If you receive a gift card you don’t want, there are ways to cash it out. You can sell it, trade it or donate it.
Several websites and apps will buy unwanted gift cards for close to their face value. You can also re-gift the card to a friend or charity.
Sell it 문화상품권매입
If you’re not interested in the gift card that you received from a loved one, you can sell it for cash. Many online sites will allow you to sell unused or unwanted gift cards. Some will give you a check in the mail, while others offer digital payments like PayPal or Venmo.
Sites like Raise will allow you to list both physical and e-gift cards, and you can set your own price for the card you’re selling. There are no listing fees, but the company will take 15% of the final sale value.
Other online gift card resellers, such as CardSell, will also pay you for your unwanted cards. You’ll be given a check in the mail or a digital payment (but you may have to pay transaction fees). GameFlip, which is geared towards gamers, will also buy your gift cards, though you’ll only get 80% of the total balance. This is due to the fact that it will have to resell your gift cards for a profit.
Trade it
If you have a gift card for a store you don’t like, you can often trade it for cash. There are many websites that let you do this, including Raise. These sites charge a small fee for their services, but they’re usually easier to use than going through individual retailers.
Other websites, such as Gameflip, let you sell or trade your gift cards for cash and other items. Gameflip also charges a listing fee, but it’s worth the effort if you’re looking to get rid of an unwanted gift card.
Some stores will let you exchange your gift card for money, but the value may be less than what’s on the card. Check online to see if your favorite stores offer this service. In some cases, you can even swap a gift card for one from a different retailer. This isn’t the most ethical way to deal with unwanted gift cards, but it can help you save some money.
Donate it
A more selfless option is to simply regift the gift card, especially for a store you rarely shop in. This allows you to meet a gift obligation to another person while recovering money by not having to spend it yourself, says NerdWallet’s Courtney Jespersen.
Many charities accept gift cards as donations, and some online gift card exchanges like CardCash allow you to turn a merchant gift card balance into a charity donation. However, these services often take a small percentage of the donated value for marketing and administrative costs.
A more straightforward approach is to contact local charities and see if they’ll accept a donated gift card. For example, if you have a gift card to a clothing store, ask if your community closet or food bank would like to use it for its programs. Or, if you have a gift card for a fast-food restaurant, find out if a local school or youth afterschool program is holding a basket raffle.
Exchange it
Gift cards can be a great way to save money or treat someone. But if you end up with one for a store you don’t like or simply don’t shop at, it can be frustrating to let those funds go to waste. Luckily, there are ways to use those unwanted gift cards to your advantage, even if you don’t want the actual merchandise.
Many sites offer to exchange gift cards for cash, and you can often get a good deal. Just plug in the card name and how much it’s worth to see what offers come up. Most popular stores will give you 80% to 90% of the value of the card back.
You can also trade a card to a different store via websites or kiosks. This isn’t quite as savvy as selling your card, but it can help you use your unwanted gift cards. You could also donate your gift cards to charity, which can help you lower your tax bill if you itemize.