What happens to a Visa Gift Card once it runs out?

Hi, I have a question. I have been using a Visa gift card for my offers, and have got charged some times for services I didn't ask for. I'm just wondering, what will happen when the card balance runs out, and I still have services running on it? Will they call me? Will they cancel my service? Will they keep charging me, and I go into some kind of GiftCard-Debt mode? What will happen?

Chances are that they'll contact you any way possible to try to get the money that you owe them.

If there is no money on the card and no backup funding source (ie, Bank account) then it can't go into negative (at least not to my knowledge).

If you are completing multiple offers then you shouldn't let it get to the point where they are trying to charge you for their service (ie, if you are past the free trial period and haven't cancelled your membership). There should be no "services I didn't ask for" charging you. Only companies whom you give your card number to can charge you unless you're the victim of identity theft.

If you didn't cancel a trial and an offer can't charge you, they will send a collection notice to your house to claim the money you owe them.

Another possibility is that they'll just blow you up by remote-activating the self-detonation located inside every Visa Gift Card. (It's why I always use Mastercard.)

[quote3fd3cc4c1b="theysayjump"]Chances are that they'll contact you any way possible to try to get the money that you owe them.

If there is no money on the card and no backup funding source (ie, Bank account) then it can't go into negative (at least not to my knowledge).

If you are completing multiple offers then you shouldn't let it get to the point where they are trying to charge you for their service (ie, if you are past the free trial period and haven't cancelled your membership). There should be no "services I didn't ask for" charging you. Only companies whom you give your card number to can charge you unless you're the victim of identity theft.

If you didn't cancel a trial and an offer can't charge you, they will send a collection notice to your house to claim the money you owe them.[/quote3fd3cc4c1b]

Yeah, but it has happened on two occasions where I was charged on my account [i3fd3cc4c1b]after[/i3fd3cc4c1b] I cancelled, and they wouldn't refund. I was just curious, in case that happened again. I don't want them to send the mob after me. (

As far as I am concerned, three offers use collection agencies from what I have heard. 1800 Patches, Stamps, and Video Profesor. Correct me if I am wrong.

[quote5b92346210="Daggoth"]As far as I am concerned, three offers use collection agencies from what I have heard. 1800 Patches, Stamps, and Video Profesor. Correct me if I am wrong.[/quote5b92346210]

What are collection agencies?

Some cards can go into the negatives too. It's happened with my PayPal and EPassporte. The company basically puts an authorization on your card, and if that goes through, they can charge whatever they want for the acutal "purchase" and the they can't be denied because they already were authorized.

[quote450b28e684="i-ninja-u-dead"][quote450b28e684="Daggoth"]As far as I am concerned, three offers use collection agencies from what I have heard. 1800 Patches, Stamps, and Video Profesor. Correct me if I am wrong.[/quote450b28e684]

What are collection agencies?[/quote450b28e684]
[quote450b28e684="Wikipedia's Article on Collection Agencies[=http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collection_agency]Wikipedia's Article on Collection Agencies"]A collection agency is a business that pursues payments on debts owed by individuals or businesses. Some collection agencies operate as agents of creditors and collect debts for a fee or percentage of the total amount owed. Others work on their own accounts, purchasing debts from creditors for less than the dollar amount of the debt and aggressively persuading the debtor to make their payments. Such agencies are sometimes known as "debt buyers". A creditor may send debts to a collection agency in order to remove them from their accounts receivable records; the account is then written off as a loss.[/quote450b28e684]

I am pretty sure scam offers like White Over Nite, Cortiban, etc. don't use collection agencies.

i would also strongly suggest that you use a credit card if possible. a credit card gives u much more protection if u actually do get an unauthorized charge...

AOL uses collection agencies I think.

I've never gotten one, but I've read about people getting them.

prepaids are the way to go bud. Seriously, if you just cancel ur offers (OMGZ i just said cancel). Then u should be good to go, and if you forget, its ok, just as long as u didn't forget any of the above mentioned ones.



[spoilerca5e48fe61]if you mispell ur name, u can avoid collection agencies[/spoilerca5e48fe61]

or so ive heard

what happens if one of the ones above someone forgot to cancel, what would happen? Such as stamps or VP?

You get a letter in the mail from the collection agency asking for money. If you don't give them the money, they will kill your credit score.

[quote5dd64af57c="amir89630"]prepaids are the way to go bud. Seriously, if you just cancel ur offers (OMGZ i just said cancel). Then u should be good to go, and if you forget, its ok, just as long as u didn't forget any of the above mentioned ones.



[spoiler5dd64af57c]if you mispell ur name, u can avoid collection agencies[/spoiler5dd64af57c]

or so ive heard[/quote5dd64af57c]

Encouraging people to fraud offers gets people banned, so I've heard.

[quote072cbd886d="Daggoth"]You get a letter in the mail from the collection agency asking for money. If you don't give them the money, they will kill your credit score.[/quote072cbd886d]
Can they kill your credit score with a Visa Gift Card?

[quote02bdbac629="i-ninja-u-dead"][quote02bdbac629="Daggoth"]You get a letter in the mail from the collection agency asking for money. If you don't give them the money, they will kill your credit score.[/quote02bdbac629]
Can they kill your credit score with a Visa Gift Card?[/quote02bdbac629]

The credit card itself won't hurt your score, but if one of the sites listed above attempts to charge you and cannot, then they will send the collection agency, which will damage your credit score.

[quote879733cd6f="Daggoth"][quote879733cd6f="i-ninja-u-dead"][quote879733cd6f="Daggoth"]You get a letter in the mail from the collection agency asking for money. If you don't give them the money, they will kill your credit score.[/quote879733cd6f]
Can they kill your credit score with a Visa Gift Card?[/quote879733cd6f]

The credit card itself won't hurt your score, but if one of the sites listed above attempts to charge you and cannot, then they will send the collection agency, which will damage your credit score.[/quote879733cd6f]
But how can they damage my credit score, if I was just using a Visa Gift Card, and not a Credit Card?

[quotefaab5990e1]In the United States, a credit score is a credit rating that represents an estimate of an individual's financial creditworthiness as calculated by a statistical model. A credit score attempts to quantify the likelihood that a prospective borrower will fail to repay a loan or other credit obligation satisfactorily over a specified period of time.[/quotefaab5990e1]
In English that means that your credit score is not linked to your CC. Your CC company just uses it to see if you are good at paying what you owe.

[quotee704816136="i-ninja-u-dead"]But how can they damage my credit score, if I was just using a Visa Gift Card, and not a Credit Card?[/quotee704816136]
Your credit score has nothing to do with your payment method. Your credit report or rating is not tied to a credit card.

Collection agencies are resourceful, and if they have your personal information (name, address, phone number, etc.), they can enter a collection record on your credit report, which then negatively impacts your rating or score.

However, there are lots of laws governing consumer credit that agencies must abide by. Firstly, you have the legal right to dispute any debt reported to you be a collection agency, and they must cease contacting you if you demand they do so (they must then drop the case or take you to court, but cannot continue to harrass you).

I seriously doubt that an agency will be able to legally collect for a product you never received, nor to damage your credit because of it. If the vendor shipped first, then charged you but your card was declined, then yes they would have a debt collection case against you, but not if the decline happens before shipment. At most they would have a breach of contract case (you violating the TOS), but not a debt collection case. They just try to intimidate people who don't know any better.

[ie704816136]Disclaimer Do not construe the above comments to be legal advice, since IANAL. However consumer credit law is something I've studied quite a bit over the years, in order to help myself and others deal with situations in the past.[/ie704816136]

Edit crap, typed all that up while compguru beat me to the post. P

[quoteb3ce3f9cdc="CollidgeGraduit"][quoteb3ce3f9cdc="amir89630"]prepaids are the way to go bud. Seriously, if you just cancel ur offers (OMGZ i just said cancel). Then u should be good to go, and if you forget, its ok, just as long as u didn't forget any of the above mentioned ones.



[spoilerb3ce3f9cdc]if you mispell ur name, u can avoid collection agencies[/spoilerb3ce3f9cdc]

or so ive heard[/quoteb3ce3f9cdc]

Encouraging people to fraud offers gets people banned, so I've heard.[/quoteb3ce3f9cdc]




i wasn't encouraging anyone to do anything. Im just saying what ive heard works. As for me, i stick to the rules, and cancel what i don't want, do each offer once, etc.

I was just giving an FYI (that may nto even be particularly true).

But yes i do still use prepaids (and they have saved my ass many a time from unauthorized/ridiculous charges). Cortiban charged me once after i returned their product and did everything as i was supposed to; called them got it straightened out (made sure that it was cool that their charge was declined).


Anyways, sry CG, no more fraud/anti-fraud related info from me. But its not fraud if its a typo. wink

ok im sorry for digging this topic up, but im in a similar posision...so i have a lot of offers on my prepaid card.. and carleton sheets just sent me a FAT box and fancy stuff and im scared about collection agencies now

does anyone know any more site besides stamps video professor and i think carleton sheets has one..

ive tried calling stamps but they kept me on hold the whole time.... >( (at 558)...

do u guys think that i need to call like all of them and cancel? cuz im really scared bout all this collection agency stuff...

I wouldn't worry about Carleton Sheets, I didn't have a problem with them. If you cancel before the trial period, you just ship the box back minus the free gifts. It cost me like $8 to ship it back. Nothing to worry about if you follow the ToS.

so wat do u think should do? i think im gonna call the video professor thing and stamps...but are u sure that ill be fine with the other offers? or do i need to ship them back?

[quotea48c85096d="Briballdo"]so wat do u think should do? i think im gonna call the video professor thing and stamps...but are u sure that ill be fine with the other offers? or do i need to ship them back?[/quotea48c85096d]
If the terms of the offer require you to ship something back, then do so, otherwise they have a rightful claim against you. I hope you aren't completing offers with no interest to try the product, nor intention to send back what is required, as that is considered offer fraud.

If you legitimately try the offer and follow the terms to cancel, then you should have no problems with any of the offers you mention as they are all legit. PMI (Carleton Sheets) will just bug the crap out of you with phone calls for awhile, but other than that, they were an easy offer and the material was actually interesting to me.

Follow the terms and conditions, and you will be fine.

ok...well im just gonna try to cancel as many of them as i can remember..o yeah... when the sites say it costs like $70 a month after...how can they charge that much and not like have a collectioon agency...

Please do not talk about that much cancelling on the forums. Do offers if you are legitmately interested in them. If you have questions on this subject, contact one of the moderators or users for more information. )

Some sites will automatically cancel your service if they cannot charge you, but many will send the collection agency.

Agreed no further discussion of cancellation, as it seems you do not have legitimate interest in the offers you are trying.

aight..well wonder if i did want to try the product, just want to send it back...lol ok im jk..