Online or Phone Purchases

• Register your card with the bank issuer so that your name, phone number and address are associated with it -- like any credit or debit card. The bank issuer's information should either be on the back of the card or through any contract you may have signed. You can then proceed with ordering by phone or online, so long as you give the exact personal information you did with the bank issuer to prevent your card from being declined.
  
  

Restaurants

• Use the Visa gift card to pay for dinner and tips at your favorite restaurant. Make sure the balance on your card will cover an additional 20 percent above the dinner bill for tipping, according to Visa USA. The card will be declined if the bill and the tip together exceeds the balance on the card. The actual tip eventually charged to your card is up to you, of course.
  
  

Hotels and Car Rental Companies

• Use your Visa gift card to make reservations for hotels and car rentals. Merchants put a hold on your card of the estimated amount of the bill. You cannot use these funds until the money clears with the card-issuing bank. If you do not want any holds on your gift card, use a regular credit card for the initial reservations and save the gift card for use on the final payment.
  
  

Everyday Uses

• Everyday purchases made with your Visa gift card include filling up your vehicle's gas tank or buying groceries at the store. When at the gas station, you can simply swipe the card in the payment terminal at the pump after filling up the gas tank. For places where you have to purchase the gas before you pump, you will first have to give the card to the attendant. If you are buying groceries, you can simply swipe your card through the point-of-sale terminal as you would your ordinary debit or credit card.