How to use a Visa gift card on Amazon

Using a Visa gift card on Amazon is more convenient than you may think. Since it seems very similar to Amazon's gift card, users might mistakenly try to register their Visa card as a gift card on Amazon. Sadly, that won't work, but there's a pretty simple way to make Amazon purchases with a Visa gift card: register the card like you register debit/credit cards on your profile to start using it as a payment method.

How to add a Visa gift card to make purchases on Amazon:

Step 1: Go to the Amazon website and hover over Accounts & Lists at the top right corner of the webpage. Select Account from the dropdown menu that appears.

Step 2: Once the new page opens up, click on the Your Payments tab. This option will take you to your digital wallet where you can view your added payment methods.

Step 3: Click on Add a payment method. Because the gift card is a Visa, it functions like a regular debit or credit card, so scroll down to the credit or debit cards category to add the new card.

Step 4: A new webpage will appear, prompting you to add the necessary card information like your card number, card holder's name, and expiry date.

Step 5: Now, a new page will open asking for the Billing Address. Add the information to activate your card.

To add the Visa gift card on the Amazon app, click on the three horizontal lines at the bottom right of the screen and a new page will open. Go to Your Shortcuts at the bottom of the page and click on Account. Now, you can follow the same steps as mentioned above to add and activate your Visa gift card.

There are a few caveats to consider when using a Visa gift card on Amazon. First, not all Visa gift cards may work as debit or credit cards on Amazon. Some may require users to use a CVV to authorize a purchase. Since Amazon doesn't ask for this information while adding payment methods, these Visa gift cards might not go through.

Also, Amazon doesn't allow users to combine multiple Visa gift cards, or use a gift card and another credit or debit card on a single transaction. This means that every time you make a purchase from the gift card, you must keep an eye on the balance and make sure that the total order cost (including shipping and taxes) doesn't exceed the account balance.

There is, however, a workaround for tracking that Visa gift card balance. You can use the Visa gift card to add or reload funds on an Amazon gift card, which you can then apply towards future Amazon purchases. Once you add a Visa gift card as an Amazon payment method to your account following the steps above, you can purchase an Amazon gift card for the full amount of the Visa gift card balance (taking into account any fees the Visa card may deduct upon use), or follow these steps to access your existing Amazon gift card balance and reload funds.