Talk:Gift card

This article is very US-centric. It might be good to make it more neutral with discussion of other areas. Al Tally ^talk 02:02, 17 June 2008 (UTC)

Now slightly better - although now it's North American-centric.--Cahk (talk) 21:45, 16 August 2008 (UTC)

Bankruptcy impact?

The article states: "Gift cards become valueless when a company files for bankruptcy protection." It is unsourced and doesn't sound correct. If a company or person owes you money when it goes bankrupt, don't all the creditors get a percentage of what is left? For now I'll just change it to state that in bankruptcy the card loses value. For some reason it won't let me edit that section (it shows up empty when I go to edit it even though I can edit other sections). -ManiacalMonkey (talk) 03:09, 14 October 2008 (UTC)

It sounds wrong, but bankrupcy courts consider gift cards to be unsecured debt, and often liquidate it, allowing companies to stop honoring them entirely. The Sharper Image left consumers holding on to 60 million in cards when it filed for chapter 11. I've added the NPR story as a citation. -₪-Hemidemisemiquaver (talk) 04:14, 18 November 2008 (UTC)

Stored-Value Card

What is the difference between a gift card and a stored-value card? Why do we have two different articles? See stored-value card. --Bill.albing (talk) 16:22, 29 April 2009 (UTC)

CARD ACT

Substantial changes in US gift card regulation have taken place in the past weeks. This article needs to be updated. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.255.252.189 (talk) 19:02, 19 June 2009 (UTC)

Reasons for not using

"Some common reasons may include ... and the attempt of the recipient to save money for the giver"

Huh? Mwv2 (talk) 17:02, 29 September 2009 (UTC)

Plagiarism

Almost the entire "History and overview" section has been copied verbatim from this article: http://www.thebigmoney.com/slideshow/brief-history-gift-card. This is obviously a blatant copyright violation, and it's also written in a very unencyclopedic style. I'm going to delete this section. Compuandy (talk) 07:43, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Quebec Regulations

There's no mention of legislation being passed for Quebec in the news article being referenced. Does the statement for Quebec having regulations about gift card still hold - is there really a law about it? A reference for that law should be added if it exists; if not, the statement should be corrected.

http://web.archive.org/web/20081207154219/http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2008/12/01/f-giftcards.html

69.70.190.6 (talk) 20:25, 28 September 2011 (UTC)

Edit request on 30 January 2013

Please change the url for GiftCard.com to GiftCards.com as GiftCards.com was the first site to offer customized gift cards on demand. The singluar version of this url is a knock off of GiftCards.com and was purchased in Oct 2012 for $4m - http://www.marketwatch.com/story/giftcardlabcom-acquires-the-domain-name-giftcardcom-for-over-4000000-in-cash-and-stock-2012-10-03 As you can see it is a new site. More accurate is GiftCards.com I edited the url below to add the plurality and the url plurality. Also - I am the owner of GiftCards.com, and have been selling gift cards online for 14 years - you can read about me at www.jasonwolfe.com so you know I am a decent source.

Gift cards can also be custom tailored to meet specific needs. By adding a custom message or name on the front of the card, it can make for an individualized gift or incentive to an employee to show how greatly they are appreciated. Some companies like American Express and GiftCards.com.

Jaw6dius (talk) 21:32, 30 January 2013 (UTC)

Not done: as this is not the place to promote commercial sites. I have removed that sentence as it is not even grammatically correct. —KuyaBriBri^Talk 04:58, 31 January 2013 (UTC)

References

Broken links

The links to some of the references do not work, leading me to believe this is not a reliable source. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Elizabethdmy (talk • contribs) 01:55, 31 October 2013 (UTC)

Change CouponTrade to Raise

Please change the mention of "CouponTrade" to "Raise" as Raise.com is now the marketplace buy and sell gift cards. CouponTrade.com no longer offers gift card services, only free online coupons. This change is reflected on the homepage of each of these websites. If you are able to insert a link directly to Raise.com's homepage, that would be awesome too, as Raise doesn't yet have a Wikipedia page. Thank you!

24.14.41.148 (talk) 22:46, 5 December 2013 (UTC)

Partly done: I've changed "Companies such as CouponTrade" into "Some companies", as that was clearly promotional, the link to CouponTrade was a redlink, and the citation was a dead link. But I haven't added raise. We aren't here to promote companies. It would be good instead to bring the stats on market size up to date, to provide citations for them, and to address the US-centricity. --Stfg (talk) 23:24, 5 December 2013 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 18 December 2014

Please add in "Pitfalls" section: The Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act, which took effect in 2010, provides some protections to consumers who receive gift cards, such as requiring that card balances remain valid for five years after issuance or after they were last loaded with money. Fees and expiration dates may still apply, however, and fees can erode the value of the cards. Smkreter (talk) 22:06, 18 December 2014 (UTC)

Note: That source seems to localize that to just the St. Louis, Mo. area, and unless a source can be found that shows that it is a country-wide act (and not localized to one or a few states), I'm resistant to add it. — {{U|Technical 13}} ^{(e • t • c)} 23:53, 20 December 2014 (UTC)

Not done for now: I'm not going to carry out this request at this time. If a source emerges showing this is nationwide, then I will happily revisit this. --Mdann52talk to me! 18:14, 28 December 2014 (UTC)

References

Abuse

This article could use a section on abuse of gift cards (money laundering, etc.).

Unwanted Gift Cards/Vouches

Now there are so many sites or market places where you can sell your unwanted gift cards and can get the value to your bank account before expiry of the same. By selling the same , you not only getting the value , another person can use it. erebate.in is a market place where you can buy and sell gift cards your unwanted gift cards before expiry. Weekwiki (talk) 19:50, 18 December 2019 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 20 July 2020

In the "Gift Card Collecting" section, I would like to make two small grammar edits. First, the sentence "Most gift cards are plastic, some variances include clear plastic, shaped cards, and paperboard cards recently most Starbucks and Chipotle gift cards are now paperboard instead of plastic" should read "Most gift cards are plastic, while variances include clear plastic, shaped cards, and paperboard cards. Recently, most Starbucks and Chipotle gift cards have switched to paperboard instead of plastic" or similar.

Second, the word "partial" is misspelled as "parctial" and should be changed. Pr0kchop (talk) 16:46, 20 July 2020 (UTC)

 Done Danski454 (talk) 17:39, 20 July 2020 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 22 March 2021

Add " Another factor that may have influenced increased gift card sales during the holiday season, is the shipping deadline for physical gifts. Gift card purchases in the first week of December 2020 doubled in comparison to December 2019. Even during the month of December 2020, a significant jump in gift card sales was reported by InMarket (a data analytics company). InMarket reported that gift card sales increased by 48% between the 17th-20th of December compared to the 13th-16th, as deadlines for free shipping and guaranteed Christmas delivery expired. " reference https://www.wsj.com/articles/gift-cards-are-the-go-to-holiday-gifts-of-2020-11608730368 Roni meiri (talk) 10:59, 22 March 2021 (UTC)

I don't see where you'd like to add this. Also, I believe it is WP:UNDUE. Thanks. ScottishFinnishRadish (talk) 12:50, 23 March 2021 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 12 February 2024

Urwa Asif (talk) 18:30, 12 February 2024 (UTC)

hello i want to edit this page with the updated and new content.

 Not done: this is not the right page to request additional user rights. You may reopen this request with the specific changes to be made and someone may add them for you, or if you have an account, you can wait until you are autoconfirmed and edit the page yourself. Shadow311 (talk) 19:46, 12 February 2024 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 6 May 2026

On this page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gift_card, change this broken link to . Its anchor text was "Ways to make gift cards have a personal touch - Holiday Guide".

The old link is broken. Unlimitable (talk) 17:17, 6 May 2026 (UTC)

 Not done - the link is archived in the reference and that link works. I like octopuses^{talk to me, talk to me} 17:55, 6 May 2026 (UTC)

I changed the URL status in that reference from live to dead. That should fix the problem. Zero Contradictions (talk) 22:24, 6 May 2026 (UTC)

USE IN FRAUD section has an error and needs to be updated.

The first sentence "Retailers and other businesses are increasingly about what can be done to prevent gift cards" is missing a vital verb "worried". The sentence should be changed to "Retailers and other businesses are increasingly worried about what can be done to prevent gift cards".

Secondly, this section doesn't cover common gift card scams like online romance scam, phishing scam, lottery scam, technical support scam, and family & friend scam.

Gift card scams also include phishing emails, fake lottery winnings, fraudulent technical support claims, romance scams, and impersonation of friends or family members. In these schemes, scammers typically attempt to convince victims to purchase Amazon gift cards and disclose the card numbers or redemption codes, often by creating a sense of urgency or offering a supposed reward. Once the gift card details are shared, the funds are usually redeemed by the scammers and cannot be recovered.

Here is a source that gives sufficient information about these scams. https://usenosh.com/blog/amazon-gift-card-scams. Unlimitable (talk) 09:56, 7 June 2026 (UTC)

Use in fraud has an error and needs to be updated.

The first sentence "Retailers and other businesses are increasingly about what can be done to prevent gift cards" is missing a vital verb "worried". The sentence should be changed to "Retailers and other businesses are increasingly worried about what can be done to prevent gift cards".

Secondly, this section doesn't cover common gift card scams like online romance scam, phishing scam, lottery scam, technical support scam, and family & friend scam.

Amazon gift card scams commonly involve phishing emails, fake lottery winnings, fraudulent technical support claims, romance scams, and impersonation of friends or family members. In these schemes, scammers typically attempt to convince victims to purchase Amazon gift cards and disclose the card numbers or redemption codes, often by creating a sense of urgency or offering a supposed reward. Once the gift card details are shared, the funds are usually redeemed by the scammers and cannot be recovered.

Here is a source that gives sufficient information about these scams. https://usenosh.com/blog/amazon-gift-card-scams. Unlimitable (talk) 12:54, 7 June 2026 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 27 July 2026

Blockbuster introduced the first Gift Card as we know it today in 1995. Prior to that paper certificates were used almost exclusively. Nieman Marcuse introduced a plastic card and identified it as a "Gift Card" in 1994. That product was little more than a plastic version of the paper certificates as it lacked the stored value of the Blockbuster card. The new Blockbuster Gift Card, first tested in 1994 and offered nationally in 1995 gave Blockbuster many advantages.After test-marketing them in 1995 and launching them around the country the next year. In the beginning, the Blockbuster gift card replaced gift certificates that were being counterfeited with recently introduced color copiers and color printers.

The new Blockbuster Gift Card card was backed by an on-line electronic system for authorization, thus allowing them to be sold in one location and redeemed in another location. Gift certificates are traditionally paper promises for a specific dollar amount, whereas gift cards are electronic or plastic stored-value cards that may allow balance reloading. The electronic Gift Card was unique in tracking cash deposits, as well as debits.

The first Blockbuster card was produced by SSI Custom Data Cards, in Edmond, Oklahoma. Nabanco was the developer of the first third-party platform for the processing of gift cards using existing payment infrastructure. The Nabanco data was furnished to SSI Custom Data Cards, who encoded the magnetic stripe and imaged the PIN numbers and barcodes on each unique card for Blockbuster.

A new design by Ron Goade, SSI, Edmond, Oklahoma for the new Gift Cards was designed as a "hanging card" that could be prominently displayed for purchase without concern for duplication as the new cards required a transaction by swiping the magnetic stripe on the Gift Card.

A patent was issue to Ron Goade in June 1995 and is widely recognized as the first electronic Gift Card package in the world. The design is one piece with a break-off Gift Card contained in the package and with the magnetic stripe protruding from the package allowing the stripe to be activated. Additionally, a scratch off label covered the PIN numbers for additional security. This design is still widely used world wideRgoade (talk) 16:23, 27 July 2026 (UTC)

This text should replace all references for "first Gift Card" Rgoade (talk) 16:27, 27 July 2026 (UTC)

 Not done You need a third-party reliable source for that. A patent # is a primary source and is not usable in this case. OhNoitsJamie ^talk 17:02, 27 July 2026 (UTC)