Gift Card Restrictions

See below for common restrictions on gift cards and gift card usage. 

Types of Cards

• Prepaid Gift Cards: Only valid in the U.S.
• Reward Cards: Valid in the U.S. and most international countries. 
   

Usage Restrictions

• Virtual or digital Visa/Mastercard
  • Can only be used online or over the phone, unless it is added to a Google or Apple wallet. 
     
• No ATMs, cash access, or money transfers
  • Prepaid gift cards cannot be used at ATMs, for cash back, or with money transfer sites, such as PayPal, Venmo, or CashApp.

• Can’t buy other gift cards 
  • Most merchants prohibit using a gift card to buy another gift card, unless you load it to Amazon. 
     
• Merchant acceptance
  • Bill pay and subscription services typically do not accept prepaid gift cards.
  • Recurring payment merchants usually don’t accept gift cards. 
     

Additional considerations for use at physical locations: 

• Restaurants (and other tipping merchants)
  • Restaurants, food delivery services, and other businesses, such as nail/hair salons, that commonly accept tips preauthorize an additional 20%. 
  • Ask to charge only the bill amount or reduce it by 20% before retrying the transaction.
• Gas Stations
  • When you pay at the pump, there’s typically a pre-authorization charge of up to $200.
  • Pay the attendant in advance, specify the exact amount, and request it as a credit transaction.
• Hotels
  • Use a credit card when checking in to avoid higher holds (approximately 25%). Pay the bill with your reward card at checkout.
• Rental Car Companies
  • Reserve with a credit card and settle the bill with your reward card.