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Are you looking for an innovative, cost-effective way to reward or incentivize your employees and customers? Gift cards are an increasingly popular choice for businesses wanting to set up employee incentives and customer reward programs in the digital era. The Visa prepaid card is another great option to add to your rewards program and has numerous benefits.
So, what exactly is a Visa prepaid card, and how does it work? Let’s take a look.
What is a Visa prepaid card?
A Visa prepaid card is a stored-value card that can be used wherever Visa cards are accepted. As a prepaid card, the card is loaded with a set amount of funds before it is sent to the recipient.
Visa prepaid cards can be used for ongoing purchases for as long as funds remain on the card. Unlike a debit card, there’s no requirement for a bank account, meaning it can be sent to, and used by, recipients with minimal fuss.
Although prepaid cards can be purchased as both physical and digital cards, sending digital cards is often a preferred option for businesses due to their ease of delivery and added security benefits. Digital Visa prepaid cards can be sent as and when needed and therefore don’t need to be stored. You can also track them relatively easily.
How do Visa prepaid cards work?
Digital prepaid Visa cards operate similarly to other digital or virtual prepaid cards. Here’s a quick outline of how they work:
- The initial value of the card is determined by the buyer of the card — with Runa, it’s simply a matter of choosing and loading the desired value at the time of purchase. The prepaid card is then sent via email to the recipient, where it is accessed through an encrypted hyperlink. Once clicked, the link sends the recipient to a secure site where they can view all details of the digital card.
- The Visa prepaid card can be used by the recipient wherever Visa cards are accepted. Each time a purchase is made, the purchase amount is deducted from the card’s balance. The recipient can view their current balance and purchase history via the online portal.
- Unlike a credit card, there is no line of credit with a Visa prepaid card — the recipient simply has access to the pre-loaded value of the card.
- Visa prepaid cards are easily redeemable. Recipients can choose how they wish to spend their card, whether for online, phone, or mail order purchases or in-store via a digital wallet.
- Digital prepaid Visa cards with Runa are issued in both US and Canadian currencies and are accepted in multiple countries across the globe.
How can you use Visa prepaid cards online?
Using digital prepaid Visa cards online is easy. Visa prepaid cards provide recipients with all the benefits of physical cards in a convenient digital format. Similar to physical cards, the digital card is equipped with a unique card number and is valid for use at any online retailer where Visa is accepted.
When making a purchase online, the recipient must ensure that the card balance doesn’t exceed the purchase amount, including taxes. As with a regular Visa card, the card information is entered at checkout, and ‘credit’ or ‘debit’ is selected as the payment method.
Ultimately, digital prepaid Visa cards improve a customer's overall e-commerce shopping experience by providing freedom in their choice of spending, along with increased levels of safety and convenience.
Can I use Visa prepaid cards on any website that takes Visa?
Yes — digital prepaid Visa cards can generally be used on any website that accepts Visa as a payment method. This is one of the many reasons Visa prepaid cards are an increasingly popular option for businesses wanting to implement a successful digital reward program — gifting a Visa prepaid card truly puts the power of choice in the hands of your recipients.
As well as online purchases, Visa prepaid cards can be used for mail or phone purchases or added to a digital wallet to enable in-store payments. So, whether your valued recipients choose to shop online, dine out, buy gas, or pay bills, the Visa prepaid card is the ultimate choice of reward that’s sure to be appreciated by all who receive it.
Which Visa prepaid cards work internationally?
Most Visa prepaid cards can be used internationally. The Visa eReward Card, available via the Runa platform, can be used wherever the Visa card issuer is accepted, but there are some restrictions as to which countries it can be used in.
The Visa prepaid card is available in USD and CAD currencies, and there are no transaction fees when used in the country and currency of purchase. International transaction fees may be applicable when used outside the country of purchase — these fees are outlined in the Cardholder Agreements.
Benefits of the Visa prepaid card
When recognizing, retaining, and reimbursing employees and customers, the Visa prepaid card is a great option for a digital reward. Here are some of its key benefits:
- Easy ordering and instant delivery — With Runa, you can order and deliver prepaid cards to your recipient’s inbox within seconds. What’s more, the user experience can be personalized with customized email templates.
- Flexible and convenient — Visa prepaid cards give your recipient unlimited flexibility and choice. They can buy what they want, whenever they want, from any retailer that accepts Visa payments. Along with being available for online, in-store, mail-order, and phone purchases, the prepaid card also comes with a convenient payout option.
- Enhanced security — Digital prepaid cards are more secure than physical cards, which can be easily lost or stolen. Further, digital Visa prepaid cards can be tracked, and there’s no requirement for a bank account.
- International reach — For ultimate convenience, Visa prepaid cards are accepted in multiple countries.
Visa prepaid cards are a great way to incentivize and reward employees and customers. They are easy to order, flexible, and convenient, and come with an extra layer of security. Furthermore, they are accepted internationally, making them the ultimate choice for global rewards programs.
To integrate Visa prepaid cards into your rewards program, you can use the Visa API, which enables you to easily integrate prepaid card issuance and management into your existing systems. The API is designed to be fast, secure, and easy to use, and it provides a seamless experience for your employees and customers.
With Visa prepaid cards and the Visa API, you can create a successful and cost-effective rewards program that your recipients will love.
Visa prepaid cards for employee incentives
In today’s increasingly tight and competitive job market, more businesses recognize the need to attract and retain top talent. To do this, smart employers are placing greater importance on employee retention and recognition programs.
Visa prepaid cards are a versatile reward choice. They’ll not only make your valued employees smile but also save you time and effort in sourcing gifts, allowing you to focus on what matters most — driving your business forward.
With Runa, you can send hundreds or thousands of Visa prepaid cards instantly — no matter where your employees are. Our platform helps you simplify your employee incentive program, as well as increase ROI and satisfaction levels by:
- Automating processes — With digital prepaid Visa cards as your employee reward of choice, there’s no need for last-minute shopping dashes and manual deliveries.
- Personalizing experiences — In today’s remote working world, smart employers understand the importance of making connections to help engage and energize their employees. With a Visa prepaid card, you’re offering your employees a thoughtful gift that can be redeemed however they wish.
Whether you’re looking for individual performance incentives, onboarding gifts, or spot bonuses, there’s little doubt that Visa prepaid cards provide the perfect employee incentive.
Sending Visa prepaid cards in bulk
With the help of a gift card platform such as Runa, sending digital prepaid Visa cards in bulk is easy. When it comes to sending bulk gift cards, Visa prepaid cards are an excellent solution for:
- HR teams — Visa prepaid cards ultimately help you take your employee incentive or reward program to the next level, allowing you to recognize a job well done and incentivize your team anywhere in the world within seconds.
- Marketing teams — With Visa prepaid cards as a powerful customer incentive, your business can drive growth at each marketing funnel stage. Acquiring, retaining, and activating customers globally has never been easier or quicker.
- Partnership teams — Successful service providers worldwide are using Visa prepaid cards to help with a wide range of solutions from employee benefits, rewards, and recognition, to survey incentives and cashback programs.
Our platform’s user-friendly interface allows you to easily purchase Visa prepaid cards in bulk. Buying in bulk can save your team hours of manual operational work and the activation fees that usually go hand-in-hand with buying smaller quantities of prepaid cards through retail outlets.
With Runa, the sky is truly the limit when buying prepaid cards in bulk — you’ll enjoy the same easy process and benefits whether you’re purchasing one or one million cards!
Is Visa prepaid anonymous?
Unlike physical credit or debit cards attached to a bank account, digital prepaid Visa cards come in fixed amounts and are anonymous.
Can you use Visa prepaid cards on rideshares like Lyft and Uber?
Rideshares such as Lyft and Uber generally accept prepaid cards from major financial service corporations, including Visa. To be accepted, the recipient simply needs to ensure there’s a sufficient balance on the Visa prepaid card.
Distribute Visa prepaid cards at scale with the Runa API
With the help of modern gift card APIs, it’s now easier than ever for businesses to manage and automate the distribution of Visa prepaid cards. Runa’s API gives users access to a wide range of branded gift cards and Visa prepaid cards, effectively paving the way for employers to implement and scale successful incentive and reward programs.
How does it work? It’s simple. On joining Runa, you arrange to have the gift card interface connected to your internal systems. A web developer usually completes this process, which takes around a week or two. Once you’re up and running, you’ll be able to sell, track, redeem, and reload Visa prepaid cards all through the one handy platform, with all data managed by the Runa API. This means less time, energy, and resources spent on sourcing rewards and more on the things that matter most to your business.
With our single, reliable gift card API, your business will enjoy:
- Easy integration — Connect, develop, explore, and test your application as often as you like via our developer-friendly platform.
- Speedy delivery — Our super fast API automation makes placing orders for Visa prepaid cards as simple as a few clicks.
- Feature-rich portal — Choose how to send prepaid cards, download all URLs, and access reports quickly and easily through the portal.
- Personalized experiences — Our extensive API customization options, including email templates, order descriptions, and delivery formats, means you can deliver a truly personalized experience to all of your recipients.
Revolutionize your reward program with Visa prepaid cards and Runa
There’s little doubt that Visa prepaid cards provide a versatile and cost-effective solution for businesses wanting to reward and incentivize the people who matter most. At Runa, we’ve made the process of sending Visa prepaid cards at scale easy.
Our user-friendly platform provides seamless, instant access to various digital incentives, including Visa prepaid cards. What’s more, it effortlessly scales to meet your business's changing needs — meaning you enjoy the same easy process at every stage.
Keen to learn more about how you can implement a successful reward program with the help of Visa prepaid cards and Runa? Get in touch to arrange a free demo today!
