You find the perfect gift for someone, but you are hesitant to purchase it because of the high price. If the item was on sale or if you can find a promo code you would have purchased it already. But there it sits in your cart online or on a store shelf as a birthday or holiday is approaching and you don’t know what do!
I have a solution to share with you!
One of my favorite money-stretching tactics is purchasing discounted gift cards from Gift Card Granny. There is nothing better than getting a fabulous deal AND using a gift card that you paid less than value for, to purchase said items.
Once you understand how this savings app works, it will change the way you spend online, and in-store. And if you stick around to the end, check out other apps that you can use in conjunction to save even more!
How can I get discounts on gift cards?
Check out my Gift Card Granny review below to see how easy it is to get instant discounts on gift cards. Purchasing discounted gift cards is one of the easiest ways to save money on any in-store or online purchase you were planning to make anyway. First, you purchase a gift card at a discount. Then you use that gift card to pay for the item you’ve been scoping online or in a store.
Gift Card Granny Review
GiftCardGranny.com is a site where you can buy and sell gift cards. It is my go-to place to find all of the discounted cards I purchase. There are many buy/sell gift card vendors out there, but GiftCardGranny is a comparison site where you can view and purchase cards from many vendors in one spot to find the best deal.
Vendors who offer gift cards for sale on GiftCardGranny:
- Cardpool
- CardKangaroo
- ClipKard
- CardFlip
- GiftMe
- Gift Card Spread
- GiftCardBin
- Bargain Gift Card
- Raise
- Card Kangaroo
- Giftcards.com
- Gift Card Zen
- eBay
- and more!
Bottom line: Using a site like Gift Card Granny gives you confidence that you will find the best deal on a discounted gift card and or for the dollar value of the card you are looking for.
Gift Card Granny Review
Gift Card Granny Seller Information
On the giftcardgranny.com site, they list the vendors they work with to show the gift cards available for sale. Especially when you’re first starting out and not familiar with the vendors, you may have second thoughts on purchasing from a vendor you don’t know.
Gift Card Granny lists each vendor with market data that shows you how many total gift cards they have for sale and what the total value of the gift cards for sale are. Also, it shows the average discount you can expect (although it varies widely by card/store).
if nothing else, this gives some social proof that these vendors are not one-off sellers. They are in the business of selling gift cards and you can have confidence when you purchase from one of these sites, for example, Cardpool, that you will receive what is being advertised.
Vendor Reviews
in addition to the overview listed above, each vendor has reviews on the giftcardgranny.com site. The website states that these are people who visited the Gift Card Granny site and went on to purchase a gift card through one of their vendors. Again, these reviews may give more confidence to try and buy a gift card for yourself.
How Gift Card Granny works
Sellers post gift cards for sale on the site, below their actual value. Buyers like you and I benefit by purchasing these gift cards at that lower amount.
Sellers are happy because they get cash for gift cards they have for stores they likely don’t regularly shop.
Buyers are happy because they get deals on gift cards for stores they shop regularly. It’s really a win-win situation!
GiftCardGranny has created a white paper that offers detailed information for understanding discounted gift cards if you want to check it out.
A Gift Card Granny Discounted Gift Card Example
You receive a sweater from JC Penney from your aunt for your birthday. You don’t particularly care for the sweater and while you love your aunt and don’t want to hurt her feelings, you would prefer not to keep the sweater.
She graciously included a gift receipt which allows you to return the item for $25.49 in JC Penney store credit. Great, you now have credit at a store that’s not exactly your style and likely will never shop at.
Solution: Place the gift card for sale on GiftCardGranny.com You offer it for sale for $20.00 (It’s valued at $25.49). You are willing to accept less-than-value for the store credit if it means cash in your pocket.
The person who purchases the card pays $20.00, but the value of the card is $25.49, so they are happy to have an instant $5.49 savings on their next purchase at the store.
You received cash for something you were not going to use anyway.
The website you sold the card to (ex. Carpool, Card Cookie, etc.) receives a small kick-back for assisting in the transaction. It’s a win-win-win situation.
I’ve personally never sold any cards, but buyers can score awesome deals on cards for stores they regularly shop at.
Related: 15 money-saving apps you should be using right now
Stores you can purchase discounted gift cards to:
You can purchase discounted gift cards from almost any retailer you frequent, including:
- Nike
- Macy’s
- JC Penney
- Wal-Mart
- Best Buy
- Staples
- Fandango
- Gap
- Old Navy
- Banana Republic
- Kohl’s
- Target
- Starbucks
- Sephora
- Forever 21
- Nordstrom
- Meijer
- TJ Maxx
- Bath & Body Works
- Lowe’s
- Subway
You name it, there is likely a gift card for a store you shop at. If there isn’t a gift card available for a store you shop at today, there may be one tomorrow. Check back often as gift cards are constantly turning over with new ones appearing daily. Plus GiftCardGranny is also constantly adding new vendors. So there is always something new to find every time you visit the site.
Online shopping using discounted gift cards
How can I get discounts on gift cards?
The amount you can save buying discounted gift cards varies by store and by the vendor you buy from. Some discounts may be as large as 20% or even more!
For example, I regularly purchase discounted Michael’s gift cards for 20% below their value or sometimes even more! I’ll then use the gift card to purchase home decor or seasonal gifts. Recently I purchased some picture frames for my bedroom wall and got an amazing deal! I paired the gift card with an in-store promotion and got a stellar deal!
Conversely, though, gift cards to popular stores or grocery stores tend to be low percentages off. 5% may be the most you can find discounted for Target. If you have a Target Red Card, you may not see the value as you get 5% off already with the Red Card.
ProTip: Check the Gift Card Granny.com site often if you have a purchase you want to make and are looking for a specific card. Gift cards can vary by the day as gift cards get sold and new cards are added all the time. So if the purchase is not urgent, watch regularly to find the best deal!
Related:
12 sneaky ways to trick yourself into saving
Types of Gift Cards available on giftcardgranny (physical and digital)
The gift cards you can purchase will be either new or used. Also, the method of delivery will be either mailed physically or emailed. Watch the fine print as you are purchasing your gift cards so you know what type you are receiving and aren’t surprised.
- New gift cards: are just that, brand new from a store that hasn’t been used. They have a lifetime guarantee and typically don’t expire. An example is a $50 Gap gift card you received for Christmas.
- Used gift cards: are in-store credit or partially used cards. You can find bigger discounts here, but what you receive may have an expiration date and likely an odd dollar figure $48.67, or $25.39, etc.
- Physical gift cards: are ones physically mailed to you. Expect a few days for delivery but then you can use them in-store.
- eGift Cards are sent to your inbox for use either online or *possibly* printed and used in-store. Check the specific terms and conditions of the item you are purchasing.
Pro tip: use eGift cards with Rakuten for an awesome deal!
How to get started with Gift Card Granny:
- Download GiftCardGranny.com app and create an account
- Locate the navigation buttons on the bottom of the app and click “Buy” to see all cards currently for sale
Select new or used gift card #giftcardgranny
- Select if you want to purchase a New card or used gift card
Buy new or used gift cards? #giftcardgranny
- Search for a store you are interested in or browse alphabetically
Michaels gift card options
- Click on a store to see current offers
- Click “view deal” to see the offer in more detail on the specific vendor’s site
All Michaels Gift Card options
Note: If interested in purchasing, you purchase on the specific vendor’s site, not on GiftCardGranny. Meaning, if you see a card you are interested in and click on it, you will be redirected to that specific vendor’s site to purchase the card.
Is Gift Card Granny Safe?
Yes, Gift Card Granny is safe. They 100% guarantee purchases from any of their secondary partners. I haven’t had any issues with any vendor and any type of card I’ve ever purchased. Cards have always been for the exact amount stated. I have also never had any problems cashing one in either online or in-store depending on the type I purchased.
Gift Card Granny Rewards
When you purchase gift cards using GiftCardGranny.com they will track your purchases. You will earn 1 point for every 1 dollar when you are logged into your account and purchase from the GiftCardGranny.com site.
How do I get free gift cards?
Once you earn 1,000 points you can cash points in for a $5 gift card to various stores. No, it’s not a huge perk but if you are going to spend the money anyway, you might as well take the benefit. All of your purchases definitely add up over time. See below as an example from my account. I have earned $8.39 in credits so far that I can use to purchase more discounted gift cards.
Is GiftCardGranny Legit?
Yes! I cannot speak highly enough about the ease of use in leveraging this site to save money on gift cards! All of the vendors I’ve purchased from through the giftcardgranny.com website have fulfilled the digital or physical gift card promptly and accurate dollar amount.
I’ve purchased countless gift cards from almost every vendor on this website, and have had zero problems whatsoever. I almost want to keep it a secret so I can continue to score high discounted gift cards for myself!
Gift Card Granny Promo Code
I have not seen any promo codes you can use directly for Gift Card Granny. What I have seen are promo codes you can use from the specific vendors they work with to sell the cards.
For example, if you find a gift card you want to purchase on giftcardgranny.com and the website that is offering it for sale is “Gift Card Bin.” Try to find a promo code you can use for Gift Card Bin. Sign up for their promotional emails and many of the vendors will offer you a code for a dollar amount off, for example, $10 off, your first purchase with them.
Can you sell gift cards on GiftCardGranny?
Yes. Gift Card Granny will help facilitate the selling of your unwanted gift cards through the vendors they are associated with. Simply use the app and click on “Sell your Gift Cards.” I haven’t sold one myself but started the process to see how it works.
I was prompted to enter a brand name, so I chose “Gap.” I entered that I had a card valued at $20.00 and clicked on “Get offers.” You can see in the image below the handful of vendors who are willing to take my Gap gift card, what they are willing to give me for it, and how they are going to pay me.
Sell gift cards on giftcardgranny.com
How can I get cash for my gift card?
Do you have any unwanted gift cards or store credit lying around that you don’t intend to use on your own? Try selling them for cash on the giftcardgranny.com website. You will get cash for a card you aren’t going to use anyway. Someone will buy the card at a discount and get a great deal at a store they are going to shop at.
I recommend you check out all the offers posted for all vendors when you sell a card and decide which one is best for you, given each seller’s specific terms and conditions. But you can expect to get anywhere from $14.40 to $17.00 cash for your $20 card using the example above.
Gift Card Purchasing Tips
- Watch for whether you are purchasing a card for use in-store, online or both. There’s nothing worse than accidentally purchasing an in-store card when you intended for a physical card or vice-versa
- Use caution when using a gift card to purchase something you may return. For example: If you happen to purchase a $100.00 gift card at 10% off to purchase your spouse a gift – score, you got a great deal! But if your spouse doesn’t like the gift and wants to exchange it for something at a different store…recall, you purchased a gift card. So you will get in-store credit or credit applied back to the original gift card, but you will not get cashback.
- Always buy a card before an online purchase! Some of the vendors on giftcardgranny.com, such as Cardpool, are typically lightning-quick emailing your digital gift cards. I use e-gift cards for places like Kohl’s.com or gap.com where you can regularly get cards for 10-15% off. I’ll order a digital gift card right before I plan to place an online order on their respective websites to take stack a great online sale price with a discounted gift card. Caution: There is a chance it won’t get emailed to you until the next day. Meaning your code expired and now you’re stuck with a gift card you don’t want. Once you become familiar with which brands send fast, this isn’t a problem. But know that they aren’t all instantly delivery.
- Pre-purchase physical cards for places you shop regularly. I do this with Michael’s gift cards as I always find myself there around holidays picking up decor, crafts or cake decorating supplies. I also regularly shop at Gap, DSW and Macy’s, so I regularly browse offers even if I don’t need anything right this minute.
Save instantly on any purchase
What is the GiftCardGranny Otto Extension?
Gift Card Granny recently launched a Chrome Extension download called Otto that pairs with their website. The extension provides available discounted gift cards and promo codes that you can apply to your order.
When you checkout the extension pops up and will let you know of available gift cards once you put in the total of your order. You can also tab over to the “coupons” tab to see if there are any available coupons or promo codes to enter. It’s an extra assurance you are getting the best deal.
Gift Card Granny Pros
- Save money, especially valuable on purchases you were planning to make anyway
- Cards are offered in various forms, for example as online codes or physical cards so you can choose the type that works best for you.
- You can earn gift card rewards by purchasing discounted cards through giftcardgranny.com. So you’re getting rewarded for saving.
Gift Card Granny Cons
- It may take a day or two to receive your card. In many cases the digital cards are delivered instantly, but not always. The physical cards will always take a few days to arrive. So if you find an online deal that expires tonight and you purchase a digital card today and it isn’t delivered right away, it can be frustrating to have the card delivered after the deal you wanted to use it on is over. So be aware of timing.
- If you use the gift card on something and return it, you’re left with in-store credit. So be sure to purchase cards from stores to shop often, in case you return the item you purchased with the gift card.
- While as a comparison site, you can visibly see which vendors have the best deal, you need to create logins and passwords for each vendor because you’re technically buying from them.
Conclusion
I find that purchasing discounted gift cards from Gift Card Granny is a great way to save some additional money on purchases I’d be making anyway. Use an e-gift card for web orders, or snag an in-store card at a great discount if you know you’ll be shopping at that store anyway. Pair web orders with Rakuten for a phenomenal deal on almost any purchase.
In addition to Gift Card Granny there are so many other ways to save! Check out 15 apps you should be using right now to save money!
Take one small step today – to help your finances tomorrow,
Steph
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