Vanilla Visa Gift Card [Details and Review]

Giving gift cards on special occasions has now become a popular practice. Vanilla Gift has made it even more enticing by offering gift cards in different patterns and designs. In this Vanilla Visa Gift Card review, I’ll list all of its features and benefits so you can decide if it is the right gift card for you.

The Vanilla Visa Gift Card refers to the prepaid Visa gift card offered by Vanilla Gift, which can be bought in denominations ranging between $10 and $500. It is an ideal gift for a special occasion or an ideal token of appreciation for employees, business partners, and customers.

Read on to learn more about the Vanilla Visa Gift Card, its features, benefits, and advantages, and disadvantages.

About the Vanilla Visa Gift Card

The Vanilla Visa Gift Card is a prepaid Visa gift card offered by Vanilla Gift, which can be bought in amounts ranging between $10 and $500. It is an ideal gift for a special occasion or an ideal token of appreciation for employees, business partners, and customers.

So, in essence, if you can’t decide what to give someone, you can opt for the Vanilla Visa Gift Card. That way, the recipient can buy anything they want using the gift card.

Vanilla Visa Gift Card Benefits

The Vanilla Visa Gift Card has several benefits, which include the following:

1. Starter Cards for Teens
2. Limited Spending
3. Accepted in Stores Accredited with Visa
4. Ideal for Online Purchases

1. Starter Cards for Teens

If you have teenage kids, this is a great way to teach them how to use credit or debit cards responsibly. 

2. Limited Spending

The Vanilla Visa Gift Card can help curb spending habits. So, this is particularly useful for consumers who have a difficult time controlling their shopping behavior.

With this gift card, users can only spend the amount loaded onto the card. Any exceeding amount will not be honored.

3. Accepted in Stores Accredited with Visa

A Vanilla Visa Gift Card is accepted in any retail stores or restaurants that accept Visa. Processing payments using a Vanilla Visa Gift Card is basically the same as processing a Visa debit card or credit card payment.

4. Ideal for Online Purchases

The Vanilla Visa Gift Card is also ideal for people who don’t own any debit or credit card. With this gift card, they get an opportunity to do online shopping:

Frequently Asked Questions- Vanilla Gift Card

Where to Buy Vanilla Gift Card

You can get Vanilla Visa Gift Cards online at VanillaGift.com. Aside from that, you can get them from participating retail stores. If you want to know more about it, you can contact 1-844-433-7898.

How to View Vanilla Gift Card Order History

You can view your order history by doing the following:

• Log in to VanillaGift.com,
• If you don’t have a user ID and password yet, you can create one by registering to VanillaGift.com,
• Once you access the portal, you can view all transactions involving your Vanilla Gift Card, and
• You can access it under “My Account” or “Track Orders.”

What Payment Methods to Use to Buy a Vanilla Gift Card

The Vanilla Visa Gift Card can be bought using various types of credit or debit cards. These include Discover, American Express, and Visa. In fact, you can also use your existing Vanilla Gift Card to buy a new Vanilla Visa Gift Card.

What to Do If Vanilla Gift Card Is Lost or Stolen

• Notify Vanilla Gift immediately if your gift card gets lost or stolen. You may conveniently reach them at 1-833-322-6760,
• Once you get to contact them, be prepared to answer several questions and provide personal information,
• Make sure that you know your Vanilla Visa Gift Card number. That way, it will be easier for them to track if the card has been used, when and where it was used, and what items were bought using it.

How to Use the Vanilla Visa Gift Card to Shop In-store

If you’re buying something from a physical retail store, you can freely use your Vanilla Visa Gift Card as long as the store is accredited with Visa.

However, it’s best to check your available balance first before you shop. You can view your balance by accessing and logging in to the portal. Another alternative is to contact 1-833-322-6760 to inquire about your balance.

If the available balance of your gift card is not enough to pay for the item you wish to buy, you can still use it. Inform the cashier to charge your Vanilla Visa Gift Card a partial amount only. Then, inform them too that you will use another payment method for the remaining amount.

There are, however, a few merchants that don’t allow split payment transactions. Also, some merchants require a hold of up to 20% of the purchase amount. You might want to confirm this with the merchant before paying. At the same time, you might want to review your Cardholder Agreement.

How to Use the Vanilla Visa Gift Card to Shop Online

If you’re shopping online, you may use your Vanilla Visa Gift Card in such a way that you would use your debit or credit card. This means that when paying, you have to select either “Credit” or “Debit.” Do not select “Gift Card.”

The amount loaded in your Vanilla Visa Gift Card must be more than the price of the item you will buy. Other fees will be charged to you when buying online, such as the taxes and shipping fee. Also, some merchants require a hold of up to 20% of the total amount of your purchases. You can confirm this with the merchant before you proceed with your payment.

How to Add Vanilla Visa Gift Card to a Digital Wallet

Interestingly, you can also link your Vanilla Gift Card to several digital wallets. These include the following:

• Google Pay,
• Samsung Pay, and
• Apple Pay.

All you have to do is to access the app or digital wallet on your device. Then, follow all on-screen instructions, including entering the card number and taking a photo of the physical gift card.

How to Activate Vanilla Visa Gift Card

If you bought the Vanilla Visa Gift Card directly from VanillaGift.com, it should already be activated and ready for use anytime. In case it’s not yet activated, you can have it activated online. Log in to the portal. Calling the toll-free number shown on the back of the gift card is another option.

It is highly recommended that you indicate your name on the back of your Vanilla Visa Gift Card. It’s also best to take a photo of the front and back of your gift card and save the images in your smartphone’s photo gallery. This way, you will always have a copy of the gift card details in case the physical gift card is misplaced or, worse, stolen.

Is the Vanilla Gift Card Safe to Use?

So far, I have only tried using a Vanilla Visa Gift Card once, and it did not fail me. If I get a chance to have another Vanilla Gift Card, I will undoubtedly use it again.

However, some Vanilla Gift Cardholders seem to be having a difficult time using their gift card. Some even describe it as a scam.

Here are some of the problems they have encountered with their Vanilla Gift Card:

1. Gift Card Gets Activated After 24 Hours
2. Registration Through the Website Doesn’t Work
3. Website Is Not Secure
4. Customer Service Hotline Is Hard to Contact

Let’s briefly talk about these issues.

1. Gift Card Gets Activated After 24 Hours

Typically, if you buy the Vanilla Visa Gift Card from its website, it should already be activated once you receive it. It is important to know that you will be charged an activation fee upon payment so that you can immediately use your gift card.

Unfortunately, this is not the case if you buy your Vanilla gift card from partner merchants. You still have to wait for 24 hours before your card gets activated.

There are also instances when the gift card is not readily activated yet, even if it was bought directly from Vanilla Gift. In which case, you might want to contact their Customer Service Team.

2. Registration Through the Website Doesn’t Work

There are Vanilla Visa Gift Card Holders who find it challenging to register through the website. It seems that the website is experiencing too much traffic and has become inefficient for some. There are, however, those who were able to successfully register when they tried to access the website during non-peak hours.

3. Website Is Not Secure

Many Vanilla Gift Cardholders claim that the website is not secure. It seems to have a broken HTTPS and an SHA-1 Certificate issue.

4. Customer Service Hotline Is Hard to Contact

The Customer Service team of Vanilla Gift is very accommodating, but it isn’t easy to contact them. There are many failed attempts before you can eventually talk to a customer service representative.

However, there are times when it’s easy to contact them. So, I guess it all depends on the number of callers they receive.

Conclusion – Vanilla Visa Gift Card

The Vanilla Visa Gift Card is a prepaid Visa gift card offered by Vanilla Gift, which can be bought in denominations ranging between $10 and $500. It is an ideal gift for a special occasion or an ideal token of appreciation for employees, business partners, and customers.

Others claim that it is a scam, but I personally think that it’s not. The concept of the Vanilla Visa Gift Card is great, and it definitely has many advantages. What makes people doubtful about it are the existing loopholes that make it prone to tampering or hacking. But once these issues are fixed, everything will definitely be in place.

Unfortunately, as long as these issues are left unresolved, some gift cardholders will continue to see the negative image of Vanilla Gift.