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[Arachno-capitalist]

I hand you a hundred dollars on plastic and you cannot make a purchase that exceeds the remaining value on the card, and since most stores have minimum purchase amounts for charge cards, it can be difficult to spend all of the money and then the company evaporates the money with fees. I actually don't mind this, I use the cards for online purchases I make with small operations, so there is no chance someone can steal my credit card number and spend me into oblivion.

[wombat]

Wow, that sounds like a huge pain in the ass. Any of you who want those $100 plastic bonuses taken off your hands, I'd be happy to take care of it for you.

[Arachno-capitalist]

Wow, that sounds like a huge pain in the ass. Any of you who want those $100 plastic bonuses taken off your hands, I'd be happy to take care of it for you.

I'll take care of it in a gorilla suit for half that.

[CortJstr]

Yeah, it's hell finding a retailer who'll take VISA.  I mean, who takes debit cards these days?

The issue is finding a store that can do split payments. If I use the card for groceries one week then I'd have like $42.67 left on it. So the next time I get groceries I'd have to tell the cashier, "I want to charge $42.67 on this card and the the rest on a different card." A lot of places can't operate this way, due to their equipment or the cashier's lack of knowledge, which makes it a pain in the ass unless you happen to be able to spend exactly the entire amount exactly all at once. And restaurants and gas stations tend to reject these cards entirely as they have to guess how much to authorize the card for, and if the guess is more than the card's value then it's declined.

So typically I use these cards to buy regular gift cards at my grocery store or Amazon or whathaveyou just to avoid that hassle.

I've talked to several of my coworkers who have said they plan to use the cards for one purchase, as close to $100 as possible, then just write the rest off as not worth the effort. Which is of course exactly what Bank of America wants them to do. I mean, I appreciate the gesture and all, but couldn't they have just given us cash like they do at christmas?

I actually don't mind this, I use the cards for online purchases I make with small operations, so there is no chance someone can steal my credit card number and spend me into oblivion.

I'm going to assume that you're talking about porn sites here. Or prescription drugs. Or both. Maybe you like to take pain killers and hang out at CoHF.

[Arachno-capitalist]

I'm going to assume that you're talking about porn sites here. Or prescription drugs. Or both. Maybe you like to take pain killers and hang out at CoHF.

Im just going to say Im a capitalist and I enjoy the exploitation of transactions that are not illegal at the point of purchase.
Like the black dude in Shawshank Redemption, I am well-known in my circles as a man who can get things. (You want to sell an organ? I know a guy. You want to buy research chemical analogues of otherwise illegal drugs. I know a guy. I make things happen.)

[Choop]

just dump the thing in your paypal account and buy a t-shirt every once in a while

[Arachno-capitalist]

just dump the thing in your paypal account and buy a t-shirt every once in a while

Thats actually a great loop hole to turning it into cash. I have a paypal debit card, but you cannot use these gift cards at ATMs.

[side_show]

In a sort of related side note, with Mastercard  (in Canada anyway) if you have a credit card with a credit on it, you just go to the issuing financial institution for a cash advance in the exact amount, and they should simply put the money in your hand.  I have done this before without difficulty.

[jay-ell]

Or you can have them mail you a check, if you call their corporate number.  I have done this with MC and Visa, without difficulty. 

[side_show]

Or you can have them mail you a check, if you call their corporate number.  I have done this with MC and Visa, without difficulty. 

The type of Mastercard I worked for didn't offer this.  I think that option varies from issuer to issuer, or it may be a Canada/US thing.

[jay-ell]

Research indicates that people who are given "free money" and spend the money on a gift for someone else are happier afterwards (and stay happy longer) than those who spend it on themselves, regardless of the amount.  Pedro can give you a citation if you like.  I think it's from The Tipping Point. 

The point is that it's now possible to perform random acts of kindness for purely selgiraffe reasons. 

I'm sure Cappy can elaborate.