Buying gift cards below face value is one of the few cashback moves that doesn't depend on category, portal, or promotion. Buy the card at a discount, pay with it at checkout, done. The discount is your guaranteed cashback.
Where to buy
- ◆ Raise — the largest reseller of physical and digital gift cards, typically 2%–10% off face value.
- ◆ CardCash — competitive pricing on gift cards from most major retailers.
- ◆ GiftCardGranny — aggregator that shows discounts across multiple resellers.
- ◆ Costco and Sam's Club — sell restaurant, movie, and travel gift cards in multipacks below face value year-round.
The Q4 fuel-point trick
During Q4 and back-to-school seasons, grocery chains like Kroger run 4x–10x fuel-point promotions on third-party gift cards. A $500 gift card purchase can earn 2,000+ fuel points, worth an additional 4%–10% off in savings on gas.
Pay for the gift card with a category-bonus credit card. Grocery stores usually code gift card purchases as grocery — so a 6% grocery card on a 5%-off gift card equals 11% back before you even use it.
The safety rules
- 01 Only buy from established resellers with a purchase guarantee (Raise, CardCash).
- 02 Never buy gift cards from marketplaces, classified ads, or social media — fraud is rampant.
- 03 Use digital gift cards you can redeem within 24 hours to reduce exposure to reseller issues.
- 04 Skip cards for retailers you don't already shop at regularly. Unused gift cards are 100% loss, not 5% gain.
Best candidates
Predictable, recurring spending is what makes this work. If you spend $200/month at Home Depot, Target, or a favorite restaurant chain, keeping a small stack of discounted gift cards on hand turns that spending into guaranteed 5%–10% back automatically.