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Nothing is more frustrating wondering why won't my gift card work when standing helplessly at the checkout counter, especially when you were counting on the gift card to cover the cost of your purchase. The good news: this happens more often than you'd think, and it's almost always traceable to one of a handful of fixable causes. Below, we walk through each of them, solution first, so you can get back to actually using your gift card instead of fighting with it.

• Activation: Ensure the gift card has been properly activated through Giftcards.com
• Check Balance: Ensure the gift card balance has enough remaining funds to cover the cost of the purchase

• SITUATION: A gift card has no overdraft, so a total even one cent above the balance declines the whole transaction
• FIX:
  • Check the current balance before you pay
  • Ask the cashier to charge the card for an exact amount, then cover the rest with another payment method

• SITUATION: Gas stations authorize $75 to $125 up front, restaurants authorize about 20 percent over the bill for tip, and hotels and rental cars place larger incidental holds. The card needs a balance above the hold, not just above the purchase.
• FIX:
  • At the pump, prepay inside for an exact dollar amount
  • At a restaurant, tell the server your balance and pay the tip separately
  • For hotels and rentals, expect a hold larger than the final charge and plan the card balance around it

• SITUATION: When the balance is less than the total, some older terminals can't combine a gift card with a second form of payment in one transaction
• FIX:
  • Ask the cashier to run a split tender for the exact card balance, then pay the remainder separately
  • If the terminal won't do it, use the card somewhere that supports split payment

• SITUATION: Gift cards decline any attempt to pull cash, whether at an ATM or by asking a cashier to charge over the purchase amount
• FIX:
  • Use the card only for the purchase total, no cash back
  • To access the full value, spend it down in purchases

• SITUATION: Some merchants don't accept prepaid cards, and many gift cards are US-only and decline international transactions
• FIX:
  • Confirm the merchant accepts prepaid cards
  • For a US-only card, use it with US merchants only

• SITUATION: A damaged magnetic stripe or chip can cause a decline even when the balance and everything else are fine
• FIX:
  • Ask the cashier to key in the card number manually
  • For online use, enter the card details by hand instead

Gift card fraud does exist and if bad actors have drained your card's value, that could be a reason your gift card doesn't work if the solutions above are not applicable. Giftcards.com takes fraud concerns very seriously which is why all Visa and Mastercard gift cards purchased on our site are protected by our industry leading Gift Safe Pledge. Protection applies to both Buyers and recipients alike which allows for their funds to be restored if they've been a victim of stolen gift card balances. Learn more about Giftcards.com's Gift Safe Pledge and the steps to take to get help.