Re-load your account - the official Amazon gift card thread

[Harvey]

I don't know about you, but I'm always forgetting to re-load my Amazon account by regularly emailing myself gift cards.

I buy about 20 books a month, and when I forget the gift card, my credit card statement comes back peppered with small Amazon ebook transactions. It's no big deal, but I prefer to just have the single gift card shown instead. Using the gift card also makes it easier to keep track of how much I'm spending on ebooks.

Anyway, I'm interested in how you all use gift cards for this, and invite you to post in this thread when you re-load your Amazon account with a gift card to yourself. I'm sure there's a lot I can learn from the "enablers" out there.

PS I sometimes get PMs and emails from members wondering how they can support the site. The short answer is, you already are just by being here and participating in the forum. So thank you for that! If you're so inclined, you can also use the links in this post (or in our page header) when you buy gift cards from Amazon; the site gets credit from Amazon when you do that and it does help keep our servers spinning. Thanks!

[mooshie78]

I have an Amazon rewards visa as my payment method.  I just use that and apply the GC's I earn via the rewards for it. I don't mind the transactions--I'm usually only buying a couple Kindle books a month anyway.  I don't pay much attention to my statements anyway beyond giving them a quick once over before paying the e-bill to make sure there aren't any fraudulent charges on there.

Also, unless it's changed I don't think you earn reward points on the Amazon Visa from buying gift cards.  But I haven't looked into that lately since I seldom buy any GCs.

[Atunah]

You get points from buying the gift cards with the Amazon Visa. I do it all the time. 

3 times the points just like everything else you get on Amazon.

I too like Harvey prefer to have a balance at all times. I wish that magazines and such would come out of that too, but no can do.

[mooshie78]

Good to know.  I may buy some as gifts sometimes--though I prefer to give people things like restaurant gift cards or Best Buy gift cards so they can get instant gratification!

I wouldn't buy myself any as I just don't see the point vs. just charging things to the Visa as I order personally.

[StaceyHH]

Yep, I pretty much always keep my account loaded. I hate having a bunch of .99 and 2.99 transactions come through. Plus it helps me keep track of my book spending habits. I do the same with Powell's (which is across the street from my office.) I buy myself a gift card, and use that for purchases. I always know if I'm under or over budget, which is good because I have a pretty healthy book budget which makes it harder to track with individual purchases.

[karichelle]

I earn them through Swagbucks. I earn them quickly by going through Swagbucks' Daily Deals link every time I buy a Groupon or LivingSocial deal (which is often LOL). I also got one from our debit card rewards. I don't need another credit card so no Amazon card for me.

[theaatkinson]

what a great idea! I've been spending a lot on authors here and seeing these little transactions on my cc are driving me insane. so do i just put my own email as the gift recever address?

[Linjeakel]

what a great idea! I've been spending a lot on authors here and seeing these little transactions on my cc are driving me insane. so do i just put my own email as the gift recever address?

That's right - you just email it to yourself - or you can use the print it out option. Very simple either way. 

[HappyGuy]

Here's another question ...  I received a GC for Christmas that was bought at a Walgreens. Does anyone know if I can take it back to Walgreens and add more to the original amount? I don't want to use my CC for buying GCs if I don't have to. I'd rather take the card to a nearby Walgreens and pay cash.

[pidgeon92]

Here's another question ...  I received a GC for Christmas that was bought at a Walgreens. Does anyone know if I can take it back to Walgreens and add more to the original amount? I don't want to use my CC for buying GCs if I don't have to. I'd rather take the card to a nearby Walgreens and pay cash.

That's not going to work. However, you can certainly go buy more gift cards with cash.

[Atunah]

I don't think gift cards are reloadable. Those Green dot Visa cards are. I think they sell them at Walmart, you just use them like any credit or debit until the money is gone then reload. But it does cost a fee.

The giftcards, once you use them, thats it. Just go to Walgreens or any other place that carries them and buy another one.

[vg]

I share my Kindle account with 5 other people now (started with just 2) and using the gift cards is how we buy on the account without using my credit card for everybody else's purchases.  Each person is responsible for keeping track of their own balance, and loading some more when their balance dips below $10.  That way, we should never need to dip into my credit card, and there is also a bit of a "slush fund" in case there is a book or two someone needs "right now" but can't reload their balance at that moment.  Don't laugh, it happens....

Been doing this since the days of Klassic Kindle and its working great!

[telracs]

call me weird, but i prefer to just use my credit card.  i don't mind the charges.  that's what the card is for.

[CrystalStarr]

Using gift cards keeps me within budget.  So that's the way I go.

[Katxena]

I have a monthly book-buying budget.  I buy a gift card for that amount and put it on my account, then every Sunday evening I check my balance.  Then toward the end of the month, I know whether I need to slow down.

Someone on another forum said they did it this way, and it's worked well for me.

[mooshie78]

Good points on the budgeting and the multiple user thing.

I'm not a heavy reader really so it's rare that I buy more than 1-3 books a month (I try to read a decent amount of free classics etc. as well) so I hadn't thought of the budgeting need.  But makes sense for the heavy readers since it's so much easier to impulse by than for things that you have to go out to the store or more actively order on line and wait for shipping!

[Buttercup]

I usually just one click to my debit card but I should start buying the gift cards, sure would help track my spending.

My sister bought me a K3 for Christmas so she now has my K1, what she does when she wants a book is she gifts it to me from her Amazon account.  That way she pays for it and we don't have to settle up.  From what I can tell she can download it even before I accept it too but I'll have to check with her on that.

[PraiseGod13]

I learned early on that using a GC was the way to go for my book purchasing needs.  When I bought my K1, I had a list of "must have" books all ready to go.  I was using my CC at the time and began purchasing my first books..... and all of a sudden, our credit union locked my CC because I was trying to use it more than five times in one afternoon.  This is an automatic thing with them as a safety measure in case your CC is stolen.  It got more complicated and took several phone calls to get everything straightened out... letting my credit union know that I was the one actually using my own CC... and I decided right then that it was gift card time for me.  My grown sons now know that they can get me an Amazon GC for any occasion.... and I buy them for myself too.  It's so easy to do.... and it avoids DH grumbling while checking through many 99 cent book purchases on the CC - I love those bargain books!!

[theaatkinson]

I learned early on that using a GC was the way to go for my book purchasing needs.  When I bought my K1, I had a list of "must have" books all ready to go.  I was using my CC at the time and began purchasing my first books..... and all of a sudden, our credit union locked my CC because I was trying to use it more than five times in one afternoon.  This is an automatic thing with them as a safety measure in case your CC is stolen.  It got more complicated and took several phone calls to get everything straightened out... letting my credit union know that I was the one actually using my own CC... and I decided right then that it was gift card time for me.  My grown sons now know that they can get me an Amazon GC for any occasion.... and I buy them for myself too.  It's so easy to do.... and it avoids DH grumbling while checking through many 99 cent book purchases on the CC - I love those bargain books!!

gasp. i never thought of that. yowza

[LauraB]

Also, unless it's changed I don't think you earn reward points on the Amazon Visa from buying gift cards.  But I haven't looked into that lately since I seldom buy any GCs.

I get the points when I buy gift cards, but not when I use the gift card .

[Linjeakel]

Harvey, I can't use gift cards bought on the Amazon US site on my Amazon UK account. Can we have a link so that UK users can support KB as well?   

[Ann in Arlington]

That's a good idea Lin. . .you might send a PM directly to Harvey, or post in the 'suggestions, comments' area. . . .Harvey checks those more regularly than this area. . . . .

[Harvey]

No need to double-post it - thanks for the note. I'll post a UK gift card link shortly - thanks!!

[Beldin ME]

 I buy a gift card every two weeks and check the balance once a week. I was using my cc at first but much prefer the gc method. It also limits my purchases, which is probably a good idea as there are so many good choices out there. I read about 6-7 books a month. 

[mooshie78]

I learned early on that using a GC was the way to go for my book purchasing needs.  When I bought my K1, I had a list of "must have" books all ready to go.  I was using my CC at the time and began purchasing my first books..... and all of a sudden, our credit union locked my CC because I was trying to use it more than five times in one afternoon.  This is an automatic thing with them as a safety measure in case your CC is stolen.

You may be able to opt out of it.  I haven't had that issue with my Amazon visa--and I frequently use it several times in a day as I'll use it anywhere I can in place of cash.  So one day I may get a coffee in the morning, lunch somewhere else, buy some stuff online, get dinner, stop at a grocery store or Target on the way home etc.

Only times I've gotten holds is when I've moved or when traveling and they notice some charges that look odd.  But even that hasn't happened lately as I told them I travel a good bit, and I make sure to call and have them put a note on my account when I travel outside the US so I don't get any holds.

It's not a big deal domestically as now with this Visa card you just get an automated phone call (and it goes to my cell) asking you to verify the charges by pressing 1, and doing so stops the account from being locked.  But still a hassle if I'm out of the country as my cell is only good in the US.