Your previous column, from November 15, 2008 stated "Banks and credit cards don't really require you to call from your home phone to activate cards, even though that's what the instructions say." ...

Google Wallet users can now activate the accompanying plastic Google Wallet card through the mobile app, a process that will become increasingly common as mobile payments advance, experts say. The ...

“The activation fee is charged by Visa,” she said. Not so fast, a Visa spokesman told me. “Visa does not set gift-card fees, nor do we receive any portion of those fees,” said Paul Cohen.

Why does it cost $4 to activate a gift card? Carol Powell, 67, posed that question to me after being told by a Target cashier about the cost for getting a $25 prepaid card up and running. Powell ...

Why does it cost $4 to activate a gift card? Carol Powell, 67, posed that question to me after being told by a Target cashier about the cost for getting a $25 prepaid card up and running. Powell ...

Store gift cards — good only for a particular retailer — tend not have such fees. You pay $25 for the card, and the recipient has $25 worth of store credit to enjoy.