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-   -   Seriously - Are plastic payment cards recyclable? (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/credit-card-programs/1445281-seriously-plastic-payment-cards-recyclable.html)

Superorb Jul 23, 2013 9:28 pm

So in looking on ebay for used GCs I stumbled on this listing. Why the hell are people paying $120 for a $100 Visa GC? Are people really this stupid? Or are the buyers using stolen credit cards? The seller will obviously get the money charged back and they'll be out the cash. And I've seen tons of these on ebay to not be a single time thing. And from sellers with lots of 100% FB too.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/100-VISA-DEB...item2a2f37f8b7

Father-of-3 Jul 23, 2013 9:29 pm


Originally Posted by ckgunn01 (Post 21148113)
Who cares if you can recycle them? 5,000 gift cards for a pound of plastic. Just think of all the gas you burned driving to get the cards before you get all snooty about recycling.

I don't think you understand. Recycling the cards completely and totally offsets the carbon footprint created by your CVS runs. It actually also undoes the impact of mileage runs AND your vacation. Even if you litter in a public park it will be washed away by your recycling efforts. You will even get a lead-based award plaque showing your zero carbon footprint that you can affix to the rear of your prius.

StartinSanDiego Jul 23, 2013 10:17 pm


Originally Posted by AllanAtlanta (Post 21148224)
I don't think you understand. Recycling the cards completely and totally offsets the carbon footprint created by your CVS runs. It actually also undoes the impact of mileage runs AND your vacation. Even if you litter in a public park it will be washed away by your recycling efforts. You will even get a lead-based award plaque showing your zero carbon footprint that you can affix to the rear of your prius.

While on a mileage run...

WhateverDude Jul 24, 2013 5:56 am


Originally Posted by ckgunn01 (Post 21148113)
Who cares if you can recycle them? 5,000 gift cards for a pound of plastic. Just think of all the gas you burned driving to get the cards before you get all snooty about recycling.

I didn't see anybody being snooty about it. If people want to recycle, what's it to you? Does the fact that one burned a bunch of gas to get the cards mean it's not worth it to drop them in a bin at a store when you're nearby? By that logic, companies should just discharge their toxic waste into the nearest river cause they've already bought the raw materials and manufactured the product.


Originally Posted by Superorb (Post 21148221)
So in looking on ebay for used GCs I stumbled on this listing. Why the hell are people paying $120 for a $100 Visa GC? Are people really this stupid? Or are the buyers using stolen credit cards? The seller will obviously get the money charged back and they'll be out the cash. And I've seen tons of these on ebay to not be a single time thing. And from sellers with lots of 100% FB too.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/100-VISA-DEB...item2a2f37f8b7

If you think that's weird, check out the Green Dot MoneyPaks. They constantly sell for way more than their face value. I'm still trying to figure out how that scam works, but in some cases sellers sell more than one card (sequentially), so I figure the sellers can't be getting burned too badly or scammed cause they certainly wouldn't do it again (i think).

mia Jul 24, 2013 7:17 am


Originally Posted by Superorb (Post 21148221)
...Why the hell are people paying $120 for a $100 Visa GC?

Discussion here:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/manuf...100-value.html

lovenola Jul 24, 2013 4:21 pm

I save them all in case the man comes knocking and asks why my spending far exceeds my income.

sprials Jul 24, 2013 4:59 pm

I think my collection will hit 150 soon, not even counting reload packs (paypal/vanilla).

I keep them stacked its like a monument

Superorb Jul 24, 2013 11:38 pm

Does anyone use them for something creative? I plan to use closed credit cards to decorate a small Christmas tree on my desk come December.

kirax2 Jul 27, 2013 10:07 pm

You know, I wondered about this myself, so I did some research on what kind of craft projects people are doing with spent gift cards. There are some pretty neat ideas, and I came up with a few of my own, too.

My favorite idea is to make guitar picks out of them. You can buy a pick maker (this one seems to have the best reviews, though I haven't tried it myself, as much as I'd like to:http://www.amazon.com/Guitar-Palooza...pr_product_top). As someone with a kid who goes to Rock Band Camp throughout the school year, I would love to take them a stack of guitar picks. You can also cut them out yourself, tracing around a storebought pick with a Sharpie to get the shape right, but I find that mine always turn out lopsided with this method. The nice variety of Chase gift cards available would make quite a nice set of different picks to give away, I think.

I also think it would be neat to turn one into a luggage tag. With a hole punch to make a hole (or a grommet puncher if you have one) you'd have a nice sturdy base. Put a white sticker with your name and contact info on the back, cover it with clear tape and you have a pretty and unique luggage tag that will stand out, and has your name on both sides. If you're worried about the numbers showing even though the card is drained, you could color over them with an oil-based paint Sharpie (they still show through regular Sharpies) or cover them with a strip of colored duct tape.

I also cut out batarang shapes from them as accessories to a costume I wore to Comic-Con last weekend, used silver or black oil-based paint Sharpies to cover them, and handed them out to people who identified the character I was dressed as. That was a lot of fun.

People have made keychains, jewelry, and used them as covers for little journals filled with re-used paper (such as the blank parts of the letters that Chase sends with the gift cards).

Oh, I also cut out the "Visa" part in the corner of each card and turned them into a miniature credit cards for my daughter's dolls. She loves them. I dug up some canceled credit cards to give her Mastercards and Amexes, too.

I hope others will post their ideas.

sprials Jul 27, 2013 10:09 pm

I actually don't have any coasters so I was thinking of gluing together some paypal/vanilla cards to make one.

Superorb Jul 27, 2013 11:38 pm


Originally Posted by sprials (Post 21169410)
I actually don't have any coasters so I was thinking of gluing together some paypal/vanilla cards to make one.

Bad idea. The best coasters are the stone ones that absorb the condensation. Otherwise, you'll have puddles and the card coasters will stick to the bottom of the cup and you'll end up wearing that puddle.

kirax2 Jul 28, 2013 6:06 am


Originally Posted by Superorb (Post 21169629)
Bad idea. The best coasters are the stone ones that absorb the condensation. Otherwise, you'll have puddles and the card coasters will stick to the bottom of the cup and you'll end up wearing that puddle.

Yeah, the point of coasters is to protect the underlying table from moisture, but moisture will slide right off the slick plastic of the cards and spill onto the table anyway. Maybe you could use the cards as a base and glue felt to either side of them. The plastic in the middle would keep the moisture from soaking through the felt and getting to the table.

aeneas3 Aug 16, 2013 6:47 am

if you can get them to stay together, you could make folders out of the joined cards

ThePointsCollector Sep 12, 2013 6:51 pm

Where do you take your old gift/credit cards for recycling?
 
Lots of them, so cutting them is not an option. :confused:

tsmith12 Sep 12, 2013 7:00 pm

Buy a shredder?


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