Gift cards make a great gift, but sometimes we'd rather get rid of them. Maybe you don't want anything from the gift card's store, or you're left with a small amount on the card that you can't buy anything with.
In this article, we've compiled a list of gift card exchange kiosks where you can sell or trade in your gift cards quickly.
We also list which retailers have stopped their gift card trade in program. Read all the way to the end for that section so that you don't make a wasted trip to their stores.
Here's a tip: Once you go through our guide, you'll have a list of potential places you can trade/sell your gift card. Call each location that you find and ask how much they'll offer for your card. Different places will offer you different prices, and you must compare if you want the most value.
Option 1: Use our gift Card Exchange Kiosk Finder
Before we continue, you might quickly find a gift card exchange kiosk near you by using our locator tool below. Just enter your zip code and it'll show you a Google Maps view of gift card exchange kiosks near you:
If that search didn't work for you, don't worry. Here are some other ways to find a gift card kiosk near you.
Option 2: GiftCardBin
GiftCardBin gives you cash in exchange for your card. We like this option because they can be found in dozens of locations across the U.S. and accept almost any gift card.
First, go to their store locator page and enter your zip code, state or city in their search field at the top of the page. After clicking search, you should be presented with a few results that are near you.
Then visit any of those partner locations with a valid form of ID (usually your driver's license) and your gift card. They'll trade cash for your gift card on the spot!
Option 3: Target Mobile Stores
In 2015, Target started a trade in program that allows you to trade in your any gift card to a Target gift card. While you're limited only to exchanging for Target gift cards, we feel that it's still a good deal since Target carries a wide selection of items.
Note that not all Target locations do gift card exchanges. This is only available at Target Mobile locations.
Here's what you need to do to find a Target that has a Target Mobile:
- Click on this link to do a Google search for a Target Mobile near you. You should see some Target Mobile locations near you, along with phone numbers and addresses.
- You can double check that they do gift card exchanges by calling the number in the Google Search result.
- If they do, visit that location with your gift card and a Target employee will scan your card and make you an offer.
Option 4: Reddit Exchange
The r/giftcardexchange/ subreddit let's you list which cards you want to sell, and which cards you want to exchange it for. We like this option because you get the most value for your cards, compared to gift card exchange kiosks and online platforms that take a commission.
One drawback is that you face a risk of scams. Though, reading their trading guide can help you spot scammers.
Another drawback is that you have to spend time to learn the rules about trading. For example, your post has to follow a very strict format, such as “[H] (what you're offering) [W] (what you're looking for)”.
It's certainly not as convenient as bringing it to a gift card exchange kiosk. But if you're willing to invest the time, you'll likely find that r/giftcardexchange/ is a lucrative outlet for your gift cards.
Option 5: Online Platforms
While not technically gift card exchange kiosks, these online platforms allow you to sell your gift cards. They work almost the same way, and give you cash for your card.
EJ Gift Cards: this is one of the more popular sites. We entered Walmart and Costco gift cards with an available balance of $10 each, and we found out that EJ Gift Cards offered $6 for Walmart and $5 for Costco.
CardCash: this platform partners with Walmart and other brands, such as Amazon and Starbucks, to buy and sell gift cards. We entered $10 gift cards from Walmart and Costco. We also discovered that CardCash offers $8.55 for Walmart and $8.75 for Costco. These are higher amounts than EJ Gift Cards provided.
Raise: Unlike other platforms, Raise let's you name your price when selling your gift card. This means you could potentially earn more than on sites like EJ Gift Cards. Using our Walmart gift card example, we chose to list our card at $9.80. Raise then told us that we'd earn $8.33 for the card, which is higher than the $6 offered by EJ Gift Cards.
GiftCash: this site allows you to sell your gift cards online, but we found out that GiftCash only accepts cards worth $25 and above.
Gameflip: Kind of like r/giftcardexchage/, Gameflip has a more complex process since you need to talk to the potential buyers, but that means you can control the selling price.
Card Kangaroo: This site has a different approach to buying and selling gift cards because you need to mail your cards to the company. Most of the reviewers on Trustpilot said that the website is reliable and that they received their money quickly.
Prepaid2Cash: This is an app, so you can do everything on your phone. The only catch is that they need to verify your identity before they'll buy your card. And this could take up to 24 hours.
CardSell: Like Prepaid2Cash, this is an app. Some users said that the website gives back almost 60% to 70% of the total amount, which means that if you have $10, you can get $6 to $7 off of it.
If your gift card has less than $10, read this
If you have a low balance left on your card, you might be in luck. There are several states in the U.S. that require retailers to give you cash back on your gift cards if your balance is below a certain amount.
This is a legal obligation so you can be sure that you'll get cash from the gift card. These are the states and their corresponding balance requirements (last checked in Oct 2022):
| State | Cash on request if balance below |
| California | $10 |
| Colorado | $5 |
| Maine | $5 |
| Massachusetts | $5 |
| Missouri | $5 |
Places to avoid
We were surprised to see big chain retailers listed on other sites as being places for exchanging your gift cards. After some digging, we decided that these places don't offer gift card trade in programs anymore:
Walmart
Walmart used to run a trade in program where they'd buy any gift card in exchange for Walmart credits via Carcash. However, that program isn't running anymore. Even the Cardcash website where the program was host has been removed.
Coinstar
You used to be able to trade in your gift cards at Coinstar coin counting kiosks. But it appears that these machines no longer provide gift card exchanges.
Kroger
Quite a few sites list Kroger as a place to sell your gift cards, most likely because there are Coinstar kiosks located in Kroger stores. Because Coinstar doesn't do gift card trade ins anymore, this information is outdated.
Safeway
Similar to Kroger, Safeway stores host Coinstar kiosks. Therefore because Coinstar kiosks don't buy gift cards anymore, you won't be able to sell your gift cards at Krogers.
Walgreens
We couldn't find any information to verify that Walgreens buys your gift cards. The only information was on returning your Walgreens gift cards.
Why do Gift Card Exchange kiosks buy your cards at all?
You might be skeptical that any place would buy your gift cards. But the business model behind gift card trading is quite common. Companies buy your gift cards and sell them for a slightly higher price to generate income. That’s why you can only get a portion of your card’s balance.
Conclusion
Using our list above, you should now have a shortlist of a few places to sell or exchange your gift cards. Remember to compare the prices offered at each place to get the best deal for your card. This might require some calling or a visit to the actual location.
If none of the places seem to offer you a good deal, there are other things you can do with your gift cards. Here are some ideas:
- Give them to your family and friends. This way, you can save on buying presents.
- Buy items using the gift card, then sell the product to another person. This money-saving technique is best for cards that are expiring soon.
Aidan has been writing about personal finance for over 6 years. Prior to this, he worked as a Corporate Finance Analyst where he specialized in Due Diligence, Company Valuations and more. He is a CFA charterholder.
