10 Ways to Convert Visa Gift Cards to Cash
Reading Time: 12 minutes 
Visa offers prepaid gift cards you can use for any special occasion. Whether it’s a birthday, wedding, or holiday, these cards are a welcome exchange.
Since they are monetary in nature, the question arises – can I turn a gift card into cold hard cash? Anyone can convert a Visa gift card to cash, but you have to do it in a specific manner.
As an affiliate partner of various brands and sponsored content, HerPaperRoute may earn commission on qualifying purchases. Disclaimer | Advertise With Us
Allow me to explain in detail how you can perform this action. Before I start, I should let you know the type of Visa gift cards that can be converted.
Can You Transfer Money From A Visa Gift Card To A Bank Account?
Yes, it is possible to transfer money from a Visa gift card to a bank account but you have to go about it in a roundabout way. But don’t worry! It’s less difficult than you think to get around it.
There’s nothing worse than losing a gift card or forgetting you have it around so below I’ll cover some options to help you liquidate your Visa gift card.
How To Convert a Visa Gift Card to Cash
Now I’ll go over the steps on how to get cash from a Visa gift card. The methods I’ve listed below are fairly easy to do.
Some are more straightforward than others. A few even let you directly transfer your balance to your bank account, which can then be withdrawn as cash.
1. Sell it to a Gift Card Exchange Website
Using a gift card exchange website, like Gift Card Granny or CardCash, is the most straightforward method for converting your gift cards into cold hard cash. All you have to do is go on their website and sell your gift card.
Both Gift Card Granny and CardCash take a wide variety of gift cards, including Visa ones. You can easily trade Visa gift cards for cash payments. The best part is they offer up to 90% cashback during the entire process.
First, you’ll need to select an offer. Once you choose the Visa gift card with an appropriate balance, you can submit it and go through a verification process.
After this is done, you’ll be able to get paid. This online method allows you to earn more money compared to more expensive rates of gift card kiosks. Keep in mind it might not work for every Visa gift card, as offers come and go.
Can you sell a Visa gift card to another person?
Yes, you can sell your Visa gift card to another individual without it affecting the gift card. If you go this route, you’ll likely find that people will only be interested in buying it from you if it’s offered at a discount.
Otherwise, they could avoid the hassle by buying a gift card from a regular retailer. This is a valid option though if you can sell it for more money than a gift card exchange offers you.
2. Add your Visa gift card to your PayPal Wallet
If you don’t want to spend money on fees, I suggest you try PayPal. PayPal is easy to use for many online purchases. Once you sign up with the website and link your bank account, you can transfer your gift card funds into PayPal.
It usually takes five business days to transfer everything, but you incur no fees if you choose the standard transfer option. Keep an eye on it though because certain transfer methods can cost you up to 3% of your balance.
Always check with your bank and make sure they don’t charge you extra.
Steps for Transferring a Gift Card Balance to PayPal Account
Here’s what you need to do to get your gift card balance loaded into PayPal:
- Log in to your Paypal account.
- Click the “Wallet” option on the top menu.
- Go to “Link a Card”.
- Fill out the card information in the prompts. Once done, submit the information, and voila!
If you reach an error message, the most common issue is that the card first needs to be registered through the issuer. The issuer can be found on the back of the gift card.
Go to the website listed, and register the card with them first. Then come back and repeat the steps above in Paypal. That should’ve fixed it.
3. Add it to your Venmo account
Like PayPal, you can also use the mobile app Venmo. It’s an online payment service that allows you to add gift card balances and is the better option if you want to transfer your gift card’s balance directly to your bank account.
Follow the prompts to set up an account, add your gift card, and link directly to your personal bank. It does take one to three business days for the transfer to process but is completely fee-free unless you choose the instant transfer option.
There is a potential risk for Venmo to decline your gift card. One of the reasons it happens may be due to fraud prevention.
You can resolve these issues by correcting the necessary information linked to your bank account. Or they may prefer you contact customer support first before adding the gift card.
Another reason is insufficient funds on the gift card. Always check the balance before I transfer funds from a Visa card.
4. Buy Other Merchant’s Gift Cards
Sometimes the easiest way to convert your generic Visa gift card is to buy a new gift card at a merchant you use and love. You can make your gift card go further if you’re able to find a gift card sale.
Some gift card deals let you save 20% or more on a gift card. This means that you could buy a $100 gift card for $80.
Amazon is a retailer that often has gift card deals. If you’re a Prime member, you can double or triple up your benefits by combining it with these Prime money-saving secrets.
5. Use A Gift Card Exchange Kiosk
A gift card exchange kiosk is a dependable method to transfer Visa gift cards to cash. Look for machines within select grocery stores; they’re often yellow machines that look like casino slots and make similar noises.
The system requires that you enter the card information, such as card number and expiration dates. You’re then given a choice to get a cash-back offer.
Once you accept, you’ll need to print the voucher and bring it to a nearby cashier. That’s usually all that’s needed to do to get money through this method. If you have trouble with card swipes, ask for assistance.
Not all grocery stores don’t have a gift card exchange kiosk so it’s best to do a search first so you don’t waste your time. What I like about kiosks is it’s a faster way to turn Visa gift cards into cash.
Other methods take days before the transaction is complete. With kiosks, you’ll get your money almost instantly. Make sure you bring your identification just in case.
I should mention exchange kiosks do take a small chunk of your proceedings. If you don’t plan on using that Visa card anyways, it’s a reasonable sacrifice to make. Don’t accept the offer if you don’t like it; you can always cancel before the process is complete.
For more in-depth steps, check out this article that walks you through selling a gift card using an exchange kiosk.
6. Pay Your Bills With Your Gift Card
Here is an interesting method you can try. While you aren’t necessarily exchanging the card for stacks of dollar bills, you are still using it the same way. As long as there is money on the card, you can use Visa gift cards to pay for your bills.
Visa gift cards are usually set up like a debit card with a card number, expiration date, and security code number on the back. The main difference is that the cards have a set amount of money programmed onto them instead of being linked to a bank account.
This makes it easy to pay your bills directly with a Visa gift card that you can’t with pretty much any other gift card. So if you have a water bill or phone bill coming up, pay it with your Visa gift card instead.
Most people don’t think of using their gift cards for bill payment, but it has multiple benefits. For starters, you can make quick use of your gift card.
If you’re running low on credit, you can also use the gift card instead. It’s a convenient way to use these gift cards in the same vein as cash.
7. Sell Your Gift Card Using an App
Using an app to convert your gift card to cash is super easy. The downfall is that this method tends to net you fewer dollars due to the higher commission rates.
It’s not always going to be the most expensive option though. As with every method, it’s best to check it out for yourself and compare.
Two popular gift card apps are:
- Raise
- Gift Card Granny
- Prepaid2Cash
You’re not locked into selling your gift card to them after getting a quote so there’s zero obligation. It never hurts to get a second opinion on your gift card’s selling value.
8. Purchase a Money Order with your Gift Card
A money order acts very similarly to a check but you have to have it issued by your bank or a specialty institution. The good news is that Walmart and some grocery stores’ customer service areas now issue money orders.
You’ll have to check with each individual money order issuer, but you may be able to purchase your money order using your Visa gift card. This is no different than paying for your money order using a debit card.
Just make sure you have enough money on the gift card to cover the balance of the money order. Then you can cash the money order or deposit it into your bank account.
9. Buy Items to Flip
This method takes a little more effort to get cash through but is still a valid option. You’re using your Visa gift card just like a credit card so you can easily buy items to sell.
You’ll have to do some research to see what items would make sense to buy and then flip for cash. Focus on popular items and items that are on sale. The last thing you want is to be stuck with a bunch of items you can’t sell.
10. Regift the Visa Gift Card
If you’ve ruled out all of the other options above, it may be time to think about regifting. If you were going to spend money buying a friend or family member a gift anyway, you can instead gift them your gift card instead.
Just make sure you remove any identifying information that shows it was initially a gift FOR you to avoid potential awkwardness.
Can You Add a Visa Gift Card To Cash App?
Cash App does accept links from Visa, but it doesn’t allow for gift cards. Whether Cash App changes its policy in the future is up in the air. If it does, I’ll be sure to update you on the specifics.
Can You Get Cash From A Vanilla Visa Gift Card?
The short answer is not exactly, but the longer answer is it depends on the method you use. Vanilla Visa gift cards are the more popular choice for consumers since it’s easy to use.
There is a difference between a Vanilla gift card and a prepaid reloadable one. The former cannot get cashback from local ATMs, while the latter does.
What you can do is use a Vanilla card to transfer to PayPal or Venmo. Remember they take any prepaid card from Visa, which includes these gift cards.
You can always check the balance to make sure everything is correct. It’s as good a method as any to ensure you can cash from a gift card without having to use the gift card itself.
You can also use exchange kiosks, although these might be in rare locations. The kiosks do take a fair amount of money from the fees, but they are the easiest method to get your cashback from the gift cards.
If you can find any nearby grocery store with this machine, I highly recommend doing so. It’s arguably one of the most dependable methods to transfer any Visa gift card to cash.
You can even sell to any merchant in the local market but beware of transaction fees. If you plan on selling a smaller card, the costs don’t really add up to anything noticeable.
Visa gift cards with more considerable sums lose a good chunk through fees, so be careful when you consider this option. These fees vary depending on the vendors themselves. If they are too expensive, I suggest not going through with it and choosing another method.
Is A Visa Gift Card The Same As Cash?
A Visa gift card offers the same functionality as cash, in that you can make payments with these methods. There are main differences to consider between gift cards and cash.
The most obvious is cash can be used for basically anything, while individual gift cards are only applicable in certain circumstances. Another thing to consider is you can have as much cash on hand as you have.
Visa gift cards only allow a certain amount. You can still transfer Visa gift cards to cash, but it requires specific methods.
How to transfer a Visa gift card to a bank account?
- The optimal solution is to set up an account with either PayPal or Venmo. You can transfer the funds directly, but it does take a few business days without fees.
- Opt for exchange kiosks, if you want immediate cash. The only downside to this method is finding a store that carries the machine and pays the cashback fees.
- Buying money orders with your gift card allows you to then liquidate it for cash right after.
- Sell your gift card on an app or webiste. Choose the option with the lowest fees for maximum cash.
- You can also pay your bills with your gift cards. If you have no use for a particular one, you can use these cards to cover your monthly bills.
Even in this day and age, cash is still a reliable source of payment. If you have a gift card but want to use a more traditional payment method, you can transfer Visa gift cards into cash via the above procedures. Now the next time you are given a Visa gift card, you turn that piece of plastic into dollar bills.
Types Of Visa Gift Cards
Visa offers seven different gift cards, each of which you can buy on their main website. These are similar to a Visa debit card in that you can transfer money onto individual cards.
You use these instead of cash just like you would a debit or credit card, but you don’t have to link the card to your bank account. A Visa gift card is already preloaded with money.
Once you buy the gift card, you must determine the amount; the maximum tends to be around $500.
Keep in mind third parties provide you more specific information on these gift cards; Visa works directly with these companies.
The Visa gift cards available are as follows:
- Vanilla Gift Card
- Gift Card Mall
- Commerce Bank
- GiftCards.com
- GiftCardGranny.com
- Navy Federal Credit Union
- PerfectGift.com
The Vanilla Gift Card is one of the most common ones. You can use this card for non-contact transactions, which include orders over a website, phone, and mail.
The card only works with any store that accepts Visa cards, mainly based in the United States.
How To Check A Visa Gift Card Balance
Before you try to trade in your gift card for cash, I recommend you check the current balance on your Visa gift card. Even if a friend gave you the card as a gift, it’s smart to know the balance.
You have a few options for checking your balance.
1. Call the Toll Free Number
There will be a toll-free phone number on the back of your gift card that you can call. Once you call, the automated system will have you enter your card number and some other information before telling you the remaining balance.
2. Go to the Gift Card Issuer’s Website
If you don’t have access to a phone, no worries. You can also check your card balance through the issuer’s website.
To find out who issued your gift card, look on the back of the card near the phone number. There should be a URL listed that you can go to and find out your card’s balance.
How To Convert Visa Gift Cards to Cash – Conclusion
Even though you have a Visa gift card, you aren’t locked into that payment method. If you need more flexibility and want to convert it into cash, there are methods available.
The main thing to keep in mind is that some conversion steps charge a fee. That can quickly eat up your card’s balance unless you keep them low and reasonable.
So if you really want cash instead of your Visa gift card, compare the numerous options above to see what gives you the most money.
Related Articles:
- Best Apps to Earn You Money Now
- How to Make $100 Fast
- Legit Ways to Make an Extra $1000/month Online
- Ways to Earn PayPal Money Instantly
Follow along on Instagram!
