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What do you do with gift cards after you load them?

What do you do with gift cards after you load them?

Old Jan 3, 2016, 2:48 am
  #31  
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 3,493
Originally Posted by hamhead
Technically that is all available in the purchase history online.
Yeah good luck matching the exact card to that purchase online. The point is if you need to find that specific card you loaded on that particular day you don't have a way to figure that out...unless you organize all your VGCs in separate little zip lock baggies. Personally I just mark up each card so i can just stack and rubber band them together. I don't bother keeping the WM load receipts after I drain the funds since there is already too much clutter already.
ericdabbs is offline  
Old Jan 3, 2016, 9:49 am
  #32  
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 92
1)Buy cards, place receipt in envelope in sun visor in car.
2)On the way to unload, have my kids shuck the cards and file them in wallet for unloading. (any old cards in that wallet left over from a previous day have a mark on them so they are identifiable as NOT being today's cards.)
3)Unload cards, wrap each card in the unload receipt as it is unloaded, or match to each card as soon as you get back to the car, and place those in an envelope with the receipt.
4)Input each card into financial software that maps out the card's rout from purchase to the grave, staple card with unload receipt to purchase receipt and file it in a cigarette tube box (they fit perfectly!)
5)Each box is marked with start date and end date, taped shut and stacked in a box bound for storage.

I've never misplaced money/cards/MO's, etc.

My kids started a new game with the shucked card boxes... they cut out an entire stack of the cards from the pictures and they MS themselves now... It's all good until they start rattling numbers off when I am trying to record my data from the day. I have to remind them that mine actually have the real money on them, and if they keep rattling numbers off while I am inputting my information, I will have real money confused... They KNOW that's not good! I find it particularly amusing when they are pretend MS'ing and they remark, Oh, great... lets go. Next stop! That new over zealous lady is working the money center! ....
PenneyPincher is offline  
Old Jan 3, 2016, 10:09 am
  #33  
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: DCA/IAD
Programs: AA plat, SPG gold
Posts: 721
Originally Posted by PenneyPincher
1)Buy cards, place receipt in envelope in sun visor in car.
2)On the way to unload, have my kids shuck the cards and file them in wallet for unloading. (any old cards in that wallet left over from a previous day have a mark on them so they are identifiable as NOT being today's cards.)
3)Unload cards, wrap each card in the unload receipt as it is unloaded, or match to each card as soon as you get back to the car, and place those in an envelope with the receipt.
4)Input each card into financial software that maps out the card's rout from purchase to the grave, staple card with unload receipt to purchase receipt and file it in a cigarette tube box (they fit perfectly!)
5)Each box is marked with start date and end date, taped shut and stacked in a box bound for storage.

I've never misplaced money/cards/MO's, etc.

My kids started a new game with the shucked card boxes... they cut out an entire stack of the cards from the pictures and they MS themselves now... It's all good until they start rattling numbers off when I am trying to record my data from the day. I have to remind them that mine actually have the real money on them, and if they keep rattling numbers off while I am inputting my information, I will have real money confused... They KNOW that's not good! I find it particularly amusing when they are pretend MS'ing and they remark, Oh, great... lets go. Next stop! That new over zealous lady is working the money center! ....
And if you don't mind me asking, which financial software is this?
lakers6902 is offline  
Old Jan 3, 2016, 10:50 am
  #34  
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 92
Originally Posted by lakers6902
And if you don't mind me asking, which financial software is this?
Quicken rental property manager

Record purchases as a transfer to an account marked cards.
Enter a line marked fees, deduct the total fees for the cards.
Record liquidation as a transfer from cards into whatever account you liquidated it into...

Works for me!
PenneyPincher is offline  
Old Jan 4, 2016, 12:38 am
  #35  
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Programs: Northwest, United
Posts: 3,256
Originally Posted by nistah
I heard a rumor that Gift Cards with $0.50 or $0.00 remaining balance can be used on parking meters above the available balance, I have not tried this myself

Curious is anyone has any info on this ???
Where did you hear this? Seems TGTBT.

Easy enough to test cards with a zero balance - I think those are plentiful among this crowd...
nwflyboy is offline  
Old Jan 4, 2016, 7:59 am
  #36  
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Hopkinton, MA
Posts: 232
eBay

People buy empty cards in bulk. I don't know why. I figure I'd rather have someone pay for trash then just throw it away.
Car Jack is offline  
Old Jan 4, 2016, 8:20 am
  #37  
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 827
Originally Posted by Car Jack
eBay

People buy empty cards in bulk. I don't know why. I figure I'd rather have someone pay for trash then just throw it away.
The best explanations I have thought of are all negative except one: They sit there for hours running them through a terminal trying to find the one that still has $1.44 or $1.30 or whatever on it, or, if they're really lucky, the $500 you thought you lost.
CWAL is offline  
Old Jan 4, 2016, 2:13 pm
  #38  
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 2,805
Originally Posted by Car Jack

eBay

People buy empty cards in bulk. I don't know why. I figure I'd rather have someone pay for trash then just throw it away.
The following items are prohibited under ebay's Terms & Conditions:
-Currently active bank credit or debit cards
-Currently active store credit cards
-Pre-paid Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover cards, regardless of the amount on the card
-Expired bank or store cards that have been expired less than 10 years
-Non-embossed bank or store credit cards

Yes, there are some current auctions on ebay that appear to violate these rules, but it is highly likely that these auctions will be removed before the auction is concluded.
Steve in Olympia is offline  
Old Jan 4, 2016, 3:21 pm
  #39  
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: DFW
Posts: 246
Originally Posted by PenneyPincher
1)Buy cards, place receipt in envelope in sun visor in car.
2)On the way to unload, have my kids shuck the cards and file them in wallet for unloading. (any old cards in that wallet left over from a previous day have a mark on them so they are identifiable as NOT being today's cards.)
3)Unload cards, wrap each card in the unload receipt as it is unloaded, or match to each card as soon as you get back to the car, and place those in an envelope with the receipt.
4)Input each card into financial software that maps out the card's rout from purchase to the grave, staple card with unload receipt to purchase receipt and file it in a cigarette tube box (they fit perfectly!)
5)Each box is marked with start date and end date, taped shut and stacked in a box bound for storage.

I've never misplaced money/cards/MO's, etc.

My kids started a new game with the shucked card boxes... they cut out an entire stack of the cards from the pictures and they MS themselves now... It's all good until they start rattling numbers off when I am trying to record my data from the day. I have to remind them that mine actually have the real money on them, and if they keep rattling numbers off while I am inputting my information, I will have real money confused... They KNOW that's not good! I find it particularly amusing when they are pretend MS'ing and they remark, Oh, great... lets go. Next stop! That new over zealous lady is working the money center! ....
Nice process, might try something similar except no one I know smokes so I gotta find an alternative box to use...
uneeq is offline  
Old Jan 4, 2016, 3:50 pm
  #40  
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Indianapolis
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Posts: 7,377
They make good ice scrapers., also good to scrape bugs off your car when detailing it.
satman40 is offline  
Old Jan 4, 2016, 8:34 pm
  #41  
Moderator: Manufactured Spending
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 6,576
Originally Posted by nistah
I heard a rumor that Gift Cards with $0.50 or $0.00 remaining balance can be used on parking meters above the available balance, I have not tried this myself

Curious is anyone has any info on this ???
Parking meters are like restaurants and hotels, in that the machine doesn't know what the total will be until long after you swipe. Most such businesses will put a hold on your card for the expected amount, but I imagine that some parking meteres might not, since the amount is so small. Nevertheless, I would consider this to be unethical if you do it intentionally.

Originally Posted by Car Jack
eBay

People buy empty cards in bulk. I don't know why. I figure I'd rather have someone pay for trash then just throw it away.
There is most likely some sinister activity going on here. Perhaps credit card thieves are using them as blanks to encode the data from stolen cards.

Back on the topic of this thread, I recycle mine in the gift card recycling bin at Best Buy. MS is not great for the environment, so why not offset it. I'm not too concerned about someone looking up the card's history, because I don't register the cards so there wouldn't be any personal information available.
cbn42 is offline  
Old Jan 4, 2016, 8:52 pm
  #42  
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 827
Originally Posted by cbn42
Back on the topic of this thread, I recycle mine in the gift card recycling bin at Best Buy. MS is not great for the environment, so why not offset it. I'm not too concerned about someone looking up the card's history, because I don't register the cards so there wouldn't be any personal information available.
When I retire from MS or change cities, I plan on bringing them in bulk cartons to either:

a)the cashiers who treat me the best (just to show off, and then take them to recycle)
OR
b)the cashiers who treat me the worst (and leave them on the counter in front of them)
CWAL is offline  
Old Jan 4, 2016, 9:57 pm
  #43  
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Indianapolis
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Posts: 7,377
I throw them in the trash bin as I leave WM.,
satman40 is offline  
Old Jan 5, 2016, 4:05 am
  #44  
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 92
Originally Posted by uneeq
Nice process, might try something similar except no one I know smokes so I gotta find an alternative box to use...
I wish no one here smoked... but that's another issue!

I like that they fit so well in that particular box so that the bundles don't come undone. I use a vitamin bottle to keep them snug until the box is full enough. I hate it when they get all jumbled around!

I started off with a shoe box with my bottles of vitamins to fill the extra space and hold them snugly in order, then I used a plastic cassette box, and then a goofy sized plastic container that I never really used for food storage. Some of the smaller boxes electronics come in with the flaps that tuck in, those worked well too. Sturdy and securely closed...
PenneyPincher is offline  
Old Jan 5, 2016, 12:19 pm
  #45  
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: PHL
Programs: All
Posts: 65
I have two boxes. Each month I dump the old box and start a new one. Always have at least 30 days worth that way. Any loss older than that would not be worth the effort to track down.
SeahawkRaptor is offline  

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