What to Do With Unwanted Gift Cards

Believe it or not, depending on the retailer, you can sometimes return a gift card. However, it isn’t always an easy process, and you may not receive the full face value of the card. Many retailers require the receipt for the gift card, which you aren’t likely to have. Still, you never know until you try.

Chances are, you’ve regifted a gift or two in your lifetime, handing off a gift you didn’t really care for to someone else for another special occasion or holiday. (You’ve probably received a regift or two as well at some point in time.) You can regift gift cards as well, saving you time shopping for a gift as well as the money you would normally spend.

With a new gift card envelope, you can hand it off to someone else you think might like it. Gift cards are usually good for several years so even if you don’t have anyone to regift it to now, you might at some point in the future.

You can try selling your gift cards in exchange for cash on Facebook’s marketplace, Craigslist, eBay and other websites, such as Cardpool.com. Keep in mind that you will usually need to sell the gift card at less than face value to make it worthwhile to a buyer. But even if you aren’t getting face value, you are still getting cash that you didn’t have before.

If you have no need for the gift card and the above options aren’t suitable, you could always simply donate the gift card to charity. Such a donation is also tax deductible for the face value of the card.

Instead of selling it, it is also possible to exchange the gift card for one you would use on sites like Cardpool.com, CardCash and Junkcard.

Don’t feel bad about receiving an unwanted gift card—one of the above options is sure to result in a more positive experience.