How to activate visa gift card without activation code

Q: Can you activate a gift card without the activation code?

Many gift cards are activated when theyre purchased, so they dont need to be activated by the recipient. However, some do need to be activated by the recipient before they can be used. You can activate a gift card by calling the merchant or accessing the provided URL and inputting the correct activation numbers.

PerfectGift, LLC

Table of Contents Show

Activate Online
Activate Over the Phone
Can you activate a gift card without the activation code?
Where is the activation code on a Visa gift card?
How do I activate a non activated gift card?
Does Visa gift card require activation?

495 Mansfield AvenuePittsburgh, PA 15205(800) 543-7927

The PerfectGift Visa® Gift Card and the Virtual Visa Gift Card are issued by Sutton Bank®, Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. No cash access or recurring payments. Card can be used everywhere Visa debit cards are accepted. Visa Virtual Account can be redeemed at every Internet, mail order, and telephone merchant everywhere Visa debit cards are accepted. Terms, conditions and expiration apply. The PerfectGift Mastercard® Reward Cards are issued by Sutton Bank®, Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Mastercard International Incorporated. No cash access or recurring payments. Card can be used everywhere Mastercard debit cards are accepted. Mastercard Virtual Account can be redeemed at every Internet, mail order, and telephone merchant everywhere Mastercard debit cards are accepted. Terms, conditions and expiration apply.

When you purchase a prepaid Visa card, or if you receive the prepaid Visa as a gift, you will be required to register the card before you can use it for any transactions. Registration of the card is generally referred to as “activating” the card. To activate the card, you will need access to a phone or computer with an Internet connection.

Activate Online

Note the Web address for activation on the prepaid card's packaging, or on the sticker pasted on the front of the card.
Open a Web browser and enter the activation URL into the address bar. Press the “Enter” key.
Click the “Activate Card” option. An Account Creation form is returned.
Type the prepaid Visa card number into the corresponding input boxes.
Type the “Expiration Date” and the “CSV” number into the corresponding fields.
Type your personal information into the form, and click the “Submit” button. A notification will display that the card is now active and your account has been created.
Sign the back of the card. The prepaid Visa is ready to use for purchases.

Activate Over the Phone

Note the phone number for activation on the prepaid card's packaging, or on the sticker pasted on the front of the card.
Call the activation phone number. Have the prepaid Visa card handy. You will need the numbers on the front and back of the card.
Enter the card number, when prompted, using the keypad on your phone.
Enter the “Expiration Date,” when prompted.
Enter the “CSV Number,” when prompted. You will hear a notification that your card has been activated once the process is complete.
Sign the back of the card. The prepaid Visa is ready to use for purchases.

This post falls in the “I want to activate my gift cards but I don’t want to wait for the activation code letter to arrive in the mail” category. Let’s say you ordered 4 $200 Visa Gift Cards from Staples.com and they all show up at the same time. Great! But.. what do you do if the activation letter (filled with the activation codes) doesn’t arrive at the same time? Not to worry, you can activate all the gift cards over the phone without the activation codes.

Since Staples.com gift card orders *supposedly* no longer pay out to online shopping portals, this will probably be my last Staples.com gift card order, until something changes (see Frequent Miler’s post). On the back side of the letter that was attached to your Visa Gift Card is a phone number to call (1-866-357-7391) to activate your gift cards over the phone.

During the call, keep pressing 0 until you get a customer service agent on the phone. Tell the agent that you lost the activation letter and need to activate the cards over the phone. The agent will ask for your order number (see top right corner on the front of your gift card letter) and some personal info like your name and mailing address.

After the agent locates your order, they will send a request to the activation server to activate all your gift cards. The process takes 1-2 hours, but then all your gift cards in that order will be activated. From then, you can verify and view your balance on Gift Card Mall’s website and set a PIN. Follow these instructions to learn more.

Now that online shopping portal payouts have dried up, will you still be purchasing Visa gift cards online? I plan on going back to my local Staples as long as they keep having $200 Visa Gift Cards in stock. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.

P.S. Just got this email from Discover as I was typing up this post. Will be interesting to see the cash back posts to my Discover account. I will have to wait until early June to find out…

Can you activate a gift card without the activation code?

Many gift cards are activated when they're purchased, so they don't need to be activated by the recipient. However, some do need to be activated by the recipient before they can be used. You can activate a gift card by calling the merchant or accessing the provided URL and inputting the correct activation numbers.

Where is the activation code on a Visa gift card?

How do I activate my Visa or Mastercard gift card on the phone? To activate your plastic Visa or Mastercard gift card, you will need: The 16-digit card number printed on the front of your gift card. The 3-digit security code (CVV code) printed on the back of your card.

How do I activate a non activated gift card?

Go back to the store with the card and the receipt proving purchase. They should then activate the card or provide a refund.

Does Visa gift card require activation?

Many Visa Gift cards are activated upon purchase and ready to use. However, if yours requires activation, you'll typically see a sticker with instructions and a toll-free phone number.