I Tested 2 Prepaid Visa Gift Cards To Figure Out Which One Sucks Less

If you love me, never give me a Visa gift card. 

That’s what I’ve told my friends and family for years. Back in my day, these cards charged fees for everything from activation to swipe transactions, and even inactivity fees if you didn’t use them enough. But a lot has changed over the last decade. I wanted to see if they’re still pieces of shit, or if they evolved into a decent gift option. But shame on me for thinking there were tons of options to choose from. Apparently, the market has contracted down to only two Visa gift card options: The Joker Prepaid Visa and the Vanilla Prepaid Visa. 

I bought a $25 Joker card and a $20 Vanilla card and tested them out. To my surprise, the fee situation has improved a lot. Now there’s only an activation fee and a potential 2.5% foreign transaction fee for purchases not in Canadian dollars. There are no longer any pay-per-swipe or inactivity fees.

But I was pissed to find out these cards cannot be used for pay-at-the-pump gas purchases or regular recurring bills like streaming subscriptions and utilities (it literally says that on the packaging). In this economy, getting a gift card that could cover part of my hydro bill would feel like a declaration of love. 

So here’s what I did use the cards for, and how it went… 

First, I Had to Find the Damn Things

I checked Circle K, two Shoppers Drug Mart locations, Walmart, Rexall, and two Canada Post locations. Until recently, Canada Post offered a reloadable prepaid Visa, but that product no longer exists. Across all these locations, the Visa gift card selection was basically the same. That really irked me because the Vanilla and Joker cards are nearly identical in features and function.

The only differences I found were in the denomination options and the activation fees attached to them. The Joker brand has a slight edge, offering an additional card with up to 5% cash back at select merchants. But when I looked those merchants up online, none of them were relevant or interesting to me, so I chose not to buy that particular card. The functionality was the same as the basic, non-cash back card.

I ended up buying a Vanilla Prepaid Visa from Circle K and loaded it with $20, which cost me $7.95 plus tax to activate. Then I bought a basic Joker Prepaid Visa from Shoppers Drug Mart, put $25 on it, and paid the same $7.95 activation fee. 

Unfortunately, I did not realize until after the fact that the fee is determined by whether you buy a card with a fixed denomination or a card that lets you choose how much to put on it. The Vanilla card I grabbed let me load any amount between $20-500, and the Joker card let me load any amount between $25-200. Unbeknownst to me, these are the most expensive cards. The fixed denomination cards are cheaper. 

The cards I bought are highlighted in yellow. 

Then I Read the Fine Print (womp, womp!) 

Neither card is reloabable, returnable, or refundable. That means it’s a final sale and forever hold your peace. Once the balance is gone, the card is done. You cannot top it up with more money. Cut that shit up and throw it out. 

Then there are the restrictions. The Vanilla card packaging says it cannot be used for pay-at-the-pump gas transactions, pre-authorized regular payments, or cash withdrawals. It also warns that use may be restricted at some online merchants. 

The Joker card has the same restrictions on pre-authorized transactions and warns that some online retailers may decline the transaction unless you pay $2.50 to register the card and become a verified cardholder. The fee also activates Visa’s Zero Liability protection. I’m allergic to fees, so I decided to take my chances and not register my Joker card. 

Joker does not explicitly say you cannot use it for pay-at-the-pump gas purchases. However, I could not test it at the pump to see if it would go through because I don’t have a car. If you try this type of transaction and it fails, you just have to go inside to pay. No big deal. 

Also, neither card permits cash withdrawals or transactions that are more than the balance (obvioulsy). So if you want to use up every last penny, you’ll have to do something called a ‘split-tender transaction’. This splits the total of your purchase between two payment methods. You tell the cashier exactly how much to charge to the Visa gift card, then pay the rest with your debit, credit card, or cash. 

The Joker Card Was Easy to Use in Person

Both of my kids needed new indoor shoes and spring boots, so this was the perfect time to test out the Joker Visa Card in the wild. My total came to $71.40, but the card only had $25 on it. Since I read the fine print, I knew I could do a split-tender transaction. So I told the cashier I wanted to put exactly $25 on the Joker Visa, and I’d pay the rest with debit. 

She said no problem. I swiped the card, it went through almost instantly, and then I paid the remaining $46.40 with my Tangerine debit card. Now that my Joker card is empty, it’s useless and can be tossed.

How to Check Your Joker Visa Gift Card Balance

To check your Joker Visa card balance, go to cardholder.jokercard.ca. Enter the 16- digit card number, expiration date, and the 3-digit security number on the back of your card. You can also do this to see your transaction history. 

The card will eventually expire, but the funds don’t. If there’s still money on the card when it expires, just call the number on the back of the card and ask to have a new one issued. They’ll send it in the mail with your remaining balance on it.

The Vanilla Card Worked Like a Charm on Amazon

Then it was time to test the Vanilla Visa gift card. The packaging said online use might be restricted at some merchants. So obviously, I had to see if it’d work on Amazon. I’m currently balls deep in my sourdough era and have been eyeing these super cute bakery bags for wrapping loaves. ADD TO CART!

Then I added the Vanilla card to my account as a payment method, selected it at checkout, and held my breath. The card had $20 loaded on it, and my order total came to $14.55.

It went through no problem. 

That left me with a balance of $5.45 on the card, which is almost enough for something decent, but not quite. Tiny, leftover balances are one of the most annoying things about gift cards, so what’s a girl to do? 

Google Wallet Said “Absolutely Not”

Since I still had $5.45 left on my Vanilla card, I tried to add it to my Google Wallet and use it as a tap payment. I already tap my phone for everything, so if a Visa gift card could just slide into that routine, I’d hate it less. 

No dice. 

When I tried to add it to my Google Wallet, I got an error message saying the card was not supported by the issuing institution, which in this case is People Trust Company. Well, boo. That makes the Vanilla card less useful for me because I don’t like to carry physical cards. 

Now what?

Starbucks Redeemed the Experience, But Only After I Screwed Up

At this point, I needed a Grande Skinny Caramel Macchiato injected directly into my veins. So I tried linking the Vanilla card to my Starbucks app as a payment option. And it worked! Well, the linking part at least.I presented my phone, asked the barista to clear off the remaining balance and use my Starbucks card for the rest. The transaction declined. Twice. 

I was super annoyed and paid for my overpriced latte with cash. But after I got home, I realized the card wasn’t actually the issue…

I didn’t ask for the split-tender transaction properly. I forgot to tell the barista exactly how much to charge to my Vanilla card, so she tried to put the entire purchase through. And since there weren’t enough funds, the card declined. 

A few weeks later, I was back at Starbucks for a tasty Spinach and Feta wrap and another Macchiato. But this time I wasn’t an idiot. My order came to $12.32. Again, I presented my phone to the barista, I told her to charge $5.45 to my Vanilla card, and I paid the rest with my Starbucks card. 

It worked perfectly. That finally brought my Vanilla card balance to zero, and now I can toss it. 

How to Check Your Vanilla Visa Gift Card Balance

To check your Vanilla Visa card balance, go to vanillaprepaid.com. Enter the 16- digit card number, expiration date, and the 3-digit security number on the back of your card. You can also do this to see your transaction history. 

The card will eventually expire, but the funds don’t. If there’s still money on the card when it expires, just call the number on the back of the card and ask to have a new one issued. They’ll send it in the mail with your remaining balance on it.

Which Visa Gift Card is Less Shitty: Vanilla or Joker?

Vanilla is the cheaper pain in the ass. Joker is the slightly more flexible pain in the ass.

Vanilla has lower activation fees and clearer restrictions, including a hard no on pay-at-the-pump gas. Joker gives you more load options and maybe, possibly, allegedly works at the pump, though I couldn’t test that myself. You can also pay $2.50 to verify it for broader online use and fraud protection.

Both cards worked for the kinds of transactions I actually make. But I still hate them as gifts.

The activation fees are absurd. On my $20 Vanilla card, the $7.95 fee was nearly 40% of the card’s value. That’s objectively ridiculous. Then add in the restrictions and the cards smell even more like poo. What do you mean I can’t use this thing to pay for Netflix? Rude.

This experiment taught me that two things can be true at the same time: 

1. Visa gift cards have improved
2. They still suck 

If you want to give someone money, give them cash, send an eTransfer, or buy a gift card to a place they actually like. A Visa gift card is what you give when you want to look thoughtful without the inconvenience of knowing literally anything about the person.

If you’re buying these cards because you’re uncomfortable using your actual credit card online, there are much better alternatives. Digital banks like Neo, Koho, and EQ Bank offer a no-fee, reloadable prepaid card you can use online and in person. Plus, you can load exactly what you need and use it without all the stupid transaction restrictions. They’re far more practical if you want more privacy and spending control without predatory fees.