PayPal’s digital payments system allows users worldwide to send and receive money and make purchases everywhere PayPal is accepted, but there is a lot of confusion about PayPal gift cards.
Learning how to redeem a PayPal gift card is not so straightforward because PayPal gift cards don't exist, at least not in the way we typically think of gift cards, e.g., Amazon gift cards.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to transfer accepted prepaid gift cards to your PayPal account, so you can use them toward different purchases. You'll also learn how to use gift cards online and how to redeem gift cards bought from PayPal. Best of all, you’ll learn how Mode Mobile’s products can help you get free gift cards, cash, and other useful rewards with no trouble!
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How To Use Gift Cards on PayPal
PayPal gift cards are not typical gift cards but rather prepaid debit cards issued by various banks. They work much like regular debit and credit cards and can be used for payments and purchases wherever PayPal is accepted once you add them to your PayPal account.
There are a few minor restrictions, though. PayPal doesn’t let you use these cards to pay for reference transactions and recurring payments because their balance may become too low to cover recurring sums, e.g., subscription service renewals. To ensure uninterrupted services, PayPal asks all users to pay for such transactions with a different payment method.
Keep in mind that you can’t transfer the funds of merchant-specific gift cards to your account—you can add only debit or credit cards issued by the most common financial institutions, such as:
- Visa
- Discover
- Mastercard
- American Express
PayPal recommends you use a reloadable prepaid Mastercard as it’s the card best suited to its payments system.
Source: Anete Lusina
How To Add Gift Cards to PayPal
Activating a gift card that can be used on PayPal works like linking any other card issued by Visa, Discover, Mastercard, or American Express to your PayPal account as a payment method.
These are the steps you need to take:
- Log in to your PayPal account
- Click on the Wallet section
- Click on Link a debit or credit card
- Select Link a card manually
- Enter the card information
- Click on Link card
If you receive an error message while trying to add a prepaid card to your account, this is most likely because your card isn’t registered or activated by the issuing bank. You’ll find the card issuer’s contact information on the back of the card. Once you contact them, they’ll walk you through the activation process.
Other reasons for receiving an error message may be because the card wasn’t issued in the U.S. or because you’re making a purchase from an international merchant.
Earn Free Gift Cards With Mode Mobile’s Products
For a great selection of free gift cards, sizable additional income, and various valuable rewards, look no further than Mode Mobile’s easy-to-use products that give you a chance to earn hundreds of dollars a year.Mode Mobile offers you two complementary products—theMode Earn Appand theMode Earn Phone.
Unlike similar reward-based platforms, our app and phone:
- Don’t impose daily or weekly restrictions on your activities
- Offer you numerous fun ways of earning rewards instead of only one or two
- Have low payout thresholds
Install the Mode Earn App To Get All the Benefits You Deserve
TheMode Earn Appis free, safe, and easy to use—it enables you to earn rewards for performing various fun activities you already use your phone for, such as:
- Playing games
- Listening to music
- Surfing the internet
- Checking the weather
- Reading the news
Another aspect that sets our app apart from similar platforms is that you can collect points for activities as effortless as unlocking and charging your phone!With the Mode Earn App, you can gather reward points even in your sleep!
Source: Mode Mobile
Once you earn enough points, you can redeem them for a bunch of amazing rewards:
- Gift and prepaid cards
- Discounts
- Stocks
- In-game points and diamonds
- Cryptocurrency
- Virtual and physical products
The Mode Earn App enables you to earn up to $600 a year in cash and valuable rewards!We’re constantly introducing new rewards and updating our list of redemption items—check it regularly to ensure you don’t miss out on any of the useful gifts we have to offer.
Our partners include some of the biggest brands and financial institutions in the world. Using the Mode Earn App, you can earn discounts, free gift cards, or cash equivalent for brands such as:
- PayPal
- Amazon
- Walmart
- Chime
- Starbucks
- Aspiration
- Eneba
- PlayStation
- Acorns
The Mode Earn App is available in almost all countries around the world, and millions are already using it to earn extra money. Our app reached over 30 million downloads on Google Play and scored 4.4 stars based on more than 2.6 million reviews!
Don’t let this opportunity to earn supplemental income slip you by—download the Mode Earn App from Google Play now!
Get a Mode Earn Phone and Earn Even More
Is there a reason you should buy a new phone when the Mode Earn App already offers you so many opportunities? Yes, and a good one, too—each task you perform using aMode Earn Phonedoubles the number of points you collect!Thanks to numerous tasks that you can complete for points and the Mode Earn Phone’s double-point rates, you’ll be able to earn over $1,200 a year in cash and rewards!
Source: Mode Mobile
Our devices are compatible with all major GSM carriers, and buying one is a smart investment. Our Mode Earn Phone comes with an affordable data plan that pays for itself—only four hours of daily use is enough to earn back the money you spent on the device in a few months!
You canget the Mode Earn Phoneby:
- Making a one-time payment of $109
- Choosing a free trial, then paying a monthly $9.99 subscription, billed quarterly
On top of making you money, the Mode Earn Phone is a high-quality device with specs that can easily satisfy the needs of most smartphone users. The latest model—Mode Earn Phone MEP2—comes with excellent features that can compete with the most popular smartphone brands on the market:
Specifications | MEP2 |
Network | Global phone, unlocked, 4G, LTE, Dual SIM |
Platform | Android 11 |
Screen | 6.52’’ HD |
Rear camera | 13MP + 2MP + 2MP |
Front camera | 5MP |
Storage | 64GB internal storage + 64GB SD in the box 4GB RAM |
Battery | 4,000 mAh |
Security | Face and fingerprint ID unlock |
Buy or subscribe to the Mode Earn Phoneto earn the additional income you deserve!
How To Buy Gift Cards on PayPal
You can use a prepaid card linked to your PayPal account to pay for various services and products—travel accommodation, groceries, airfare, or gift cards for yourself or others.
PayPal has its own gift card shop—PayPal Gifts—where you can purchase gift cards, codes, and vouchers for the most popular brands, including:
- Lowe’s
- Lyft
- Amazon
- Best Buy
- Target
- Sam’s Club
- Google Play
- Spotify
- Uber Eats
- Home Depot
Follow these steps to buy a gift card from the Digital Gifts store:
- Open the PayPal Gifts catalog
- Select the gift card you want to buy
- Enter the recipient’s email address, name, and a message for them if you're buying the card as a gift
- Log in to your PayPal account to complete the purchase
Gift cards can also be bought from PayPal's Facebook Marketplace store. There are certain restrictions you should be aware of if you decide to purchase gift cards via Facebook:
- You will need a Facebook U.S. account
- A PayPal account is not necessary
- You can buy gift cards for yourself but not others
- Only one gift card per purchase is allowed
Source: Mikhail Nilov
How To Redeem a Gift Card Bought on PayPal Gifts
The gift cards sold on PayPal Gifts can be used either online or at a store. Before buying a specific gift card, make sure that you carefully read the retailer’s terms and conditions to verify where it can be redeemed.
If your gift card can be used online:
- Find the gift card or voucher code box on the checkout page in the seller’s app or on the website
- Enter the code
- Hit the Redeem button (or its equivalent) to apply the gift card amount to your purchase
Remember that gift cards can’t be stored in your PayPal Wallet and can’t be redeemed automatically.
To redeem a gift card in a store, tell the cashier you’ll be paying with a gift card at the checkout. Try to find an attended counter since not all self-checkout lanes accept gift cards. Your cashier will redeem the card by keying or scanning it. A good idea is to print your voucher or code as not all barcode scanners can read codes from a cell phone screen.
How To Get Gift Cards for Free
You’ll need to be extra careful if you’re trying to score a free PayPal gift card because the internet is full of PayPal gift card scams. Fraudsters can target you via text, email, or phone calls. You can be exposed to different types of malicious software or websites that serve to steal your sensitive information (like your PayPal login details) or hook you with all kinds of too-good-to-be-true promises.
If possible, always verify the identity of the person who gets in touch with you—if they claim to be a PayPal support representative, compare their contact information to the details listed on PayPal’s official Help Center page.
Source: Max Bender
Despite all the scams and frauds that exist, you can still find risk-free online platforms that offer legitimate gift cards and other rewards for free, such as:
- Get-Paid-To (GPT) websites
- Social media accounts that offer giveaways
- Free gift card apps
- Survey websites
For all their simplicity or security, most of these platforms aren’t as convenient or profitable as they first appear, as you can see in the following table:
Platform | Downsides |
GPT sites | They are time-consuming and impose multiple restrictions |
Social media | Winners of giveaways are determined by luck |
Survey sites | These websites usually have high payout thresholds |
Featured image source: Marques Thomas @querysprout.com
