Q: I had a very strange event with a MasterCard gift card that I obtained from Staples as a rebate. I went to Giant Eagle and the card was only accepted for 55 cents. I thought maybe I had used ...

Gift card transaction volume in the U.S. passed the $100 billion mark in 2011, a new industry high, TowerResearch found in a recent report. About 85 percent of gift cards are used within 60 days.

While transactions are typically adjusted to the final amount by the end of the day, it can take a day or two for the card issuer to remove the hold and adjust your card balance. 2. Travel purchases.