Common reasons your gift card is not working

Encountering issues with your gift card or facing difficulties with its acceptance during purchases? If your card is not functioning as expected, here are some common reasons and solutions:

Common Issues:

• Your Gift Card is not activated
  • Physical Cards: You must first activate your card before you can use it. Ensure your physical card has been activated by visiting perfectgift.com/activate
  • Digital Cards: Digital Gift cards do not require activation.
• Your Gift Card is expired: Check if the card has expired. The expiration date is printed on the card.
• Your Gift Card has Insufficient Funds: Verify the available balance on your card. Insufficient funds may be due to the actual purchase amount or an additional pre-authorization charge by the merchant.
• Your Gift Card is not accepted by the Merchant: Some merchants do not accept prepaid gift cards. This can vary, so it is best to confirm with the merchant.

Where You Can Use Your Card

• Geographic Restrictions: Our Visa and Mastercard Prepaid Gift Cards are designed for use exclusively within the United States.
• Acceptance: They can be used wherever Visa and Mastercard debit cards are accepted in the Continental United States

Usage Type:

• Plastic Cards: Valid for both in-store and online purchases.
• Digital Cards: Intended solely for online transactions. If you attempt to use a digital gift card in-store it will likely not work, unless you add it to your Apple or Google Wallet.

Additional Notes

• Pre-authorization Charges: Some merchants, like gas stations, hotels, and restaurants, will often place a pre-authorization hold on your card. This is often a percentage above the purchase amount to ensure sufficient funds for tips or incidentals.
  • For instance, if your gift card has a value of $100 and you wish to use it to pay a $95 bill at a restaurant, the server may apply an additional pre-authorization charge of 20%, or $19, to account for the tip. This would increase the total charge to $114, which exceeds your gift card balance by $14. As a result, your gift card transaction will be declined.
  • To prevent this from happening, ensure your balance is higher than the meal total plus the tip, or ask to pay a specific amount.
     
• Check Balance and Transaction History: Always verify your card's balance and review your transaction history for recent charges.