Have a Visa gift card that keeps slipping your mind? The October Prime Day shopping event provides an excellent chance to utilize it — you’ll gain more benefits from those funds when almost everything is on sale. It’s an ideal moment to kickstart your holiday shopping while saving money. The yearly shopping event officially kicks off on Oct. 7 and wraps up on Oct. 8.

Incorporating a Visa gift card on Amazon isn’t as simple as it may seem. While it’s categorized as a gift card, it can’t be activated like an Amazon gift card. Instead, you’ll need to register it as a Visa debit or credit card to employ it as a payment option.

How to incorporate a Visa gift card for purchases on Amazon:

1. Access Amazon via your mobile device, tablet, or computer and locate the Account tab. In the mobile application, find the Account under the person icon at the bottom of the screen and in the three horizontal lines at the bottom right. On a web browser, hover over Accounts & Lists in the top right corner, then select Account from the resulting dropdown.

2. Once on the page, scroll to locate the Your Payments tab. This section leads you to your digital wallet where you can view your listed payment methods.

3. Click on Add a payment method. Since the gift card is a Visa, it operates like a standard debit or credit card, so scroll down to the credit or debit cards category to insert the new card.

4. You’ll be prompted to enter the essential card details such as the card number and expiration date.

5. Afterwards, it will request the Billing Address. Prepaid Visa gift cards aren’t linked to a name or address, thus you won’t receive a billing statement. You can either enter your own address or contact customer service for the card issuer’s address.

There are a few caveats to keep in mind when utilizing a Visa gift card on Amazon. To begin with, not all Visa gift cards may function as debit or credit cards on Amazon. Some might need a CVV to authorize a transaction, and Amazon does not request this information when adding payment methods, which means these cards may not be compatible.

Furthermore, Amazon does not permit the combination of multiple cards for a single transaction. You cannot use two Visa gift cards to cover the total or apply the remaining gift card balance as partial payment with another card. Monitor your cart total and make sure the complete order cost (including shipping and taxes) does not exceed your account balance.

Nevertheless, there’s a workaround for monitoring the Visa gift card balance. You can utilize the Visa gift card to add or reload funds onto an Amazon gift card, which you can then apply toward future Amazon purchases. Once you add a Visa gift card as a payment option on Amazon, you can purchase an Amazon gift card for the total amount of the Visa gift card balance (considering any fees the Visa card may deduct upon use).