Last Updated on May 7, 2022
It’s been a while…
Yeah! And I have been holding on to them as one would a driver’s license.
Take for example this Giant Eagle gift card, or this blue with a yellow sunburst $25 Walmart gift card.
And…Ah!
If only this was actual cold cash and not tied to some of these brands!
How can I easily get the best out of these gift cards? How can I cash find a gift card exchange kiosk near me?
Is that you?
You are actually tired of receiving another gift card when several others are wasting away in your wallet. Or maybe you’re scared that with the passing of time, you may end up misplacing your cards without benefiting from them.
Yes. It’s frustrating when you have gift cards tied to products or services that are not your taste.
And you have one wish…
‘I wish I could combine the value of these gift cards into one and use it where I want!’
Here is the thing…
You can actually unlock the value trapped in unredeemed gift cards. You can sell gift cards online or at a gift card exchange location.
I will show you 17 platforms where you can sell gift cards for cash. But before we go there, you need to know the current value of your gift card.
Here is how.
Gift cards balance check – How and Where?
This may be obvious. But heck, you gotta do it!
If you want to exchange your gift card for money it is only important to know your gift card balance for you to know what you are selling and the value you are getting in exchange.
If for example, you want to check Amazon gift card balance or check Walmart gift card balance or any other brand, where do you do that? Is there a gift cards balance checker somewhere?
Well, this can differ from brand to brand. However, most brands allow you to check the balance online. You can also call the toll-free number located on the card, or you can check your gift card balance by visiting them in person.
Lastly, there are also websites where you can check gift card balance for almost all the brands. For example, if you go to Gift Card Granny, you are able to check the balance of almost any card you can think of. There are several other websites where you can do this.
CardPool – No longer a gift card exchange portal
I think it is important I should mention Cardpool first. Because it has been very popular in the gift card business.
Cardpool is no longer buying or selling gift cards as of late January 2021.
Cardpool was founded in 2009. In a short period, Cardpool quickly became the preferred way to buy and sell gift cards online.
In January 2021, at the pick of the Covid-19 pandemic, Cardpool announced that they could no longer buy or sell gift cards.
There are, of course, other places where you can sell your gift cards online or physically.
CardCash
CardCash will buy your unwanted gift card and it is a great website platform if you want to sell your gift card.
The process to sell is simple. Just get access to their sell page, choose a merchant for your gift card, key in the balance on the card and you get an offer.
You can sell your gift card for up to 92% cash back. The cash offer will vary depending on the card you have. It could be a grocery store, gas station, or large department store gift card.
You get your money via a check in the mail, ACH deposit, or PayPal. If you wish to trade your gift card for a brand new card from available brands, you can do so.
You’ll receive payments for your cards within 1 – 2 days of order approval. Take note that the minimum gift card balance you need for your to sell your card at CardCash is $10.
EJ Gift Cards
Here is another marketplace where you can sell gift cards for cash. If you have a gift card you are not likely to use, you can get cash by selling it on the EJ Gift Cards sell page.
Once you enter your gift card brand and balance, you will get an offer from EJ Gift cards. If you accept the offer you can proceed with the transaction.
The minimum acceptable balance on your card is $10. At the moment EJ Gift Cards is only paying via Paypal. And you will receive your payment in 1 – 3 business days.
GameFlip
On this marketplace, you can buy and sell several categories of items. These include digital or physical video games, in-game items & skins, and gift cards among other things.
Selling your gift card on GameFlip is slightly different from the other sites. Gameflip does not buy your gift card but other users of the platform are the ones who buy.
To start selling you need to register an account with your email, Facebook, or Google accounts. You can then list your gift card in front of thousands of buyers participating in the marketplace.
Although you can set your own price, the website does state, however, that your card will sell quickly when you set the price between 2% and 15% off the original amount. The website will only take a small fee when you have successfully sold your item.
Gift Card Spread(GCSpread)
Gift Card Spread made its debut in the gift cards market in 2011. With 10 years of operation on its side, the company is worth being given consideration for people wanting to transact in gift cards.
Like it is with all gift card transaction websites, Gift Card Spread will have to verify the validity of your gift card to shield it from acts of fraud. For this, a valid form of identification and a credit card may be required.
The payment method by Gift Card Spread is via check. This will be done within 10 days after the verification process.
Although GCSpread allows you to make an offer for your gift card, the company generally pays between 60% – 90% of the value on the gift card.
Gift Card Granny
Gift Card Granny is yet another successful gift card website created in 2009 and boasts of more than 13.9 million visitors a year. It’s the grandmother of all gift cards.
There is a horde of things you can do on this website. Including checking your Visa gift prepaid card and Mastercard gift card balance.
To sell your gift card, the website will help you find a gift card exchange location near you by submitting your zip code or city. You’ll get an offer at gift card exchange kiosks or locations which, if you accept, you’ll get paid instantly.
The alternative is to sell your gift card online by submitting the brand and balance. Gift Card Granny will then list offers from partner sites. Depending on the brand, demand, and value, you’ll earn up to 92% cash back.
Giftme
Giftme is a mobile application that allows people to sell gift cards. You can also purchase discounted cards and these are delivered instantly to your smartphone.
From the smartphone in the palm of your hand, Giftme has created an environment where you can sell your gift card with ease and get paid quickly.
For your payout, Giftme offers ACH direct deposits for cards sold through their app. Another payout way available is by check delivered via USPS.
Giftme has 24/7 customer service. To give you the best experience, their average response time is less than 24 hours.
Raise
Raise is a mobile payments and prepaid gift card platform. It was founded by George Bousis in 2013 and has grown its membership to more than 3 million people.
You can earn cash for unwanted cards and store credits. Raise has more than 4,000 gift card brands on their marketplace. You can sell new or partially used cards.
There is no fee for you to list your card for sale and you set the selling price. You’ll get paid via Direct Deposit, PayPal, or check when you sell.
CheckintoCash
Checkintocash buys gift cards. You can sell your gift card at any of their stores and you’ll get cash the same day. So don’t let your unused cards gather dust when you can get cash for them.
Checkintocash accepts cards from hundreds of major brands. These include Walmart, Target, Starbucks, Best Buy, and over 500 other retailers. They accept your new or partially used gift card.
All you have to do is walk into CheckIntoCash store and get a free quote for your card. If the quote is acceptable, you show them your driver’s license so they can verify your identity and process the payment.
Then get your cash with no hassle and no waiting. You can find the nearest store by entering your zip code on their site.
Clipkard
ClipKard was founded with the vision of serving its customers without the inconveniences associated with the gift card industry. Like other websites in this industry, they have recognized the need for consumer security.
To sell a gift card on ClipKard, you have to login to your account, choose the brand of the card, and indicate the balance on the card. You can add more than one card. ClipKard will then make an offer for each card. Once done, you’ll ship the cards and get paid.
ClipKard will pay for the cost of shipping your cards if you choose USPS First Class mail. If you choose USPS Priority mail, they will deduct the shipping cost from your final payment total.
Gift Card Bin
Giftcardbin is another place to go to sell your gift card from major retailers. GiftCardBin no longer supports online sales of gift cards through their site.
If you would like to sell your gift card, you can do so by visiting one of Giftcardbin’s 600 partner locations across the US.
You can use the US Store locator on their site to find a location near you to sell your gift card. Present your gift card and a valid form of ID and you’ll get your cash soon after.
QuickcashMI
QuickcashMI is a Michigan based gift card exchange company that has been in business since 2011. It offers a marketplace to Michigan and the surrounding states in the midwest region for gift card buyers and sellers.
Selling a card on this platform means you are selling directly to QuickcashMI. You can sell both physical and electronic cards. To get started just go to sell my gift card.
You need to decide between two selling methods. In-mail selling takes long but yields the highest payout. Online redeeming takes less time but yields a payout lower than In-mail. Payout is via check in both cases.
GiftCash
GiftCash gives you a platform to sell your gift card online for up to 92% of their value. When you go to the selling page, type in your gift card’s corresponding merchant and current balance.
GiftCash will then give you an offer for your gift card. If you can take the offer, just click the accept button and follow the instructions.
The accepted minimum value of a card you can sell is $25. Several payment methods are offered such as PayPal, e-check, Interac, cryptocurrency transfer depending on multiple factors including whether you are in the US or Canada.
Payouts are typically processed within 5-10 business days for Canadian retailers and within 10-15 business days for US retailers.
CardCookie
CardCookie helps you sell your unused cards for cash. You can earn up to 92% cash back. When you provide details of your card on the selling page, you’ll receive a cash offer for it.
CardCookie accepts both physical and electronic cards from many popular retailers. To sell these cards, your entire transaction can be completed electronically with no need to ship the physical gift card.
The balance on the gift card must be between $10.00 and $500.00 and there cannot be any restrictions on the cards. You can verify your account by entering your credit card and you can get paid via ACH which can take 3 to 5 days.
CardSwap
This is Canada’s #1 gift card marketplace. It rewards Canadians with gift cards and cash back savings on everyday purchases. And you can sell unwanted cards for cash.
So before your cards waste away in your wallet or gets misplaced, why not turn them into cash? And your first step is to provide CardSwap with details of your gift card. You then mail your cards with CardSwap’s free shipping label.
Your gift card should have a balance of $25 or higher. CardSwap will mail you a cheque or credit your account SwapPoints within two business days of receiving and validating your cards. SwapPoints can be redeemed for cash or any other gift card.
CoinStar
Coinstar gift card exchange kiosks are no longer offering a service where you could sell your gift card. The Coinstar gift card exchange kiosks provided a much sought after option for anyone who wanted instant cash for selling their gift cards.
Coinstar has however discontinued this service. As of now, you can use Coinstar kiosks to deposit your coins in exchange for notes, eGift card, or a charity donation.
To find Coinstar kiosks near you just enter your city or zip code on the Coinstar website and kiosks in your area will be displayed.
When you deposit your coins into the Coinstar kiosk tray and opt for eGift card, you’ll receive a voucher with a unique eGift Card code to use online like on Amazon, or in-store.
Some questions people ask about gift cards
People are always asking questions about gift cards. These questions vary from gift card exchange issues, selling and buying of gift cards to grocery stores that exchange these cards. Here are 4 such questions answered.
How can I get cash for gift cards immediately?
If you want to get cash immediately for your gift card, the best option is to find a kiosk or stores which partner with gift card exchange businesses and present your card at the customer service counter.
GiftCardBin, for example, has 600 partner locations across the US where you can sell your gift card for immediate cash. Just search for their partner locations from their website.
Another company where you can sell your gift card for immediate cash is Gift Card Granny. You can search for a gift card exchange location or kiosk near you from their website. If you accept their offer for your card and present your ID, you can get cash immediately.
CheckIntoCash is yet another place where you can get cash immediately. You’ll find a CheckIntoCash store almost everywhere. Just walk in there and present your card and after verification of your identity, you get your money immediately.
Can you exchange gift cards for cash at Coinstar?
Not any more! Coinstar has discontinued the gift card exchange for cash service. However, you can still find a Coinstar kiosk in many places but with a slightly different kind of service.
You can now use a Coinstar kiosk to exchange your coins for money notes. So if you have collected a bunch of coins, find a Coinstar kiosk and deposit them there in exchange for money notes among other options.
The Coinstar kiosk also gives you the option to donate the value of your coins to a charity. Another option you get is to exchange your coins for an eGift card which you can use for online purchases like on Amazon or in-store purchases.
What can you do with unwanted gift cards?
You have several options you can do with your unwanted gift card. Instead of such cards wasting away, one way you can get rid of them is to sell the cards for cash.
Another way could be to regift your gift card. If for example, you are in possession of a Walmart gift card and you think you won’t be shopping there anytime soon, you can regift the card to someone who may shop at a Walmart store.
If you have no use for a particular gift card, a charity of your choice may be able to put it to good use. So instead of getting money to give to your favorite charity, you can donate your unwanted gift card.
How can I turn a Visa gift card into cash?
Several ways are available to convert your Visa gift card balance to cash. And all you need to do is pick a way that is convenient to you. Here are just three options.
Of course, your first way is to exchange your Visa gift card for cash at a gift card exchange kiosk or at one of the websites listed in this article.
Wherever PayPal is accepted, you can pay with your prepaid gift card with a Visa, American Express, MasterCard, or Discover logo just like any other credit or debit card during checkout. You can also add the card to your wallet.
Venmo is another alternative. Venmo allows you to add your gift card(i.e American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa) to your Venmo account the same way you would a debit card or credit card.
Unlock that money in your gift card
If you have gift cards wasting away in your wallet or sock drawer you are actually not putting money to good use.
The cards lying around are yours. And the value they hold is your money. So why don’t you put that money to good use where you may need it?
I have given you several ways you can redeem the money trapped in your gift card. So go ahead and use one of the ways and get that money today, tomorrow, or even the other day.