Can you get cash back from gift cards?
Can you get cash back, (or cashback as it’s often spelled) from gift cards?
I wish there was a simple yes or no answer to this question, but there’s not.
But wait, before you give up on me, let’s ask one important question, ‘What does cash back really mean?”
The definition of cash back
It seems that even dictionaries can’t agree on this one.
- Some define cash back (loosely) as a percentage of credit received after using a debit or credit card to make payment for a product or service.
- A discount is offered in return for immediate payment.
- A rewards programme where customers can earn back a percentage of the money they spend while shopping.
- Getting something in return for making a purchase, – a gift, a discount, gift cards, or rewards.
- Getting cash as part of your purchase. For example, if you buy goods for £100 on a debit card, and ask for £20 cash back, the extra £20 is added to your transaction price. But it’s you who pays for it.
And so, it goes on.
In reality, the answer is a resounding no if we take the word ‘cash’ to mean paper money or coins, wonga, greenbacks, spondulicks, or whatever you choose to call it.
There are a few exceptions but they are hardly worth investigating, at least not now.
As a general rule, cash back can refer to any discount, reward, or the return of a percentage of the payment price after payment has been made.
These rewards are often available in the form of gift cards.
Getting more out of your purchase
Imagine buying online like you always do but now with the added rewards for each purchase. That’s exactly how our rewards app works. And best of all, it’s free!
Gift cards and marketing
Gift cards, no matter where you get them, are not designed solely as means of paying for goods or services. They are marketing ploys used very effectively by retailers, PR companies, and marketing agencies.
The main purpose of gift cards is to entice the owner to spend money on items and services that they may not necessarily need.
So, shouldn’t you just be able to get cash instead?
Yes, of course, you should, but only if you have the patience to get involved in some convoluted horse trading. In the past it was possible to receive cash in return for unwanted gift cards, it’s not so easy anymore.
Cash back on gift cards
Getting more out of your purchase
Imagine buying online like you always do but now with the added rewards for each purchase. That’s exactly how our rewards app works. And best of all, it’s free!
Some people would even use the gift card to purchase a product they didn’t want. They would then return the product in exchange for cash back. However, many retailers now have a no-refund policy and use non-cash redeemable gift cards in exchange for returned goods.
Read more about gift cards here
How to get cash back on gift cards
If you’re willing to spend, there’s always free money to be earned.
If you take a little time before you make any purchase, look around and search online. With this strategy, you can be almost 100% certain that you’ll find exactly what you’re looking for with a discount and even the possibility of receiving additional bonuses like gift cards in return.
There are many ways of getting cash back on gift cards, and many sites where you find them.
Loyalty cards, debit and credit cards, rewards programmes like Monetha, taking surveys, offering your opinion, and testing products or services.
Digital gift cards versus physical gift cards
Before we start, you might want to know that gift cards come in two formats, digital and physical.
Digital gift cards are designed to be used exclusively online, while physical cards are designed for use in-store and online.
Let’s take a look at a couple of ways of getting cash back on gift cards and the best places to do it.
Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime is a paid shopping service – you can get a free trial for up to 30 days – that guarantees discounts, rewards, and numerous services that pay for your membership over and over.
Membership comes in multiple varieties offering a wide range of benefits including, fast and free delivery, TV, movies, and live sports subscriptions, music sites, Prime Day – a retail sales event – free games, exclusive deals, reduced-price medication, free reading service, unlimited photo storage, plus a free food delivery platform membership.
Tesco Clubcard
The Tesco Clubcard is a loyalty programme with over 17 million members who benefit from discounts, great deals, and gift cards every week.
It’s a simple process, for every £1 spent online or in-store with Tesco members get one point. The points can then be used to receive discounts and avail of rewards including gift cards.
Tesco has also joined up with reward partners like Disney, RAC, Virgin Atlantic, and several others to offer even greater value to members.
Monetha Rewards Programme
Monetha is a rewards programme that costs nothing to join. In fact, just for signing up, you’ll receive your first reward in the form of valuable reward points.
Monetha has partnered with hundreds of online shops that bring you great discounts, deals, and ways of making savings when you shop.
Every time you shop with Monetha partners you earn points. These points can then be redeemed in several ways, as an investment in cryptocurrency, for making donations to charity, or exchanged for hundreds of gift cards from some of the world’s top retailers and brands.
Read more about Monetha and cash back here
Shop and receive gift cards
With the right app, earning gift cards have never been so easy! Use rewards app, do your regular shopping and get rewarded with every purchase.
Credit Cards
Here’s a novel idea.
If your credit card – or debit card – offers a cash back option (where you get back 1-2% of any purchase price) use it to buy gift cards online.
Not only will you get your credit card cash back reward, but you can then use the gift card to make a purchase with even more discount from the store of your choice.
Gift cards from the biggest online retailers like Amazon or eBay can be used once or on multiple occasions until the card’s value is redeemed. However, if there’s a difference in price the excess can only be paid by card (where you can get more cash back).
Starbucks
We might be stretching the gift card cash back definition a little here, but with the Starbucks coffee outlet, every time you make a purchase you receive 3 reward stars.
When you reach a determined number of stars (150) they can be redeemed for a free drink. The Starbucks ‘gift card’ programme is easy to join and also offers additional incentives – in the form of extra stars – from time to time.
If you want to nail your membership, keep saving your points up to the Gold Level and receive ever bigger and better rewards.
Get gift cards for your opinions
Hundreds of websites are willing to pay you in gift cards for your opinion, web searches, watching videos, and playing games.
One of the most popular sites is Swagbucks which offers multiple ways for your to earn points that can be redeemed for free gift cards or PayPal cash.
Swagucks comes as a downloadable app letting you earn points in your spare time wherever and whenever you want. You can then convert your points for gift cards and coupons from Walmart, Visa, and other well-known outlets.
You can read more about cash back, gift cards, and other great ways of saving money when you spend, here
Cashback with every purchase
Shop via Monetha’s app and get rewarded with every purchase you make. Accumulate points and spend them on thousands of available gift cards. Fast, easy, reliable – Monetha is your gateway to huge savings!
Monosurveys.com
MonoSurveys is a marketing company who are more than happy to pay you for expressing your opinion by participating in surveys that eventually help retailers and service providers to test the market, or improve their brand.
The surveys can range in topics from food to electronics to politics and cars.
During a survey, you might be asked your opinion on a brand’s new packaging design, the visual appeal of a product, your in-store shopping habits, or your likelihood to purchase a new product based on advertising.
You can also be asked to test new products or participate in phone or SMS surveys, play games, or simply voice your opinion on a particular subject.
In return for your input, you’ll be paid in digital gift cards that can be redeemed in hundreds of retail outlets worldwide.
Coupon sites
By downloading an app like Honey you can shop your way to great price reductions and receive rewards like gift cards from some of the world’s most well-known brands.
Every time you shop, you can use the app to search online and determine if you’re getting the best price.
Once you find the best price, Honey will apply a coupon/voucher for your purchase helping you make even bigger savings.
Get gift cards with your mobile phone – MobileXpression
This is one of the easiest ways to earn free Amazon vouchers. All you have to do is download the MobileXpression software to your phone and use your phone as usual.
Just for doing that you’ll be rewarded with a free Amazon gift card. The longer you keep the app on your phone the more gift cards you’ll earn.
Plus, in case you’re worried about what the app is doing on your phone, you’ll be pleased to know that it doesn’t have access to your files, videos, photos, or call logs.
You can expect to earn £10 within the first two weeks of signing up. But, take note, the rewards will reduce after the initial sign-up period. The good news is you can leave any time you want.
Earn gift cards with your shopping receipts and Shoppix
This is a really simple way to earn money for your Amazon account. Download the Shoppix app and scan your shopping receipts every time you shop.
That’s it? Yep, that’s it.
Shoppix will reward you with gift cards that can be added to your account.
Pretty simple, eh?
Want to know how to score cash back on hotel stays? Come visit Monetha to learn more quickly.
Can you get cash back from a visa gift card?
In short, yes.
If you’ve been given a Visa gift card but would rather have the cash back, you can do this in several ways.
- Visit and ATM
- Use your pre-paid Visa card like cash
- Sell your gift card – usually at a lower value
- Buy money orders and exchange them
- Buy and flip products
- Add money to your PayPal account
- Sell your gift card to a friend
- Invest the money
- Re-gift the card to buy a gift that you would have had to spend cash on
Can you get money off a gift card?
If you do a quick search online, you’ll find that there are plenty of online businesses offering discounted gift cards.
Sites like Giftcards.com, CardPool, Raise, and CardCash let you buy discounted gift cards on their websites.
If you have some on your hands, looking for discounted gift cards might be worthwhile, but that depends on if you get a really good deal or not.
It’s also worth noting the following:
- The time invested when measured against the savings-made ratio doesn’t always work out in your favour
- Some card sites buy back unused cards, but you’re never going to redeem the card’s full value
- Some individuals buy and sell discounted cards to make a profit.
Are there other ways to earn money with gift cards
That’s a big yes, there are other ways to earn money with gift cards – not many, but they do exist.
- Sell your card to an official gift card repurchase website – Many websites will buy your card for cash. Some will even provide pre-paid postage or shipping fees. If you have digital gift cards, there are websites that will purchase them and pay you immediately. Some of the sites are, CardCash, CardPool, Raise, and GiftCard, but remember, you won’t be paid the full value of the gift card.
- Use an app to sell your gift card. Download the app – Raise have such an app – and choose how you want to be paid. But, the catch is that app operators will take a percentage of up to 15% of the overall value as commission.
- Sell your card on commercial shopping outlets like eBay or Craigslist. The advantage is that it’s unlikely that you will lose as much as the 15% charged by apps and discount card sites.
FAQ
Can you get cash back from a store gift card?
The only official way you can get cash back from a store gift card is by selling the card directly to one of the online gift card discount platforms.
Can you get something with a gift card and return it for cash?
This was once a popular way of exchanging a gift card for cash. Purchase something in the store using the gift card, then return the item for cash back.
Most retailers now apply a no-refund policy on goods purchased with gift cards.
If you want to know more about how you can earn rewards like gift cards and cryptocurrency for purchases you were going to make anyway, visit the Monetha website today – https://www.monetha.io/blog/rewards/how-does-cash-back-work/
