As these survey results seem to indicate, consumers don’t really understand the true costs or fees associated with open-loop (Visa/MasterCard) gift cards. Probably the most understated result is the question where 17 percent said they had trouble spending the remaining amount on their card because a merchant refused to split the transaction across multiple payment types. What is missing is the fact that the other 83 percent of people never had a problem BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T EVEN KNOW YOU COULD DO THIS! :)