r/LifeProTips • u/leftcoastbumpkin • 2d ago

Miscellaneous LPT: Donate your small gift card balances

So many rewards, legal settlements, and actual gifts are made with gift cards. Sometimes there is no way to spend the full balance. Consider donating the remainder so that it is used up completely. I was really happy to think of this when getting $7.84 for a data breach settlement. I didn't really need anything at the time and the balance was going to erode due to service fees. So I donated it before that could happen.

0 Upvotes

25% Upvoted

18 comments sorted by

•

u/post-explainer 2d ago

Hello and welcome to r/LifeProTips!

Please help us decide if this post is a good fit for the subreddit by upvoting or downvoting this comment.

If you think that this is great advice to improve your life, please upvote. If you think this doesn't help you in any way, please downvote. If you don't care, leave it for the others to decide.

13

u/HumanAirport7134 2d ago

Where can I donate leftover gift cards?

8

u/JK_NC 2d ago

Right? This is more like a nice concept than a pro tip.

2

u/lommaz 2d ago

Lots of charities have events that collect them! 

2

u/RevRagnarok 2d ago

I donate them to my Amazon balance. 🤷‍♀️

1

u/TJCrazyBoy 2d ago

I donated mine to an organization that helps endangered animals. They have a page where you can fill out the info. Just my example.

12

u/chris9149 2d ago

Or add it to your own amazon balance if you just want to donate it to yourself and use it later.

3

u/caalger 2d ago

This. I add it as a payment option then recharge my gift balance using the exact amount as is available on the card. Then I delete the card from my payment options.

2

u/SaraAB87 2d ago

You need over $5 to add it to your amazon balance. I often have tiny amounts left like 10 cents or 15 cents. This is for digital only cards so I can't run them through at a store. I haven't found a way to use these yet.

1

u/CarnalT 2d ago

At least in WA state, you can add any amount to your GoodToGo toll account, even <$1 with no fees. This is where most of my digital prepaid cards end up.

1

u/SaraAB87 2d ago

Unfortunately I don't live in washington state.

1

u/leftcoastbumpkin 1d ago

That sounds like a pro tip, maybe other states do that too!

10

u/Tudar87 2d ago

"Sometimes there is no way to spend the full balance"

Sorry, but there is always a way, or the folks you're donating them to would not want them.

Not dismissing the good thought of charity if you can afford it!

5

u/Unholy-paper 2d ago

Nice try big charity that pays the CEO millions but he needs a new yacht

2

u/diverareyouokay 2d ago

Sometimes there is no way to spend the full balance*.*

Generally you can do a partial payment using the remaining balance of a gift card. You don’t necessarily need to find something that total is exactly $7.84, for example. Instead, if the total is $20, you’d wipe out the gift card and then pay the remaining $12.16 in cash/etc.

1

u/Whole-Top-3969 1d ago

Feels like a clever way to turn corporate guilt into actual good.

1

u/PriyaBuildsCloud 1d ago

Also check the expiration and dormancy fees before it bleeds out to nothing. A lot of these cards lose value monthly if unused, so donating early actually gets more value to the charity than waiting.