We’ve all been there: Celebrating holidays that result in the sudden ownership of gift cards to places you aren’t remotely interested in. Instead of letting those free gift cards lay forgotten and wasted, you can sell gift cards online to redeem some of their monetary value. Then you can use the cash to buy something you truly want.
But which gift card-selling platform is best? For comparison, I sold a $50 Walmart gift card on several different gift card-selling websites. Some of them, quite frankly, weren’t even worth adding to my list. I only want to recommend reputable, trustworthy, and lucrative options. In my personal opinion, you can avoid ClipKard and their confusing seller process. You can also scratch CardSell off your list because their app isn’t available in the United States anymore.
Bottom line: CardCash is my favorite site for selling gift cards. It’s easy to use, pays quickly to either PayPal or your bank account, and there are no seller fees. That being said, I’m always going to suggest that you compare a few different websites just to make sure you’re getting the best return. So, here’s a list of three verified places to sell your gift cards and put them to good use — ranked by best return on the dollar.
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1. CardCash gets you up to 96% back on your initial gift card amount with gift card trades.
CardCash is one of the most reputable sites for selling unused and unwanted gift cards — it’s my personal fave. You can either exchange your gift card for one from an establishment you’d prefer to shop or sell it to CardCash for a percentage of its cash value.
CardCash makes immediate offers on gift cards to be sold, typically ranging from 80% to 92% of the card’s value (but never 100%, which is how these sites generally work). If you accept the offer, the payment is deposited into your PayPal account or bank account. But if you prefer the paper route, it can be issued via check within two days of accepting the offer.
On the other hand, gift card trades generally take longer than 48 hours. However, you’ll get up to 11% more back on your trade (but still not 100%, unfortunately.)
Pros:
- Quick quotes
- Highest return value
- Option to sell for cash
- Trade for another gift card at a higher return rate
- Super convenient payment methods (PayPal or direct deposit)
- No fees
Cons:
- Gift card trades can take up to two days
A $50 Walmart card earns $43.25 cash or up to $48 in a gift card trade.
When I plugged in my $50 Walmart card, CardCash offered me $43.25 cash for it — or 86.5% of its worth. Alternatively, I could trade the gift card for another card from nine different retailers. A pre-paid MasterCard is the lowest trade at $43.90, or 88% back. Amazon gets me $44.33 (89% back), Kohl’s gets $46.28 (93% back), or the highest return at 96% back is a Hotels.com gift card for $48.01.
2. Raise gets you a max of 85% back on your gift card.
Raise makes it easy for people to sell gift cards with a three-step process on their website. Unlike CashCard, where you sell your gift cards to the platform itself, Raise is a facilitating platform where you can sell your gift cards to another person. Similar to CashCard, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to earn the full cash value of the gift card — it must be sold at a discount if you really want to offload it. You also pay Raise a commission fee upon selling the gift card. Plus, you’ll cover the shipping fee if you’re sending a physical gift card to the buyer.
Pros:
- You set the selling price
- Option to sell for cash
- Receive payment via PayPal or direct deposit
- Many cards are sold at face value without a discount (likely because of the seller fee. . . see my next point)
Cons:
- A steep 15% fee for sold cards
- Seller covers shipping for physical cards
A $50 Walmart card could potentially get $42.50 back after the 15% fee.
To me, this fee feels pretty outrageous. Any gift card sold incurs a 15% seller fee off the price of the card. So even if you sell your card for 100% of its value, which is common on Raise with Walmart gift cards, you’ll still lose 15% of its value in fees.
When I list a $50 Walmart gift card on Raise at a 0% discount, the buyer gets the full $50 gift card, but I only receive $42.50 back. Alternatively, if I offer a discount to try to offload my card, I get even less back. The average discount for a Walmart gift card is around 1% off, so I listed my card at $49.50 to entice a buyer to snag it. After the 15% fee, I only got $42.08 back, which is 84%.
Raise is beneficial as a buyer, but as a seller, you’re likely going to get a better return from CardCash.
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3. GiftCash gets you up to 85% back when you sell gift cards.
With GiftCash you can trade your gift card for money via ACH (and even crypto). Get a quote in seconds by entering the brand and balance on the card. They accept cards from a number of big-name retailers, including Walmart, Target, and Bath & Body Works.
Gift cards are accepted with a minimum value of $25 and a maximum value of $2,000, although there are a few exceptions. For example, GiftCash requires Target gift cards to be $100 or higher to sell. I’ve seen returns of 69% to 85% on gift cards through GiftCash. GiftCash processes payments within five to 10 business days (for Canadian retailers) and 10 to 15 business days (for US retailers).
Pros:
- Quick quotes
- Option to sell for cash
- Payment in direct deposit or cryptocurrencies
Cons:
- Slow payments to sellers
- Fees charged with crypto payments
- Some stores have gift card value minimums
A $50 Walmart gift card gets $40 back — or $0.80 on the dollar.
When I requested a quote for my $50 Walmart card, I was offered $40 — or 80% back. This is the third-best offer I received from a reputable gift card-selling platform.
Though my offer was the lowest out of three for a Walmart gift card. . . I will say that it pays to shop around when selling your gift cards. GiftCash offered me 85% back on a Bath & Body Works gift card I have. For a $50 gift card, they quoted me $42.50 back or $0.85 on the dollar. CardCash offered me $40 in cash, which works out to only 80% back. So in this scenario, GiftCash is the better option to score cash in return for a Bath & Body Works gift card.
Other options to try.
GameFlip
GameFlip is a global selling, buying, and trading portal for avid gamers. Be warned that GameFlip charges an 8% commission on gift cards as well as a 2% fee on digital cards. Though the commission fee is lower than Raise, I still recommend Raise. My reasoning? Gameflip is just less convenient and not as easy to navigate. You have to fill out a profile and submit a photo of your ID to prove your identity. The other sites on our list require proof of identification, but they typically use a seller-provided credit card and do all the heavy lifting on their end.
So while I view GameFlip as trustworthy, it isn’t as intuitive and easy to use as some other platforms. And with an 8% seller fee, it really should be.
Re-gift
Save money on gifts by re-gifting a gift card that doesn’t suit you. If it’s unused and you think a family member or friend would get better use out of the card, by all means, save yourself the $50 and give the gift to someone who’ll use it.
Donate
Use your gift card for good and donate the funds to a charity. Sites like CharityChoice allow you to donate your gift card to charities of your choosing — with over 2,500 to choose from. Options range from animals to women’s issues and they accept gift cards from hundreds of retailers.
And another tick in the CardCash pros column; they partner with a number of charities — like St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital — and allow you to offer up your gift cards as a donation.
