How to check gift card balance – All methods

Having a gift card gives you the benefit of buying things that you need with the money that you either have received through gifts or converted into a gift card for future use. With online shopping, you can use them whenever you want just sitting at your home or from your office. But what happens if you don’t have enough money in your gift cards? You searched the item and you were about to click the “Buy Now” button just to find out that you don’t have enough balance left in your gift card to buy it. It’s a little embarrassing and is also a result of your ignorance.

So what can you do to avoid this situation? First, you can check gift card balance on your gift card and then go shopping. There are three methods that you can use to check your balance and this article will discuss all three methods with you in detail.

Method 1: Check your gift card balance online

Checking your gift card balance online is the quickest and convenient way that you can opt for. For this, you just need to Google “check my gift card balance” and it will show you different results from which you can pick the one which is related to the gift card that you have.

You can also follow a different procedure to find your gift card balance. Here are the steps for you to follow.

1. See on the backside of the card, the side which has a black strip on it, and find its official website. Look closely for the website because generally, they write it in fine print to save space. There could be steps written on it to find your balance or only a website to go to.
2. You need to pick only the official website of the gift card company because there are many scrupulous people sitting there over the internet who are just waiting to steal your money. So you should be aware of such scam sites. Only visit the websites that are affiliated with the gift card company.
3. Once you opened the official website of the gift card company available on the back of the gift card, choose the “check balance” button. You will find various columns where you will be required to provide the information pertaining to your card. Generally, this information includes the card number and other numeric codes, such as expiration date and access code. Different gift card companies design their gift cards in different ways. So sometimes, to see the card numbers, you will need to peel off or scratch the tape on the backside of the card.
4. After filling in all the required information, click on ‘submit’ or ‘enter’ the button. This will redirect you to the page where you will find your gift card balance and other information about it. If it shows some kind of error, then check all your details whether you have filled them all correctly or not. If the card is still not showing the balance and other details, then your card must have expired or there could be other technical problems. To clarify the situation, either call the company or go to their physical store.
5. If there is no website mentioned on the card on either side, then either call the gift card company or go to their physical location. There could be an app provided by the company to check the gift card balance, but generally, companies that have their own app also provide a website to their users.

Method 2: Calling the company to know the gift card balance

Another method to check the balance of your gift card is directly calling the gift card company and asking them. To find your balance using this method, follow this procedure:

1. Find the phone number of the company on the gift card. Usually, you will find it on the back of the card. Most gift card companies have toll-free numbers where you can call and get the information for free. Some cards also have two numbers- one for balance enquiry and another one for customer service. You can directly call the balance enquiry number or if the card does not have a balance enquiry number or it does get connected then you can call on the customer service and they will direct you to the balance enquiry team.
2. When you will call the number, it will either direct you to the live operator or you will get a response from a computer-generated automated phone call. In both cases, ask them to check my gift card balance.
3. On the call, you will be asked to submit the gift card details that are required to know your balance, like card number, date of birth, the expiration date of the card, or the last four digits of your registered mobile number. The information that you have to submit depends on the type of card that you have. You can orally give them the information or you can also fill in the numbers using the keypad of the mobile.
4. After assessing all the information, the operator will tell you the available balance of your gift card. They can either tell you the balance over the voice call or they can also flash it on your mobile screen. Write it down on paper or make a note on your mobile in case you forget it.

Method 3: Go to the physical store

Apart from using the online method and voice call method, you can also check gift card balance by visiting the physical store of the company. It is not a convenient one like the two previous methods that we have discussed above but it will give you surety that you are sharing the confidential information with the right person.

The procedure of knowing your balance with the offline method is quite simple. It is written down below.

1. Visit the store of the company to which the gift card belongs to. There is no need to go to the same store from where you have bought the gift in the first place. You can go to your nearest store to know the balance.
2. In the store, find the cashier or the customer care representative, hand over your gift card to him and ask her to check your gift card balance. They will either take the numeric information printed on the card or scan the barcode or QR code printed on the card. After fetching the information about your gift cards from their database they will tell you the balance. Typically, there is no fee or charges associated with it. This means they will share the information with you free of cost.
3. If you are using your gift card at a physical store then remember to take the printed receipt of your purchase. The receipt also contains all the necessary information about the gift card, such as the remaining balance, expiration date, at the bottom.

Conclusion

To know the remaining balance of your gift card, you can use any one of the above-discussed methods. With the changing scenario, when people are preferring to manage most of the work online at their convenience, most people use the first method to check their gift card balance, which is the online method through the website or the app of the company.