How To Use A Vanilla Gift Card On Amazon

Whether you've received a Vanilla Gift Card as a gift or bought it yourself as a way to pay for transactions without using your personal credit or debit card, at some point you may want to use it for online shopping. As the largest online retailer in the world, there's a good chance Amazon may be one of your destinations. After all, so many perks come with an Amazon Prime subscription that there are over 200 million members worldwide. If you count yourself among that number (or even if you don't), you might have your eye on something and want to use your Vanilla Gift Card to buy it.

Vanilla Gift Cards work just like a debit card – the only difference is they're prepaid. These prepaid gift cards are available as physical cards or eGift cards. One of the most attractive things about Vanilla Gift Cards is they don't tie you to a single retailer, unlike an Apple Gift Card or one from Best Buy. That means you can load them with money, or they can be gifted to you, and you can use them at any store in the U.S. where Visa debit cards are accepted, including Amazon.

Before you can use a physical Vanilla Gift Card on Amazon, you'll need to activate it. Vanilla eGift Cards, however, are activated automatically when sent. While using a Vanilla Gift Card on Amazon isn't the most straightforward process, it can be done. There are two ways to use your Vanilla Gift Card on Amazon: add it as a payment method or transfer the funds to your Amazon Gift Card balance.

Just as Amazon places restrictions on Amazon Gift Cards, it also limits how prepaid cards can be used — including not allowing them to be combined with other payment methods in a single order. The best way to use a Vanilla Gift Card on Amazon is to transfer its balance to your Amazon Gift Card balance. That way, you'll be able to use the full balance of your Vanilla Gift Card and combine it with other payment methods, so you won't be left with an unused balance if whatever you buy costs less than the card's value. It'll also allow you to buy something worth more than the card's value. 

Follow these steps to add your Vanilla Gift Card to your Amazon Gift Card balance on the Amazon app: 

1. Tap the Amazon logo in the bottom middle of the screen, then tap See all. (Note: If you don't have an Amazon logo, tap on the hamburger icon)
2. Tap Gifting & Registry. (For all you hamburger icon tappers, you'll look for Credit Cards & Payments)
3. Tap Gift Cards.
4. Scroll down and tap View your balance.
5. Tap Reload Your Balance.
6. Scroll down and enter the amount you want to add.
7. Tap Buy Now.
8. Tap + Add new, then select Add a credit or debit card.
9. Enter your Vanilla Gift Card details and tap Add and continue to load your Amazon Gift Card.

If you do most of your shopping on a computer, you can transfer your Vanilla Gift Card balance to your Amazon account from the Amazon website. Just like on the Amazon mobile app, it takes just a few steps to do it.

Follow these steps to add your Vanilla Gift Card to your Amazon Gift Card balance on the Amazon app: 

1. Open amazon.com in your preferred browser.
2. Sign in to your account and go to Your Account.
3. Click on Gift cards.
4. Click Reload Your Balance.
5. Enter the amount of your Vanilla Gift Card in the "other" field.
6. Click Buy Now.
7. Click Add a credit or debit card.
8. Enter your Vanilla Gift Card details and click Add your card.
9. Confirm your billing address and tap Save.
10. Use the Vanilla Gift Card to complete the reload transaction.

Just like with the Amazon app, once you've completed these steps, the Vanilla Gift Card will be saved to your account as a payment method, and the amount on it will be added to your Amazon balance. The next time you buy something on Amazon, you can use that balance to cover the purchase, either fully or partially, depending on the total cost.

There may be times when it makes more sense for you to add your Vanilla Gift Card as a payment method instead of using it to reload your Amazon balance. For example, if you don't regularly use Amazon and want to make a one-time purchase that is about the same amount as the balance on your Vanilla Gift Card, it may be more convenient to just add it as a payment method. When you do this, you'll be able to use the card immediately without going through any additional steps. If you already added your Vanilla Gift Card through the Amazon app, it'll automatically be listed as a payment option, so you won't have to go through any additional steps.

Follow these steps to add your Vanilla Gift Card as a payment method using the Amazon app: 

1. Open amazon.com in your preferred browser.
2. Sign in to your account and go to Your Account.
3. Click Your Payments.
4. Click Add a payment method.
5. Click Add a credit or debit card.
6. Enter your Vanilla Gift Card details and click Add your card.

Your Vanilla Gift Card will now be available as a payment option on your Amazon account. The next time you're ready to buy something on Amazon, you can use your Vanilla Gift Card when you checkout. Keep in mind that if you think you'll be making several purchases or need to combine your funds for a larger order, your best bet is to transfer the balance to your Amazon Gift card to avoid having any leftover funds that you might not be able to use for a future purchase.