12 Best Places to Buy Discounted Gift Cards Online

Whether you’re buying essential items or giving a gift, discounted gift cards are an effortless way to save money at your favorite stores.

You can buy unwanted gift cards for less than face value on several online platforms.

In most cases, you instantly receive a digital voucher to spend online or use for in-store purchases. However, some stores only offer physical cards that you receive by mail.

Best Discounted Gift Card Sites

There are two options when buying reduced-cost gift cards, including platforms that let you buy discounted cards and ones that let you exchange cards.

Here are the best places to buy gift cards without having to pay full price.

1. Raise

Raise is a top gift card reseller offering both physical and electronic gift cards for over 4,000 popular retailers. Some stores offer discounts of up to 30 percent.

Before buying a card, read the retailer terms and conditions to avoid accidentally purchasing a card you can’t use. For example, some cards are only redeemable online.

This platform offers several benefits, including:

• One-year money-back guarantee: Get a refund if your card arrives inactive, doesn’t have an accurate balance, or when the seller doesn’t deliver your card.
• Cash rewards: Earn cash rewards to redeem on future purchases when you buy gift cards at full price.
• Gift bonus: Receive up to ten percent in rewards when you buy a card and gift it to a friend by email.
• Online coupons: Redeem coupons and promo codes to receive discounts at popular stores.
• Referral bonus: Receive a $5 bonus for each friend that you refer.

You can also sell your gift cards for many brands. The service verifies your balance, and you can set the selling price.

When it sells, you receive payment via direct deposit, PayPal, or store credit.

Buyers don’t pay any fees, but Raise collects a 15 percent sales commission for digital cards. Physical cards also incur a listing fee of either $2.75 or one percent of the card value, whichever is higher.

2. Groupon

Groupon often lets you buy gift certificates from different retailers or restaurants. Like other services it sells, you can purchase gift cards at a discount.

However, they also offer plenty of other great deals for local businesses. While the offers may not technically be gift cards, they still provide a substantial bang for your buck compared to regular prices.

You can also receive discounts on physical items that online retailers mail to you. Some examples include beauty items, clothing, and home decor.

The platform can even help you save money on hotels and experiences.

There are no buyer fees. If you own a small business, you can sign up to be a Groupon merchant for free.

Make sure to check out other discount sites like Groupon to find more opportunities to save money.

3. LivingSocial

LivingSocial has the same parent company as Groupon but provides different deals and no buyer fees.

Most offers help you save money on purchases and experiences that are already part of your spending plan.

Some of the potential discounts include:

• Oil changes
• Sam’s Club memberships
• Movie tickets
• Streaming plans

If you don’t find what you’re looking for on Groupon, LivingSocial is a good alternative.

4. RebatesMe

RebatesMe is a cash back website that also offers gift cards from a variety of stores and restaurants.

Technically, you’ll pay full price for the gift card, but you’ll get cash back to use for future gift card purchases. The amount of cash back varies for each retailer, but it can be a good way to save money while buying gift cards.

Some of the types of gift cards you can buy through RebatesMe include:

• Restaurants
• Clothing stores
• Shoe stores
• Home improvement stores
• Pet stores

Gift card cash back from RebatesMe expires one year after the transaction date of the purchase.

5. Gift Card Granny

Gift Card Granny partners with merchants who sell e-gift cards and physical cards at face value.

Unfortunately, you won’t get an upfront discount, but participating national brands award cash back. You can redeem your balance for gift card rewards with a $5 balance.

Waiting until you have $10 means you can request a check.

It’s also possible to earn cash rewards by reading sponsored emails and referring friends.

There are no fees to purchase virtual cards, but you pay to ship physical cards.

The service also offers personalized Visa and Mastercard cash cards for a fee. Your precise cost depends on which customization features you choose.

This site doesn’t let individuals sell cards.

6. Costco

Costco is a terrific choice to find items for less, including gift cards. The warehouse store lets you buy reduced-price cards at the store or online for many national brands.

The discount will vary from gift card to gift card, but you can expect to see savings of up to 20 percent.

Sometimes there are even deeper discounts, but those will vary based on the store and the current offers available. You can also look for specials online.

Discount can be available for these categories:

• Airlines
• Gaming codes
• Movies
• Restaurants
• Retail stores
• Spas

When you buy online, you will receive the gift code by email within a few minutes.

Despite the warehouse club’s generous return policy for merchandise, gift card purchases are usually non-refundable unless you experience redemption errors.

You do need to be a Costco member to shop in-store and online.

An annual membership starts at $60. In addition to cheap gift cards, the membership can be worth it as you can save money on everyday items, insurance, and gas for your car.

7. CardCash

CardCash is one of the best places to buy gift cards as you can discover additional discounts with their twice-weekly email list.

There are no fees to buy gift cards, and you receive them digitally. For some brands, you will receive a physical card instead.

All sales are final, but you have a 45-day money-back guarantee if you encounter troubles.

You can also sell or trade gift cards on the platform. It’s possible to get up to 92 percent of the card’s face value as payment by direct deposit, check, or PayPal.

Trading your gift cards for other brands lets you enjoy a trade-in bonus worth up to 11 percent. This can be an excellent way to get Amazon gift cards.

For example, a $35 gift card may score you $29 in cash or $32 in trade-in credit.

8. Gift Card Spread

Gift Card Spread sells gift cards at a discount for upfront savings. Depending on the merchant, you can receive a digital code, a printable voucher, or a physical card.

There are no buying fees, and each purchase has a 60-day guarantee period.

Sellers also won’t pay a listing fee and can set their own selling price. However, the highest price they can ask is 92 percent of the current card value.

Shipping fees may apply for sellers getting rid of physical cards.

9. eBay

Yes, eBay is an option to find a deal when traditional gift card exchange websites don’t work for you.

It’s possible to find savings when other sites may only sell your desired card for full price.

Sellers can sell their unwanted cards at a fixed price or via an online auction. Pay attention to the delivery method and any potential shipping fees.

Unfortunately, eBay’s buyer protection policy may not be as strong as other platforms on this list. You can report fraudulent purchases and potentially get a refund, but the dispute process can require more effort on your part.

Only buying from sellers with many positive ratings can help you avoid scams.

It’s also possible to sell gift cards for any brand and potentially get a higher price. Your eBay selling fees are approximately 13 percent.

One reason to consider eBay is to sell Amazon gift cards. Most resale sites only accept this retailer’s cards from trusted sellers.

10. GiftCards.com

GiftCards.com offers a wide range of gift cards from all sorts of stores. They also provide the option to buy Visa and Mastercard gift cards.

Unfortunately, the majority of the gift cards sell for full price.

Instead, you can earn G-Money Rewards on your purchases. Many cards earn one percent rewards points. Every 100 points you earn saves $1 on future purchases.

You cannot sell or trade gift cards on this platform.

11. MyGiftCardsPlus

MyGiftCardsPlus is another excellent platform to save money. It offers up to 30 percent cash back when you purchase gift cards. You can redeem your points for free gift cards.

To earn points, you will need to create a free account through the MyPoints get-paid-to site. You can also earn points by shopping online, taking surveys, and playing games, among other tasks.

As you’re buying cards directly from merchants instead of individuals, there is minimal chance of fraud or having to spend time requesting a refund.

This platform doesn’t support selling or trading gift cards.

12. Card Flip

Like other discount gift card websites, Card Flip lets you save up to 40 percent at stores and restaurants.

There are no buying fees or selling fees. Shipping for physical cards is free.

Your purchases have a 45-day protection period against fraudulent sales and inaccurate balances.

Sellers can receive up to 92 percent of the card’s face value. Payment options include direct deposit, check, bank wire, or Bitcoin.

Paying with Bitcoin or direct bank withdrawals lets buyers get a three percent discount.

What to Know About Getting Discounted Gift Cards Online

Getting discounted or free gift cards can provide significant savings. However, there are a few things you need to know.

How Do You Get the Gift Card?

Many retailers and services let you get a discount in one of two ways:

• Digital cards sent via email
• Physical cards sent via regular mail

Some vendors may also offer the option to print off the gift certificate for in-store or online use.

Keep the type of card you get in mind, especially if you’re giving the gift card as a present. Digital cards are typically free, and you can receive them within 24 hours.

On the other hand, physical gift cards have delays due to mailing. You may also pay a fee to process your purchase.

Protect Yourself

There is the potential for fraud when buying discounted gift cards. That’s why many resellers offer some sort of guarantee on the cards they sell.

Make sure you investigate any guarantees offered by resellers and use the gift card balances in full before the guarantee expires.

Most gift card resellers offer protection periods between 45 days and 12 months. Raise guarantees your purchase for one year.

Some fraudsters that sell gift cards to discount gift card reseller websites are smart and wait until the guarantee has expired to try to empty the gift card’s balance.

If you leave a balance on a gift card after the guarantee expires and the balance disappears, you have no recourse and will lose the remaining balance.

Know the Redemption Policies

Whether you buy a discounted gift card or pay full price, it’s essential to know the redemption policies of the specific retailer. The last thing you want is to buy or receive a gift certificate and have problems redeeming it.

The best course of action is to check the redemption policies directly with the retailer.

Some may have a limited window, while others may not allow you to redeem discount gift cards online. Many of the above platforms let you see their redemption terms, though some may not.

The best way to protect yourself is to go directly to the retailer to see what they allow for redemption.

What Kind of Retailers Offer Gift Cards?

Countless retailers offer gift cards, so there are plenty of opportunities for savings. You can get discounted gift cards for many popular retailers such as:

• Amazon (here’s how to get free Amazon gift cards)
• Walmart
• Target
• Disney Store
• Old Navy
• Best Buy

It’s even possible to get free Starbucks gift cards on many platforms.

Finding discounted cards for any of the above retailers is a great way to save money on items or services you were already planning on buying.

Bottom Line

Now that you know where to look to buy discounted gift cards online, make sure you compare guarantees and prices to find the best place to get the ones you want.

You may find that one website offers the best price for Walmart gift cards, while another offers the best price for Target gift cards.

If the savings are significant enough, it may make sense to order the discounted gift cards separately. Just don’t let things get so out of hand that you’re wasting time to save a few pennies.

 

What are other ways you like to save on giving gifts?