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Getting a gift card at a discounted price can feel like a real win; it’s the sort of sale that truly feels like you’ve been given free money to tuck back into your pocket. However, it’s really only a deal if that gift card is for a store you were going to spend money in anyway—if you haven’t shopped at Old Navy in a decade, forcing yourself to do so because you got a deal on a gift card is unlikely to make you feel satisfied in the end.
You should also always make sure the website you’re buying gift cards from is legit (a quick Google search can help, and if it seems at all sketchy, walk away); and if you’re buying gift cards in a physical store, inspect them to make sure they haven’t been tampered with.
Where to find deals on gift cards
If you’ve ever looked to offload a gift card you knew you were never going to use, you may have heard of CardCookie. The website connects sellers of unwanted gift cards with buyers who covet them. While the deal will always technically be better for the buyer, given that they won’t pay face value for the card, it’s probably worth it to the seller to get something for a card they know they’ll never use (especially if it was a gift and not money out of their own pocket).
The deals change frequently, but you can find 15% off gift cards for Aeropostale and Banana Republic right now (you can also use Banana Republic gift cards at gap.com, oldnavy.com, and athleta.gap.com). While CardCookie has verification checks in place for buyers and sellers, it’s not perfect. Some bogus gift cards get sold on the website, but as a buyer, you should get your money back if this happens. The website has mostly positive reviews from sitejabber.com.
You can get gift cards at these stores for 10% off on CardCookie right now:
Other discounted gift cards sites
Like CardCookie, there are other websites that connect buyers and sellers of gift cards. If you don’t find the store you’re looking for one—or want to see if you can find the best deal, you can also try:
Buy in bulk from wholesale stores
Wholesale stores like Costco and Sam’s Club always sell discounted gift cards when you buy them in bulk: Some of those deals are only available in the store, but, you can still find some online, such as this $500 gift card for Southwest for $450 from Costco (must click on $500 option), or this two $50 gift card for the Hard Rock Cafe for $80 from Sam’s Club.
The catch
Companies sell discounted gift cards because they want to lock you into buying at their store. Their hope is that you fall into the large group of people who never use their gift card, or that you buy more gift cards than you were going to spend. The good news is that if you’re intentional about your choices, you can bypass those tricks and easily take advantage of the discounts they offer with these two simple rules:
- Only buy gift cards when you know you have to spend the money anyway.
- Only buy the amount (or less) that you need,
from Lifehacker https://ift.tt/TtJe4aS
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