How to Sell or Exchange Gift Cards That You're Never Going to Use

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If you've recently celebrated a birthday or major gift-giving holiday, chances are you've amassed quite a collection of gift cards during the festivities. Some you may be psyched to use right away, while others... not so much. Before you start scheming about who you can regift your unwanted cards to, just know that you can actually sell gift cards or exchange them online if you'd rather use the money elsewhere.

There are a couple of reliable sites that specialize in buying, selling, and exchanging gift cards, but there is a catch. These services will take a percentage of your gift card's value in exchange for the cash or alternative gift card that you choose. Depending on the card's original value, you may not find it worth selling... or you'd be happy to trade it in exchange for a few bucks.

Also, keep in mind that you may not be able to sell gift cards to local retailers through these sites. If your gift card retailer pops up when you search for it on one of these sites, then you know your gift card is eligible to sell or exchange.

So, whether you've received a bunch of gift cards from retailers that are not at all to your taste, you've unearthed a trove of old cards that aren't convenient for you to use anymore, or you'd just prefer to have the cash to spend as you please, here are a couple of places you can sell gift cards or exchange gift cards for something better.

Where to Sell or Exchange Gift Cards Online

There are sites that allow users to sell or exchange their physical and e-gift cards. These sites act as a liaison between buyers and sellers, which helps keep users safe by either screening gift card sellers and/or offering money-back guarantees on unusable cards.

Still, proceed with caution before sending your gift card information through these sites, because the burden is typically on the seller to cover the costs of any gift cards that are inaccurately listed. For example, on Raise, the seller is liable for their gift card for up to 1 year past the purchase date, and all sellers have to have a credit card on file to ensure buyer security. So, if someone buys your card but claims that it isn't what they expected to purchase within the year that it was bought, your credit card on file may be debited to cover the amount that the buyer paid. To resolve this issue, you'd need to submit a seller debit reversal request to have their team investigate whether or not you are liable for the gift card.

These sites each offer something a little different, depending on how involved or hands-off you want to be when selling or exchanging your gift cards.

CardCash

CardCash allows you to sell or exchange your gift cards. It'll take at least 8% of your card's original balance, but you'll get your money in the form of a mailed check, PayPal Express payment, ACH payment, or a prepaid Mastercard. You can also exchange it for a gift card to a different retailer.

CardCash also takes steps to protect its gift card buyers by offering a 45-day buyer protection guarantee. Plus, all gift card sellers are required to provide an additional credit card to CardCash, which helps the site verify the seller's identity and run a fraud check before they can start selling on the site.

Raise

Raise lets you sell your gift cards at discounted prices that you set. The more in-demand your card is, the likelier it is that you'll get to sell it closer to the original value (less-popular retailers have higher discount rates). This site will pay you through PayPal or direct deposit if someone buys your card.

Raise also requires that all sellers have a credit card on file. The site also offers a 1-year money-back guarantee that covers cards with inaccurate balances, cards of a different brand than the one bought, or inactive cards.

Can you sell gift cards through social media?

While you can try selling or exchanging gift cards directly with other people on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, Reddit, or another social media site, there's, unfortunately, a high probability of getting scammed if you do this. Unless you can verify payment with the buyer (or gift card authenticity with someone you're exchanging with) before sending them your own gift card information, you may very well have sent that info over to them for free.

While using the aforementioned gift card-selling sites means forfeiting a small cut of your gift card balance, there's a whole lot more risk involved in selling or exchanging directly online to a stranger.

How else can you exchange gift cards for cash?

In certain states, you can exchange your gift card balance for cash, but this is mainly to prevent low gift card balances from going to waste. Because of this, the amount at which you can cash in your gift card is very low. For example, California caps its cash payout for gift cards at just under $10, and most states limit their payout to just $5.

E-Gift Card

E-Gift Card

E-Gift Card

E-Gift Card

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