Consolidating Multiple Gift Cards

How to Consolidate Multiple Gift Cards

Do you have a lot of low-balance gift cards sitting in your wallet or purse? We did too—until we found a solution.

We started purchasing gift cards through our kids’ school rebate program to save on tuition. We especially liked Visa gift cards because they can be used almost anywhere. The problem was that once the balance dropped too low, many retailers’ card machines wouldn’t accept them if the purchase exceeded the remaining balance. We refused to waste money, so we ended up storing the cards. So much for our minimalism journey!
Recently, I discovered that you could consolidate those balances into your Amazon gift card. (You’ll need an Amazon account to do this.)

If you want to get rid of your gift-card clutter, here are the steps I took:

1. Gather your gift cards.

Collect all the cards with eligible logos and check their balances. Each card must have at least $1.

2. Go to Amazon's gift card page.

Purchase an eGift Card for yourself. 

•  You don't have to worry about choosing a design.
•  Enter the balance in your existing gift card. Again, it has to be at least $1.
• Type in your e-mail or mobile number. Your name will automatically populate as the sender/purchaser.
• Click Buy Now.

3. Enter the gift card information.

On the next screen, add your gift card as a payment method. You’ll need to enter your name, even if the card wasn’t issued personally to you. Select that card as your payment option.

4. Redeem the code.

After you receive your e-mail or text with your claim code, redeem it. In our case, we applied it directly to our existing Amazon balance. 

5. Repeat the steps for the rest of your gift cards 😄.

Yes, it can be a bit of work if you have a lot of them, but the payoff is worth it. Your wallet or purse will feel lighter, and you may accumulate enough for a much-needed Amazon purchase.

I’d love to hear if you’ve found another way to tackle gift-card clutter. Sharing tips helps us all live a little lighter.