Vanilla VISA
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If your planning to give Vanilla VISA gift cards this Christmas, watch out! There's a little catch you should know about.
First the cards cost $3.95 to get. So a $50 gift card will cost you $53.95. Not too bad, but if they are a tech user aren't you better off getting a BestBuy, Apple or Circuit City card? IF they like clothes, you could give them a LLBean, Nordstroms, or Timberland gift card. You'll save $3.95, and they still will have the $50 gift card to spend.
The second catch, and this is a biggie, after a year, Vanilla VISA will charge $1.50 a month if you still have a balance on the card. Make sure that you educate whoever that you give the card to that they use it up right away! If you have one from last Christmas, goto Vanilla VISA website right now and check the balance. If you have anything left over, you could always goto the gas station and fill up. Note: You won't be able to pay at the pump, go inside and tell them how much you have left.
So, with the two "catches" above, are you really better off using a VISA gift card? Why not just give them cash? A $50 bill will generate the same reaction as getting a $50 gift card.