The Strange, Sometimes Sketchy, and Surprisingly Useful World of Buying Gift Cards
You ever find yourself staring at a wall of gift cards in a grocery store, wondering who still buys these things? The answer, apparently, is a lot of people. But not just in the “oh, I forgot it’s my nephew’s birthday” kind of way. Gift cards have a whole other life beyond lazy gifting. They’re used for discounts, reselling, crypto trading, and occasionally for things that sit in legally gray areas.
Let’s break it down, because the world of buying gift cards is much weirder than it looks.
Gift Cards as Currency
You know how some people hoard cash under their mattresses? Well, others hoard gift cards. In some countries, gift cards are treated almost like cashjust slightly less annoying to carry around.
In the U.S., for example, you can walk into a major retailer, buy a bunch of gift cards, and use them like a debit card for future purchases. Some businesses even let you pay for services with them. And in certain places where banking systems are unreliable, people use gift cards as a makeshift currency. They trade them in private groups, sometimes at a premium, because they trust a store’s card more than they trust their own local banking system.
The Discount Trick
One of the best (and least shady) reasons to buy gift cards is the discount hustle.
Some websites sell gift cards at a reduced price. A $100 card for Airbnb? You might snag it for $90. A $50 Starbucks card? Maybe you’ll find it for $45.
It sounds too good to be true, but it isn’t—at least, not always. The reason these discounts exist is usually one of two things:
- People got them as gifts and don’t want them.** (How many people really need a $200 Bass Pro Shops gift card?)
- Retailers offer them at a discount to boost spending.** If you have $100 loaded onto a gift card, odds are you’ll spend slightly over that when you shop.
Savvy buyers stock up on discounted cards to save money on everyday purchases. If you know you’re going to spend $500 on Amazon this year, why not grab $500 in Amazon gift cards at a 10% discount?
The Resale Hustle
Of course, where there’s a market for buying something at a discount, there’s a market for reselling it at a profit. Some people make a side income flipping gift cards, buying them cheap and selling them at a smaller discount for a quick margin.
There’s an entire resale ecosystem for this, with platforms dedicated to trading gift cards. Some people even use them for arbitrage—buying gift cards in one country where they’re cheaper and selling them in another where they hold more value.
But this is where things start to get weird.
The Shady Side
Not all gift cards come from legit sources. Stolen credit cards are sometimes used to buy gift cards, which are then sold for cash before the fraud is detected. Some scammers will even sell gift cards that have already been drained, leaving the buyer stuck with a worthless piece of plastic (or worse, a digital code that goes nowhere).
Some red flags when buying gift cards from third parties
The discount is too good to be true (a $100 card for $50? Run.)
The seller insists on a weird payment method (cryptocurrency, wire transfer, or gift cards in exchange for… more gift cards.)
The card is missing security details, like a PIN or scratch-off section
This isn’t to say you should never buy second-hand gift cards—just that you should use platforms that guarantee some level of buyer protection. Otherwise, you’re gambling.
Crypto and Gift Cards: A Modern Marriage of Convenience
Speaking of sketchy (but sometimes totally legal) transactions, the crypto world has found a deep love for gift cards. Because many traditional financial institutions are wary of cryptocurrency, gift cards have become a bridge between the fiat and crypto economies.
Platforms now exist where you can buy gift cards with Bitcoin, Ethereum, or stablecoins. This lets crypto users spend their digital assets without needing a bank. Likewise, some traders buy gift cards with crypto and then resell them for cash, using them as a semi-private way to offload crypto holdings.
The Big Retailer Problem
Most retailers hate all of this.
They like selling gift cards because they make money off them (both in direct sales and in unused balances), but they don’t like the resale and crypto trade scene because it messes with their bottom line. Some companies put restrictions on how gift cards can be used—like requiring ID for purchases or limiting the number of gift cards you can redeem in one transaction.
Target, for instance, has been known to lock down accounts that buy too many gift cards too quickly. Walmart sometimes prevents online gift card purchases from being made with other gift cards. And let’s not even get into the convoluted policies of airlines and travel sites.
Buying Gift Cards the Smart Way
So, how do you navigate this world without getting burned? A few simple rules:
Stick to reputable sources.** If you’re buying from a third-party marketplace, make sure they offer buyer protection.
-Know the common scams.** If someone’s trying to sell you a $500 Visa gift card for $200, there’s a 99.9% chance it’s a scam.
Use gift cards strategically.** Whether it’s to get a discount, flip for profit, or move between financial systems, have a plan.
-Check the terms.** Some gift cards come with restrictions, like region locks or expiration dates. Always read the fine print before buying.
Conclusion (Or, At Least, a Pause)
Buying gift cards isn’t just about grabbing a quick last-minute present. They’re a strange little financial tool that can be used in a lot of different ways—some perfectly reasonable, some clever, and some that’ll land you in trouble if you’re not careful.
Whether you’re looking to save a few bucks, resell for profit, or use them as a bridge between different economies, just remember: if a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is. And if someone asks you to pay a ransom in Apple gift cards, well… you might want to call the authorities.
Also visit Digital Global Times for more quality informative content.
