Visa recommends that you register your card to protect your rights if your Visa Prepaid Gift Card is ever lost or stolen. By registering your card, it makes the process of refunding your money for unauthorized purchases easier. You will want to register your card and provide your address if you wish to use your card for mail orders, telephone orders, or internet transactions.
Pending transactions are authorized transactions, and a hold is placed for the purchase amount on your card. Posted transactions are purchases that have cleared on your card and the funds have been removed. There are some pending transactions that are more or less than the amount you have actually spent. This is because some retailers that place a pre-authorization amount on your card for more or less than the total of the purchase. For example, gas stations make a pre-authorization for a smaller amount, such as $1.00 to ensure the account is active. Once you have completed your purchase an actual authorization is sent in the amount of your purchase. Restaurants, however, will typically send a pre-authorization amount for 20% higher than the total of your bill to ensure you have enough money on your card to cover the tip that you authorize.
Typically, your Available Balance is less than your Actual Balance because your Available Balance reflects purchases you have made that have been authorized, but have not cleared your account. However, there are some cases, such as when you have returned merchandise, where the Available Balance will be more than your Actual Balance.
Your Visa Prepaid Card is prepaid and can only be used to make purchases up to the amount on the card. Most retailers send a pre-authorization for the amount of the purchase to ensure that you card has enough money for the purchase. If you attempt to make a purchase for more than the amount available on the card, the transaction will be declined.