing the card, you are required to pay both activation fees and inactivity fees.
Non-Reloadable: Prepaid gift cards differ from other prepaid cards because you can only load a gift card once with a set amount between $5 and $500.
Require Activation. Some merchants do not accept unactivated prepaid gift cards. The activation process is simple. You can follow the steps on Visa or Mastercard’s website or call the number on your card.
These limitations are common between both Visa and Mastercard gift cards. These cards function interchangeably and are the two top sources of prepaid gift cards for gift-giving.
They share the same flexibility and usability, where each gift card can be spent anywhere, and with payment splitting, it is easy to use the card all in one place, like your next grocery trip.
Even if only a few cents remain on the card, you can pay those upfront and cover the rest with an alternate payment method.
Do You Need To Activate a Mastercard Gift Card?
Cards purchased directly from Mastercard are normally ready for immediate use without any further action necessary, but if your card was bought from a gift card vendor, you may need to activate it.
This can be done:
By phone—using the number supplied on the back of the card
Online—by following the link on the back of the card
To activate your card, you may be asked to provide your:
- Name
- Address
- Phone number
These details are collected for security purposes—to avoid fraud and protect you in the event of your card getting lost or stolen.
Where Can You Use an Online Prepaid Mastercard?
Online prepaid Mastercards can be redeemed on most vendors’ websites to pay for goods or services.
The most notable exceptions to this are:
- PayPal
Apart from these providers, most online stores or services will accept a Mastercard gift card.
This means you can give a Mastercard gift card to:
- Kids to use on Roblox, Amazon, or Fortnite
- Friends for when you can’t think of an appropriate gift
- Loved ones who you want to spoil
How To Use a Mastercard Gift Card for Online Purchases
Using a Mastercard gift card to shop online is simple. At checkout, you should choose the option to pay with a debit or credit card—don’t choose the gift card option. See iTunes Gift Card.
Mastercard gift cards work like normal debit cards, meaning that, for every purchase, you will be asked to provide:
- The card number
- Your name as it appears on the card
- The CVC—usually a three-digit number on the back of the card
Once you have entered this info, you may be asked to provide address details. You should fill in the address under which your card was registered when it was bought.
I hope you have found this article helpful. In case of any other questions about MasterCard gift cards, kindly make use of the comment section below.
