Sometimes, people give you gift cards that miss the mark. You might be a vegan who received a gift card to a surf and turf restaurant. Thinking you would enjoy a cruise, a relative might give you a gift card for a small amount, not realizing you aren’t willing to pay the high remaining cost.
Whatever the reason is you have unwanted gift cards, you don’t have to resign yourself to using them as bookmarks or tossing them in a junk drawer. Instead, you can sell gift cards online for cash and then use that money to pay for items or services you actually want—even invest.
Let’s go over several methods for selling gift cards online, what you can get for your gift cards, and other options for what to do with unwanted gift cards.
Don’t let a disappointing gift card get you down. You can still turn it into something you would have chosen yourself.
Can You Sell Unused Gift Cards Online?
Yes, you can sell unused gift cards. Note that selling gift cards online may require the selling price to be lower than the gift card’s value. This can still be a great option if you have unwanted gift cards you know you won’t use.
What Can You Get With Unwanted Gift Cards?
Cash
Exchanging your gift cards for cash means you can do whatever you want with that money. Depending on the site and your preferences, you might receive your cash via check or direct deposit.
PayPal Account Credit
A PayPal account credit is an extremely popular way to redeem your earnings from selling gift cards. You can quickly receive your money and spend it through your PayPal account or transfer funds to a bank account.
Stocks and ETFs
Not all sites let you buy stocks and ETFs with a gift card, but this is a great option when it’s available. Using your money this way means you can significantly increase its value.
Discounts
Discount websites are for buyers and sellers, so you can easily sell gift cards and use the balance to purchase discounted cards for retailers or brands you regularly shop with. Some sites let you trade gift cards to get a better deal.
Prepaid Credit Cards
A prepaid credit card, such as a prepaid Mastercard, can be used like cash anywhere the credit card provider is accepted. Pro tip: sometimes you can use a prepaid credit card for subscription services you don’t want to accidentally renew.
How to Sell Gift Cards
1. CardCash
- Available: Sign up here
- Price: Free
- Platforms: Web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)
CardCash helps people use discounted gift cards to save money. As the seller, you can get paid for unwanted gift cards or trade them for other gift cards. As the buyer, you get discounts on gift cards and save money at your favorite stores, restaurants, and entertainment.
To start selling, simply check the Sell & Earn circle and enter the gift card’s store name and balance. You’ll be presented with a cash payout amount, an option for a prepaid MasterCard, or gift cards from a variety of other retailers. If you choose cash, you can receive a check in the mail, PayPal, or ACH deposit.
It’s that simple! Plus, for buyers, the website offers a 45-day guarantee policy to return gift cards. If the current gift card balance is less than advertised, you can get a full refund.
- Buy and sell gift cards through CardCash, a gift card exchange that allows you to buy gift cards at a discount and sell them for an amount near face value.
- You can purchase discounted gift cards at your favorite brands, netting you savings on a purchase you already intended to make.
- CardCash offers a 45-day guarantee on all discounted cards.
2. Raise
- Available: Sign up here
- Price: Free
- Platforms: Web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)
Raise lets you sell gift cards online in the following three simple steps:
- Search for your store.
- List your gift card for sale. You set the selling price, meaning you choose how much cash is worth it to you.
- Get paid via direct deposit or PayPal when it sells.
Buyers can earn Raise Cash instantly for buying face-value cards to use on future orders. Plus, earn 10% back in Raise Cash when you send gift cards to others.
There’s an option to set up brand alerts to track prices for the best deals. Extra savings can be unlocked with promo codes and free shipping.
Raise has a one-year money-back guarantee 1 Year Money-Back Guarantee from the date of purchase on all gift cards. It covers gift cards that aren’t active or have an inaccurate balance. You will also be reimbursed if the gift card is the wrong brand, like getting a Best Buy gift card when you bought one for Target.
You can download the Raise app on Google Play or the Apple App Store to quickly add gift cards from your phone. This way, you can open a gift card as a holiday present during dinner and have it listed before dessert.
- Raise is a gift card marketplace where you can buy and sell gift cards.
- Buy gift cards for up to a 30% discount, and earn up to 85% of the remaining value of your gift card when selling on Raise.
- Shop on Raise often and get up to 15% back in Raise Cash to spend on full-priced gift cards.
3. ClipKard
- Available: Sign up here
- Price: Free
- Platforms: Web
ClipKard touts itself as the first gift card rewards system on the market. While other websites focus on selling gift cards online, ClipKard has you ship the physical card. The steps are as follows:
- Enter the brand and gift card number to see how much money and rewards points you would get.
- Mail your gift cards. ClipKard provides two shipping options:
- Choose USPS First Class mail, and ClipKard provides a prepaid USPS shipping label.
- Choose USPS Priority shipping and the shipping cost is deducted from your final payment.
- Get paid and earn rewards.
Your money can be paid through PayPal or a mailed check. Reward points equal the value of your purchase or sale. Every 1,000 reward points can be redeemed for an additional $10 discount on purchases. Shopping earns points as well.
As a seller, you will get the most value for your money if you buy gift cards on the site as well. ClipKard has a 60-day guarantee to ensure customers receive the correct cards.
- ClipKard allows you to buy discounted gift cards and sell them for cash.
- Simply search the marketplace for available gift cards for purchase or list ones you want to sell and have ClipKard make you an offer.
- ClipKard offers a 60-day guarantee of value for cards on the platform.
4. Gameflip
- Available: Sign up here
- Price: Free
- Platforms: Mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)
Gameflip is a marketplace for gamers that sells gift cards, games (and game items), private gaming coach sessions, movies, and blockchain assets.
You can sell any unused, prepaid, and non-reloadable gift cards on the website. The most popular gift cards are Xbox Live, Steam, PSN, Amazon, iTunes, and Google Play cards. Gift cards don’t have to be for locations that sell games, though. People also sell gift cards for Krispy Kreme, Hulu, and other brands.
Participants can list gift cards on the website or through the free mobile app. To sell gift cards or digital games, you’ll need a verified email address and be ID-verified.
Gameflip recommends selling gift cards at a discount of 2% to 15% of the original amount. Depending on the popularity of the card, the price may need to be adjusted.
Once the buyer receives your gift card code and rates you, your proceeds are immediately deposited into your Gameflip wallet. You can withdraw your money at any time.
Sellers aren’t charged any membership or listing fees. Instead, after a listing is successfully sold, the site takes a small fee from the proceeds. Don’t worry, Gamelfip protects sellers from all chargebacks or frauds.
- Gameflip is a marketplace for buying and selling all things digital gaming related.
- Buy and sell gaming related items, gift cards, collectibles and more.
- Gameflip boasts more than $140 million in transaction volume to date, thanks to more than 6 million gamers who have used the service.
Other Options to Consider
Regift Your Gift Cards
You might receive a gift card for a retailer or brand you don’t particularly like, but know someone who would gladly accept the credit. In that situation, regift it!
Give it to your child’s teacher to show appreciation, or pass it along to a friend for a birthday. Just make sure you check the expiration dates before regifting. While it’s an unlikely occurrence, gift cards can expire after five years, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).
Exchange Your Gift Cards
On the very same sites where you sell gift cards, you could buy more desirable gift cards at a discounted price as well. You can also trade gift cards to get more value. With these options, you aren’t losing any money overall.
Donate Your Gift Cards
If you’re feeling charitable, you could donate your gift cards. Consider donating to a local charity or using a website such as CardCash (detailed earlier).
Sell Them on eBay or Facebook Marketplace
You could try to sell your gift cards on eBay or Facebook Marketplace and skip the middleman, but this is a risky choice. The seller fees on eBay may be steep, especially since buyers are unlikely to pay the full price for your gift card.
Using Facebook Marketplace means you could get scammed. Only use these sites if you can’t find any other way to sell unwanted gift cards.
Do Certain Gift Cards Carry Higher Resale Values Than Others?
The most in-demand gift cards that resell at a higher value may vary by website. In general, gift cards that can be used at multiple places or double as cash may have higher resale values.
For example, an Amazon or Mastercard gift card is easier to spend than gift cards for a store credit with one retailer.
How Can I Exchange Gift Cards for Cash?
All of the services detailed in previous sections allow you to exchange gift cards for cash. Payment methods vary by site but often include options for ACH direct deposit, PayPal, or checks. Usually, you can simply enter your gift card information and wait for a buyer.
How Can I Get Paid for Gift Cards Immediately?
When you sell gift cards online, you typically have multiple options for how to get paid. If you choose to get a check, it could take a long time to receive your money.
Direct deposit and some other methods are secure and fast but usually not instant. If you want funds instantly, cashing out to PayPal is almost always the best option.
Keep in mind that some sites may have a minimum redemption threshold. For example, you need a minimum of $10 on Plynk to cash out.
