Can I give visa gift cards as tips?

Why not just give $100 cash? What do you feel is the benefit of the gift card?

I know it sounds silly, but it would just be one less thing I have to worry about. I can go online and buy 8 or however many $100 gift cards and not have to deal with divvying out cash. I can pre purchase them now (plus i think i get a discount with my CC rewards). I know i sound cheep....we are just doing the finals to the budget and its crunch time!

Are you buying the visa gift cards using a credit card to get points or something? I agree with PK.

Also, didn't you have four stars??

Actually makes sense to me. I work for tips and hate having cash, i think gift cards have benefits like points and organization/easy storage.

Yes. Buying gift cards with my CC so I get points.

I don't understand the star thing? I don't know what I only have three? Am I super lame or something?

It's the same as cash to the recipient - but don't you pay a fee to buy visa gift cards? So you'd be paying a fee to buy the gift cards, right? (103.95 for example, for a $100 card) So it's kind of a wash if you pay a fee to get points/miles/rewards whatever. It would be even more expensive if you don't pay off your credit card every month.

So it sounds expensive but you asked if it's tacky to give a gift card and I don't think it is. More expensive possibly than cash - but not tacky.

I hate visa gift cards. they're a pain to manage the balance, some have hidden fees/expire, some online retailers don't take them or make them painful to use. I'd much prefer check/cash which I can just deposit at the bank and use when/where I want.

I think that is very reasonable. I am also not on "team over tip everyone" either so maybe this question is for someone else.

Thanks for the help ladies I just checked and I can buy $100 visa GC for $90 each. There is no fee for the user if used within 12 months.

Do people actual tip Catholic Priests???? I have 2 uncles who are Catholic priests and I know both would not accept money or a gift card... The money for the church is supposed to go to the electric, paying salaries... I would feel weird tipping a Catholic priest. You wouldn't tip them for a funeral...

I would say no to the Visa gift cards. Most of those cards hold $1 for approval every time you use it. So if they want to use it towards something they can actually only use $99, and they can never get that $1. I realize it's only a $1 but it makes me mad.

Most Catholic priests make very little money and they never gave me tips for baptisms or anything back. I would tip for a funeral too. It is their job but usually these things happen after hours. Plus i know our priests take vacations to see their families every year and I am sure they like the occasional bottle of wine and a rib eye. Thats interesting to me that some wouldn't accept a tip. Maybe they took a vow of poverty?

Well in that case...go for it!

I hate visa gift cards. They're a pain in the ass for all the reasons PP's mentioned.

RE the priest: usually it's more customary to make a donation in the priest's name or to give a gift rather than tip cash. The $700 is for use of the Church, and the priest probably won't see any of it. You obviously can give cash and I'm sure it would be appreciated, but a physical gift might be more appropriate. My uncle is a Catholic priest and performed our ceremony. He got a super nice bottle of scotch and will get a framed picture of him with me and H on our wedding day.

DMN-- I'm pretty sure for priests, a tip is considered a discretionary/suggested "donation". We didn't tip my Dad's priest when he gave his funeral, but we did give him a "suggested donation" (which was a very firm suggestion).

The Visa gift card makes your life a lot easier, but it makes the vendor's life harder-- just give them cash-- it's not that hard to remember to do. I don't think they can deposit a visa gc into a bank account, so if they wanted to do anything with it besides make a purchase, they are out of luck.

Maybe they did take the vow of poverty, I have no idea. I do know my one Uncle's secretary always laughs because each year the same amount down to the cent my Uncle receives for his Christmas bonus is donated to the needy food/present drive each year anonymously. Priest also have everything paid for. Housing, utilities, insurance, car insurance... Besides food, all the large things you pay yourself is paid by the church.