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The classic gift card is more than just a gift from someone who doesn’t know what to get you but also can be the gift that keeps on giving. If you have a gift card for a store or restaurant that doesn’t particularly interest you, trade it in for cash. It’s easy to sell your unwanted gift cards for money or trade them in for cards that you really want.
Many legitimate websites will pay you for gift cards — no matter what the balance is. Check out this list of some of the most popular sites for turning your gift cards into cash so you can get the gift that’s right for you.
Read: How To Get Cash Back on Your Everyday Purchases
Where To Sell Your Gift Cards Online
You can buy gift cards, exchange gift cards or sell your gift cards online instantly and easily if you just know where to look.Each of the options listed below has its own process for selling your cards for instant cash.
Review the different fees and payment options to decide which method is best for your situation. Here are the five best places to sell your gift cards.
- CardCash
- Raise
- GiftCash
- Prepaid2Cash
- ClipKard
1. CardCash
CardCash makes getting a quote easy. First, select the store or restaurant and then provide the value of the gift card. CardCash gives you an immediate quote. If you’re happy with the offer, follow the steps to complete your transaction.
You’ll have to provide a valid credit card to sell. CardCash will issue a $1 charge to your card to ensure it’s active, but the pending transaction will clear within a couple of business days. Other important notes about CardCash’s buying process are listed below:
- You can receive up to 92% of your card’s value.
- Payments are issued in one to two business days.
- The company doesn’t accept gift cards with expiration dates.
- In some cases, you have to mail in a physical gift card.
Payment options include:
- Check by mail
- ACH transfer
- PayPal
- Trade for another gift card brand
2. Raise
Raise works a little differently. You list your own gift cards for sale on its website and get paid once the gift cards sell. Select the brand of your card and input its value, and then set your asking price. Once the card sells, Raise helps facilitate the transaction.
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While it’s free to list cards, Raise charges fees for using the service:
- 15% commission from the selling price
- The greater of $2.75 or 1% of a card’s value for physical gift cards that need to be mailed
Raise pays you for gift cards using:
- Check by mail
- ACH transfer
- PayPal
3. GiftCash
While GiftCash accepts gift cards from a smaller number of merchants, its payout is up to 93% of the value of your card. Sell gift cards with balances ranging from $25 to $2,500. More popular store brands receive higher payouts. Once you sell your card to GiftCash, you’ll receive a PayPal payment within 48 hours.
If you plan to sell more than $2,000 worth of gift cards in a month, contact the company about selling cards in bulk versus one at a time.
4. Prepaid2Cash
This service is designed for selling prepaid gift cards that have Visa, Mastercard or American Express logos. It also accepts store and restaurant cards for more than 100 brands. You have to download the app and create an account to sell your card.
Choose between an instant payment or next business day payment.
- Instant payments incur a 15% processing fee plus a $1.50 delivery fee.
- Next business day payments have a 7.5% processing fee plus a $1.50 delivery fee.
5. ClipKard
ClipKard accepts gift cards from several retailers and restaurants. Once you enter the information of the gift card you are trying to sell, ClipKard will estimate what money you will get for it. If you are happy with their offer you simply follow the instructions and prompts for the next steps to take.
- Add card
- Get offer
- Mail gift card
- Receive payment
- Get rewards
For example, if you were trying to sell a $20 Target gift card you would enter the following:
- Add card: $20 Target
- ClipKard Offer: $13.86
- Reward points: 14
If you are satisfied with receiving $13.86 for your $20 gift card, you would then just accept and mail it in to get your payment.
ClipKard stands out for its rewards system — each purchase or sale you make earns you a point for every dollar, and once you have 1,000 points, you can use them for $10 off a purchase.
How To Sell Unused Gift Cards For Cash
The whole point of selling your gift cards is to make some money off of the endeavor. To make this process quick and painless, you should know that you usually have an option as to how you get paid depending on the platform you choose. You could choose a payment app, but be aware there may be transaction fees, or opt for a bit more of a wait with a physical check as that is as good as gold, or cash in this case.
Selling your popular gift cards isn’t going to net you their full value. Here are some tips to get the most out of them, so that when you accept an offer you know it’s fair. A few key takeaways:
- Be sure to read all of the fine print before agreeing to any transaction.
- Know what you are agreeing to and what your responsibility is for completing the transaction.
- As many of these companies will let you know what they are offering for your physical card before you commit to selling it, shop around a bit to see if some companies are offering more than others.
Final Take To GO: Selling Gift Cards for Cash
When it comes to buying or selling gift cards it is good to know you have a plethora of options. If you have a stack of unused gift cards you are leaving money. It’s estimated that you may lose hundreds of dollars each year but not using or forgetting about these cards.Don’t sleep on opportunities to make some money back or at least buy something you really want.
Caitlyn Moorhead contributed to the reporting for this article.
