How to Use Up the Balance on a Gift Card

Gift cards often leave small, unused balances. With strategic planning, you can ensure every bit of a gift card’s value is utilized.

Spending Small Balances Strategically

When a gift card has a small balance, use it as a partial payment towards a larger purchase. Many retailers, both in-store and online, allow split payments. Apply the gift card’s remaining value and cover the rest with another payment method, like a debit or credit card.

Use the small balance for low-cost items or services from the retailer. For example, a few dollars on a coffee shop gift card can cover a beverage. A small amount on a grocery store card can be applied to a portion of your bill or a specific item.

For general-purpose gift cards like Visa or Mastercard, convert the small balance into credit on an online retailer’s account, such as Amazon. Purchase an e-gift card for yourself in the exact remaining amount. This transfers the balance into versatile digital credit for future online purchases.

Leveraging Digital Options

Gift cards can be efficiently managed and utilized within the digital landscape, extending their usability beyond physical transactions. Many retailers facilitate direct online purchases by allowing you to enter gift card details, treating them similarly to a credit or debit card during checkout. This process typically involves inputting the card number, expiration date, and security code, if applicable, into the payment section of the retailer’s website.

Integrating gift card balances into specific online accounts or digital wallets offers another layer of convenience. Platforms like Amazon allow users to add gift card funds directly to their account balance, consolidating the value for future purchases. Similarly, many gift cards, particularly general-purpose ones, can be linked to mobile payment applications such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay. This enables contactless payments in physical stores and streamlines online transactions, as the digital wallet can store and manage multiple card details.

For digital content, gift cards are often directly applicable. Funds from Apple Gift Cards, for example, can be redeemed and added to an Apple ID account balance. This balance can then be used for a wide range of digital purchases, including apps, games, music, movies, e-books, and even subscriptions within the Apple ecosystem. This direct application simplifies transactions for digital goods and services, ensuring the gift card’s value is fully realized.

Combining and Maximizing Value

Maximizing the utility of gift cards often involves strategies for combining or consolidating their value, especially when dealing with multiple cards. Many retailers, both in brick-and-mortar stores and online, permit the use of several gift cards for a single, larger purchase. This allows consumers to pool smaller balances from multiple cards to cover a more substantial item, ensuring no value is wasted.

Some retailers may offer the option to transfer balances from several gift cards onto a single store credit or a new, consolidated gift card. This can be a practical way to manage multiple small amounts from the same merchant, simplifying future transactions. However, it is prudent to inquire about any associated fees or limitations before initiating such a transfer.

For general-purpose gift cards, such as those branded by Visa or Mastercard, which may carry activation fees, a strategy involves using them to purchase another, more versatile gift card. For instance, if you have several small-balance general-purpose cards, you might use them to buy a single e-gift card for a frequently used online retailer. While some general-purpose cards may also incur dormancy fees after a period of inactivity, store-specific gift cards often have no fees after purchase and do not expire, making them a more straightforward option for combining value.