Wondering how to combine gift cards? Keep reading!
Do you have gift cards lying around or in your purse or wallet with a small balance left on them?
Have you been carrying them around for awhile unsure how to use them? Wondering how to combine gift cards?
You can't just take them to the store and use them because you have to know exactly how much is left on them, and often it's just not worth the effort to deal with using a $2.49 gift card then having to use your credit card for the rest of your purchase. Not to mention the dirty looks you'll get from the customers waiting in line behind you.
Well, I have a solution for you if you have a small amount left on a gift card so you can make sure those balances don't go to waste, you don't annoy anyone and you don't waste a ton of time and energy trying to figure out a way to indicate how much is left on each card so you have it easily accessible when you go to the store.
This solution really only works on gift cards with a credit card logo on them such as Visa, Mastercard or American Express. Basically, any card you can use at ANY store.
How to combine gift cards
Note: You may have to REGISTER the card with the bank in order to use it, especially with American Express. So if the transaction doesn't go through, you may have to call the issuing service and assign your name, address and phone number to the card. Make 100% sure they match your Amazon account.
- 1: Gather all your old gift cards that still have small balances on them. No amount is too small. Get them all!
- 2: If you don't already have a shopping account, create one on Amazon.com.
- 3: Go to the gift cards page on Amazon.com and select and email gift card.
- 4: Grab one of your gift cards and call the # on the card (or use the web) to check the balance left on the card.
- 5: Enter the amount left on the card into the box labeled "amount" in the Amazon E-mail gift card details box ($1.00 is the least amount it will take).
- 6: Enter one of your own email addresses in the recipient email box.
- 7: Click 'add to order' on the lower right.
- 8: Click 'proceed to checkout' on the right side.
- 9: Sign into your account when prompted.
- 10: Under "more payment options", select Add a Card and enter the card number, name and the expiration date for the gift card you just checked the balance of and click 'continue.'
- 11: Double check all the info and click 'Place your order.'
- 12: Wait for the email with gift card claim code and copy the code to your computer clipboard.
- 13: Go back to Amazon.com and then select 'your account' on the menu at the top.
- 14: In the second area under 'Gift Cards' select 'apply a gift card to your account' and paste your claim code into the box and click 'apply to your account.'
- 15: Repeat steps 3-14 for each of the gift cards you collected that have small balances on them.
Now you have all of your miscellaneous small balance gift cards added up in a single location and you can easily use it on a purchase at Amazon.com.
Once you receive the email from Amazon.com with your gift card claim code, throw away those old gift cards immediately. There is nothing worse than having a pile of gift cards lying around that you have to call AGAIN to make sure there is no balance left on them.
I do this all the time. I've redeemed a gift card on Amazon for as little as $1.00 and while it looks complicated with 15 steps, it really is quite easy and is almost like found money!
Now, shop!
Amazon's gift card updates
I try to keep this article updated with Amazon changes. Please let me know if anything changes and I'll update this article for the next reader.
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Randy
No minimum and much less steps needed now. Just go to 'add funds to your gift card balance' enter payment info with correct amount and 'buy now'. Should be available within 5 minutes
730 Sage Street
Fantastic, thanks Randy! Glad to hear Amazon is making easier to combine and consolidate gift cards.
Pj
Please help me understand when you have put in all the small amounts in account and go to gift cards does it give option to different gift cards like visa or MasterCard or is this strictly have to shop with Amazon
730 Sage Street
Amazon! It is their service to help you consolidate gift cards you'd never be able to use.
Me
This is awesome, thank you so much 😀 we've had so many cards over the years that we let money just go to waste on, or nickle and dime it away. This SO helpful.
MHC
Thanks, Works great! I just bought the first card, linked to my account and then added about 10 more balances to it on the "reload gift card" option.
Kazuko
Unfortunately, I'm looking for redeem for gift cards with no expiration date, no Name on the card. The standard gift cards lol
730 Sage Street
I've never heard of "noname" gift cards. You buy a gift card for Starbucks, and gift it to a loved one.
me
Your instructions didn't worked for me, so I RELOAD a giftcard and added all of my giftcards into one.
730 Sage Street
How is this different than what I'm doing? I consolidate my gift cards into one.
Gift_Card_Guy
Thanks for this article. Very helpful! I just went through it for several cards that had small amounts. It worked well, but the first time I tried they did a 10 cent "pending transaction" prior to allowing, so the amount I reloaded was declined as it was short 10 cents. Just a heads up, seems like they change their proceeses over time. You'll want to do one card first, check the pending transactions on the card to see what Amazon does (these days its 10 cents apparently), then transfer 10 cents less than your balance. Hope this helps!
Jenny
This makes me so happy. Was so easy and satisfying to combine them and throw them away. I'm your biggest fan! Thank you for posting!
Chris
works like a charm!!! i had about a half dozen cards with $2 here and $4 there and combined them all onto my amazon account. using them to buy myself a birthday present!!!
btw. real person here.
Bob
Still works but minimum is now $1
Jeff
Thank you for mentioning this. I had a couple of troublesome gift cards that I was able to move to Amazon. Now I can finally use the value and get rid of them! I am always happy to see people like you who value their kids such that they alter their lives to be with them and still be successful. Good luck!
Barry
I have a question. My company wants to allow employees to buy gift cards and then donate them to victims of the Hurricane Harvey. Let's say I get 250 gift cards of varying amounts and I want to take the gifts cards and consolidate them into 50 big gift cards. Can I do this? if I can and I consolidate the cards into these "50" big accounts, can the gift cards be used at department stores, grocery stores, etc.?
Kim
I'm not sure if you can use an Amazon gift card to buy another Amazon gift card. You CAN use a Visa or Mastercard gift card and buy an Amazon gift card. So I don't understand why you would buy the 250 then want to consolidate them into 50. Just buy the 50 up front. And Amazon gift cards can only be used on Amazon.com. You *may* be able to buy other store gift cards on Amazon (I've seen them at times) but you'd have to look and see if they have any currently. Also, what makes Amazon's gift card program unique is that you can buy a gift card for random amounts like $27.56. Most gift card programs have set amounts - $10, $25, $50, etc. Good luck, that's a great thing to do!
Kriss
Thanks Kim! Amazons pages have changed a bit since you posted this but it worked great! Thanks! Hope you still get credit. I used your link.
Al Black
Wait, so...just so that I know before I do all these steps..it will only work on amazon?
Kim
This method is for Amazon because Amazon lets you buy a GC of ANY denomination, not just set amounts.
carmen
For step 3 it says "Go to the gift cards page on Amazon.com and select and email gift card." I can't seem to find the thing to select email gift card?
Tyler F
This is brilliant! I was going to use google wallet, but since they charge 3%/30c (minimum) and I have mostly cards with <$2 on them, I wasn't looking forward to losing a significant proportion of my money. Its not much, but it was going to add up over several cards. Thanks!!
Samantha
Awesome! Worked Great!
DK
totally works. thanks!
By far the best solution to combining the gift card balances I've seen yet.
Hope
I had four card that I wanted to add. It worked the first time, then the second time the email said my banks couldnt provide them with information, which was weird because technically it not involved with the bank
Dan
Some of the gift cards require you to register at the gift card company's website, so that you can enter your information and the card will validate when you use it to check out.
Dee
I've done this and you're right, those odd dollars and cents add up and even if I only get a $1.99 Kindle book it's worth it to me.