Should I buy a MasterCard or Visa Gift Card?

What's the difference?
First off, not all MCGC or VGC are created equal! No matter which card type you're trying to buy, there are two basic divisions of MCGC and VGC: There is also a significant cost difference from store-to-store and from product-to-product, with VGC being as cheap as $4.94 locally and ranging up to $6.95. MCGC can run from $5.95 to $6.95.
 * Fixed denomination (set $50, $100, or $200 usually)
 * Variable denomination (packaging states $25-200 or $20-500 usually)

The other important thing you need to know is who issued the gift card - depending on the issuing bank, it may alter your ability to liquidate your cards at the place you want to use them. Some common issues:
 * Vanilla cards issued by Metabank cannot be used to liquidate at Walmart, they are capped at $49.99 per transaction/swipe
 * While most gift cards either allow you to use the last 4 digits of the card or any 4 digits for the PIN, MCGC will typically have a small slip of paper in the card which contains the pin
 * MCGC are notoriously difficult to use for liquidation purposes at Walmart and should not reliably be used there

The best rule is that when in doubt, a non-Vanilla branded Visa Gift Card should be able to liquidate at any place that allows for PIN-enabled Visa Gift Cards to be used. For more information on that, see the following related topics:
 * What "flavors" of VGC are available locally? MCGC?
 * Where can I buy VGC online? MCGC?
 * What are the current best VGC deals? MCGC?
 * Where can I buy VGC in New Orleans? MCGC?
 * Where can I buy VGC in Baton Rouge? MCGC?

Back to VGC or MCGC home, or to Manufactured Spending Home.