best prepaid visa/mc to gift?

[pumpkin]

I'm a lurker/sometime poster and I was wondering which prepaid visa/mc that you can pick up at the store is best for gifting? I know some of them charge ~$5 to load initially, and was wondering if there are some that are better than others.

[sporky]

I've had both the Visa gift card and the AmEx gift card given to me before and honestly, hate both. They're a pain to use because you have to use the exact amount on the card, as in you can't use a $25 card to make a $30 purchase and just pay the rest at many places. And at the places that will accept the two forms of payment, you have to make sure that you know the exact amount to the penny that's on the card. It's just a lot of hassle.

[pumpkin]

That is definitely not what was intended...hmm, maybe it's back to the drawing board

[crazytalk]

I've heard those complaints before, but honestly it's never been a huge issue to me. (I get those prepaid debit cards here & there, like for rebates, or from work as small bonuses.) I've had dumb Target cashiers who couldn't figure out how to separate out a payment - like, put $25.93 on this gift card and I'll use my other card for the balance - but that's the exception, not the rule. Frankly, I love getting those cards, because it's "extra" money.

As to what kind to get .... my bank (PNC) used to give them to PNC customers for free, but now there's a small fee of $3 or $4, which I think is pretty standard. I'm not sure of any huge differences otherwise.

[livinitup]

I like using my Discover reward points to get Discover gift cards. No extra cost and you can have a name printed on it. You just need to wait until they come in the mail.

[lindyanne]

I can get free ones through my bank.