Mastercard Gift Cards question

[Freman]

I found an envelope in the lobby at the hotel I work in a few days ago. Inside were 3 Mastercard Gift Cards, each worth 100 dollars each. I left them behind the front desk for 4 days in case someone came to claim them. So far, nobody has.

I was wondering, if I take these cards home (my manager basically said since i found them, and didn't just pocket the things, I could if nobody claims within a week or so) and use them, is the person who bought the things going to be notified that I used them? Nobody I've talked to seems to know. Are they completely untraceble by the person who originally bought them, or will they get a notice in the mail saying the cards have been used, and will they tell them who used them?

Basically, if I've just found free money, then YAY! But I don't wanna use them if I'm gonna owe somebody 300 bucks somewhere down the road.

It's a Vanilla Mastercard Gift Card. Where your name would normally be on a cc, it says, A Gift For You.

Just wondering.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

If the person who bought the cards saved their receipt, it should have a 1-800 customer service number and the individual numbers of each of the cards listed at the bottom. That's all the information they would need to void the current cards and get replacement cards sent to them (and they have to leave all their information when they do so). In which case the cards you have would most likely just not work when you tried to make a purchase with them, with a (very slim) chance that you could get in trouble for trying to use them if the credit card company chooses to investigate.

In a hotel the most likely explanation for multiple cards of that denomination sitting around would be either vacationers using them in lieu of regular credit cards or businesses handing them out as gifts for their employees, both of whom - unlike people giving them as gifts to family and friends - would be very likely to keep track of the original purchase receipt and would notice if they were missing and report it ASAP.

Be conscious of the fact that if you do use the cards and they haven't been reported lost or stolen yet, then you will be essentially costing the person that money if they ever do find out they or the person they gave it to lost it at a later date. If they report it promptly they are not liable for any charges, but if they report after you've already used them, then it will be money lost, whereas now the potential still exists for them to replace the cards and only be charged a small replacement fee from the card balance.

 

[Freman]

Bah. I'll just leave them be then.

 

[Jan]

What Nocturnus of Bored posted is true but it would be kind of a shame to lose out on $300 given that you acted properly and turned the cards in and the owner could claim them.

The hotels I've worked at generally have a 60 to 90 day window for guests to reclaim lost items before offering them to the employee who found them. Why not wait that length of time and ask the Front Desk to try to get a small amount approved (not charged) on each card? If the approval goes through, the cards are probably good and you can do some great Christmas (or whatever) shopping.

Jan

 

[LeahBoBo]

I guess the reason I never find stuff like this is because my attitude would basically be...

WOO HOO! IT'S MY LUCKY DAY!!!!!!

 

[Thena]

I've seen people leave credit cards behind at the various stores I've worked. The standard operating procedure is to call the 1-800 customer service number on the card, and their people notify the cardholder. However, with a gift card, I don't know if they even know who the cardholder is supposed to be.

Something tells me that if travelers checks might be safer.

 

[Kestra]

I've seen people leave credit cards behind at the various stores I've worked. The standard operating procedure is to call the 1-800 customer service number on the card, and their people notify the cardholder. However, with a gift card, I don't know if they even know who the cardholder is supposed to be.

Something tells me that if travelers checks might be safer.

I've gotten my share of these and often they have to be registered online, so it's possible that the company might know who they belong to in this case.

 

[Tim]

^ And if not that, it should be possible to trace the gift card to the purchaser.

 

[Freman]

I guess the reason I never find stuff like this is because my attitude would basically be...

WOO HOO! IT'S MY LUCKY DAY!!!!!!

lol Trust me that WAS my first thought!

Here's another question. Can you use these cards on amazon.com/ca etc, and if so, how?? I checked and I don't see a section for paying with gift cards. Just Enter a New Card, and if that's what you use, what do you enter under cardholder's name? I'm thinking of actually buying some of these for when I want to buy books and the like, but don't want to use my REAL credit cards (I'm trying to pay off the balance on them at the moment and would like to avoid using them if at all possible).

 

[Locutus of Bored]

Here's another question. Can you use these cards on amazon.com/ca etc, and if so, how?? I checked and I don't see a section for paying with gift cards. Just Enter a New Card, and if that's what you use, what do you enter under cardholder's name? I'm thinking of actually buying some of these for when I want to buy books and the like, but don't want to use my REAL credit cards (I'm trying to pay off the balance on them at the moment and would like to avoid using them if at all possible).

You treat them as if they were regular credit cards, not gift cards. Cardholder's name could be Vanilla Gift Card or whatever else you'd like.