Are you a Zelle customer or want to register in Zelle for the first time? You might be aware of the fact that transfers with Zelle take place between banks.
Zelle is a partner with hundreds of financial institutions in the U.S but, if your bank is not partnered with Zelle, you can also enroll with Zelle using your debit card Mastercard or Visa card.
Zelle is an online digital money transfer service. With Zelle, you can receive and send money directly between banks. It is easy to get started with Zelle, you can enroll in Zelle through your banking app or by downloading the Zelle app.
Read on to find out whether Zelle will accept your Visa gift card or not.
Read This to Know >> Here is How to Use Zelle with PNC Bank – A Detailed Guide
Does Zelle accept Visa gift cards?
Well, the answer to this is, No. Zelle does not accept visa gifts cards or any kind of gift card for that matter. If you want to enroll with Zelle, you must know that Zelle only accepts debit cards or Visa cards.
There are certain cards not accepted by Zelle. If you try and enroll in Zelle using these, it might show you that the card is ineligible. For your knowledge, see the list below to find out which cards are not accepted by Zelle.
You will not be able to use certain cards, such as:
Business debit cards
Credit cards
Internationally linked cards
Gift cards
Pre-paid cards from institutions, not in the Zelle network.
Can you use Zelle with prepaid cards?
As mentioned above, you must know by now that Zelle does not accept any kind of prepaid cards. However, there are some exceptions to that.
Zelle may accept prepaid Cards which come under the Zelle network along with Chase liquid card and PNG smart access card.
Therefore, if you have any of these cards, you might get to enroll in Zelle easily and start using them.
Read This to Know >> Zelle Buyer Protection: Is It Safe To Use [ Lets Find Out ]
Alternatives uses for your visa gift card (you can also convert them into cash).
We know it is too sad to know that you cannot directly use your card with Zelle. That being said, let us find out alternative options to make your card useful.
It feels great to receive a gift card, but to use that gift card is a kind of headache. This is the reason we are here to help you decide what other things can you do with your visa gift card.
There can be various ways you can convert your visa gift card balance into cash.
Read This to Know >> How Does Zelle use Cryptocurrency? [Let’s Find Out ]
Transfer it to your bank account through PayPal
PayPal lets you use gift cards and add them to your PayPal wallet.
Just launch your PayPal app on your device and make an account if you do not have one already.
To add your visa card balance to your PayPal account, simply log in.
- Go to the Wallet option at the top of your screen
- Click on the option of “link a card or bank”. You can find this just below any existing linked account.
- Continue with the prompts on your screen. When you get the option to add relevant details, add your Visa gift card details and click on “Link card.”
If you receive an error, you might have to register the card with your issuer and get an address linked to your Visa gift card.
Keep in mind that it might take some time before the money reaches your account. Standard transfers take one to five business days with PayPal. If you want an instant transfer, it might charge you some fee.
If you do not want to make a PayPal account, you can also get help from your friends or family if they have a PayPal account, upload the visa gift card in their wallet and take cash from them.
Upload it on Venmo
Venmo is also a money transfer app like Zelle though it uses a wallet system. It means you first have to load money in Venmo wallet to use it. Just like PayPal, you can add your visa gift card to Venmo and get the balance transferred to your bank account. Now, you can even spend the money with Zelle!
Venmo does not charge a fee for the standard transfer, but it might charge you some fee for an instant transfer.
Pay your bills
You can also use your gift card to clear your bills. Remember, the card will be treated the same as credit cards and you might need to pay some fees.
You can pay almost all kinds of bills like insurance, cable, grocery bills or mobile phone top-ups, etc. many companies accept credit cards as a method of payment where you can use your gift card too.
Sell it on apps like craigslist or eBay
There is also one option to earn real cash out of your Visa gift card. However, you might have to sell it at a lower price on Craigslist or eBay so that people buy it.
Gift cards are readily available for sale and users can purchase the same from retailers, so if you want to get your job done, you might have to sell them at a discount.
Purchase items on sale through your Visa gift card
You can use your Visa gift card to purchase items when they are on a big sale and then resell them to someone you know or who might require that item. For instance, if a regular 50 dollar Vase is on sale for $30, you can buy it off your visa gift card and list it on a reselling on websites, close to its original price like, $40. In this case, you will be able to gain more than the actual value of your card.
Sell it to your friends or someone you know
It can also be a good option to make cash out of your visa gift card. If there is someone you know who wants to buy it. However, they might want to pay you the lesser value of that as cards are easily available for purchases. If they are not getting any profit, they might not want to buy it from a person instead of just buying it from the stores.
Buy money order from your card
Certain stores let you buy money orders using your Visa gift cards. A store like Walmart or some groceries can let you do this. With this option, your money will be available to your bank account, from where you can use it directly as cash.
Make sure you do not make too many money orders as it might lead you to get your bank account blocked.
Use it for gifting purposes
Visa gift cards are a good option for gifting it as a present. nowadays a lot of people are using gift cards for birthday presents
It is a great alternative to give money to someone stored on a card!
Is Zelle Safe to Use?
Zelle does not share your financial data with a third party and keeps your data safe. Money moves instantly between banks hence, you do not need to worry about your cash being lost.
Zelle is safe to use unless you use it with unknown people. There can be many risks associated with Zelle. Hence, you must know the risks before you start using it.
Zelle has become popular with time because of its simplicity and easy-to-use feature. Although Zelle has a payment service, partnering with more than 100 financial institutions.
Even though Zelle has partnered with big banks, it does not have any protection feature because banks treat Zelle’s transactions as cash and not as a credit or debit card. Hence, it does not have features with cards where you can reverse a transaction by contacting your bank.
Many scams happen through online shopping. Zelle does not provide any buyer protection. If your purchase something using Zelle and do not like the product, you cannot request a refund. Sometimes, you do not even receive the product even though you paid for the item. These kinds of scams are widespread. Hence Zelle requests its users to use them only with the people they know and trust.
In Bottom line: Why Is My Card Ineligible With Zelle
There is no way to link your Visa gift card with Zelle. Therefore, we have come up with a few suggestions where you can use your Visa card. These alternatives are helpful if you have a visa gift card and you are confused about where to use it.
However, if you are able to transfer the card money directly to your bank account, you can then use it with Zelle easily!
