Use Up Every Cent

Back in August I purchased a new laptop at Costco. I also got the Microsoft Office suite there; that part of the purchase generated a $25 eGift card. I left the store with a Microsoft cardboard voucher with directions on the back. To receive the actual gift card information I had to scratch off the voucher coating to see a QR code and PIN, then scan the code with my phone and enter the PIN.

Eventually I had a gift card number, expiration date, and CVV (Card Verification Value), which should have made it easy to use. However, I found the process cumbersome. Even though the card website said it would work at online merchants that accepted that brand of debit cards, it seemed like every online store I tried declined the card.

At some point I figured out that I could add the card to my Wallet app and use it with the phone's mobile payment service. (Which was a new experience for me. Because of security concerns I am not a fan of e-payment.) However, once the money there I used it for small purchases at the grocery store and Target. Eventually the balance on the card was down to 59 cents.

It would have been easier to forget about that pittance, but I figured I would try to capture the full value of the card. I kept a scrap of paper in my wallet to remind me the money was there.

The other day I was at an Aldi that had self-service check outs. After I scanned my items I noticed that one of the options on the screen was to split the payment, and I wondered if the machine would accept my pittance. It did. On the first screen I entered the card balance, used the Wallet app to deduct the money, then paid for the balance with my regular charge card.

Five years ago today: What Is Prayer?