9 Great Ways to Find Gift Card Deals

Shoppers that use gift cards are more than 2.5 times more likely to pay full price for an item than those who use cash, credit, or debit for a purchase. Once merchants and sellers figured that out, it was only a matter of time before they started offering deals on gift cards as well as the products themselves. Gift cards can be used just like cash, and if you scored a great bargain on one, then it’s just like getting free money to a place where you’d like to shop anyway.

There are a number of ways to find discounted gift cards, but they tend to fall under two categories. First, there’s pre-owned gift cards, which the owners likely received as a gift and won’t use. They’re often willing to let go of these cards for less than their face value, because to them, the cash is better than the store credit they’re not going to use. The second category is discounted new gift cards, which are generally sold directly by businesses looking to increase their sales or offer a seasonal promotion.

Whether you’re gifting them to friends and family or keeping the savings all to yourself, here are ten great ways to find amazing deals on gift cards:

1. Shop Around the Holidays – On Cyber Monday and through the holiday season, many major stores offer discounted gift cards as a perk for shopping with them. These sales often come in the form of BOGO deals, where you can purchase a gift card at full price and then receive another as a gift, or sometimes you will receive extra store credit or rewards that are valid for a limited amount of time. The idea is that you will receive a gift as a thank you for buying a gift card, but if you keep both the gift card and the extra rewards for yourself, then you can reap all the benefits.
   
   
2. Use a Gift Card Reseller – Websites like Raise, Gift Card Granny, or CardCash help sellers get some of their money back on unused or unwanted gift cards by selling them for discounted prices. Chances are, if a store you like offers gift cards, you can find a discounted one online. If you’re looking to make a specific purchase, like a new television for example, do some research first. Look at sites like BestBuy, Walmart, Target, and more to see what kinds of deals they have on televisions, and then compare those deals with the gift cards you can find for each store. With the help of a little simple math, you can quickly calculate to find the best deal possible.
   
   
3. Talk to Friends and Family After Special Occasions – Make it known to your friends, coworkers, and family members that if they receive a gift card from someone and feel like they will never use it, that you are willing to buy it from them at a discounted rate. This tactic works especially well if you have cash on hand, or if you know anyone who is a teacher, as they often receive gift cards from students around the holidays and at the end of the school year.
   
   
4. Groupon – Groupon offers fantastic deals on lots of local businesses, including restaurants, spas, and entertainment activities like go-karting or escape rooms. If you’re looking to gift a friend with a delicious meal or a relaxing massage, or just want to treat yourself to a night out, then look at Groupon in your local area to see what sort of gift certificates and discounts they offer.
   
   
5. eBay – eBay’s person to person marketplace makes it a great place for individuals to offload gift cards they don’t want, and often at amazing prices. Use your best judgment, though; if a deal sounds too good to be true, that’s because it very well might be. Don’t ever buy a gift card from an individual on eBay without a money-back guarantee in case there’s a problem with the gift card you receive. The most trustworthy place to buy gift cards on eBay is at the PayPal Digital Gift Store, which offers a gift card of the week from its many partnered brands.
   
   
6. Craigslist – Just like with eBay, it’s best to exercise caution whenever using Craigslist, but if you find some great deals on gift cards, then by all means take advantage! It’s a wonderful platform for exchanging goods, and individuals who have unwanted gift cards may find Craigslist to be the easiest solution for selling them. Be sure to meet in a well-lit public area when completing your Craigslist transaction. One great solution to make sure that the gift cards are valid is to meet at the store where the gift cards are from. Before the seller shows up, fill your cart with the items you want to buy (or items that are the same price as the gift card’s value, which you can return later), and ask the Craigslist seller to meet you in the store. Purchase your goods with the gift card, and pay the seller once the transaction has successfully gone through. It’s a bit of a process, but it’s a good way to protect yourself and your money from fraud.
   
   
7. Gift Card Mall – Gift Card Mall is the leading website which provides gift cards to grocery stores, gift shops, and other major sellers. On Gift Card Mall, you can find cards for everything from Macey’s to Target, and under their “Promotions” section, you’ll often find great deals for gift cards sold under face value.
   
   
8. Grocery Store Ads – Keep a close eye on grocery store ads and promos before the holiday shopping season kicks in, because you just might find a really fantastic bargain. Early in the season, it’s not uncommon for supermarkets to offer money off your next grocery purchase after you buy a certain amount in gift cards, or extra fuel rewards with purchase of a gift card.
   
   
9. Cash-back and Rebate Websites – RetailMeNot and Rakuten are websites that offer cashback rebates on purchases from thousands of retail websites like Walmart, Kohls, and Best Buy. They also have a sizeable section on gift card discounts. After you buy a discounted gift card from one of these websites, you can maximize your savings even more by making your purchases through the site as well, and getting cash back on what you buy.