When a gift card goes missing

You tuck a gift card into a birthday card, send it by post or hand it over in person, and at some point it simply cannot be found. For the person receiving it, a lost gift card is usually more annoying than losing the same amount in cash, because it is unclear whether and how the value can be recovered at all. Unlike a banknote, a gift card almost always carries a code, and it is exactly this code that decides what is possible next.

Whether a lost card can still be saved depends mainly on whether it was registered anywhere before it disappeared. A card that only exists as a number code on a piece of paper can, in case of doubt, be used by anyone who finds it, not just by the person it was given to.

Registered or anonymous: the key difference

Some providers let you link a gift card to a customer account straight after buying or receiving it. If that has been done, the balance can still be reached even if the physical card or the email with the code disappears, because the value then sits in the account and not only in the code. A card that was never registered, on the other hand, is basically like cash: whoever knows the code can use it, regardless of who was originally given it.

That is exactly why it is worth linking a card you have been given to an account as soon as possible after receiving it, if the issuing shop offers this, rather than leaving it unregistered in a drawer or an inbox.

How to keep the risk smaller when giving a card

• Buy the card directly from the official shop, for example through the overview on daily-coupons.info, rather than from a reseller whose background you cannot judge.
• Keep the receipt or order confirmation, because it usually contains the code or at least a clue as to which account the card can be traced through if needed.
• With a physical card, take a photo of the code before wrapping it, so that you still have it if the card itself is lost.
• Move a card sent by email into a separate folder set up for this in your inbox, rather than letting it get buried in your general inbox.

Expiry: why a gift card has an expiry date at all

Apart from loss, expiry is the second reason why a gift card you gave someone can end up worthless even though it was never lost. Many cards carry an expiry date or are charged a fee after a long period without use, which eats into the remaining balance bit by bit. How long a card stays valid is set by the provider itself, and this information is usually on the card, in the order confirmation or in the terms linked at the time of purchase.

Keeping track of the expiry date of a card you were given is harder than with one you bought yourself. So if you give a card as a present, you do the recipient a favour by noting down the expiry date as well, or at least handing over the order confirmation with it.

A worked example: remaining balance after partial use

Say you give someone a gift card worth 50 euros. They use it on their next purchase and spend 32 euros on items. That leaves a remaining balance of 18 euros on the card. If the card is now lost before this balance has been used up, and it was never linked to an account, those 18 euros are hard to get back in practice, because nobody can prove who the remaining code actually belongs to. If, on the other hand, the card had been registered beforehand, the 18 euros stay visible and usable in the account, regardless of what happens to the physical card or the original email.

What you can do if a card you gave is gone

The first step is always the same: check whether the card was ever linked to an account, for example when it was bought or straight after it was received. If so, a look in the account settings of the issuing shop usually helps. If the card was never registered, often the only option is to try showing the original receipt or order confirmation to the provider's customer service, and even then a refund is not guaranteed but depends on the goodwill of the shop in question.

If you give a card yourself, it is therefore a good idea to tell the recipient early on exactly where the receipt can be found, rather than assuming that a single code on its own offers enough security.

Giving a card with a little more preparation

Despite these risks, a gift card is still a practical present, especially when it is unclear what the other person really wants. The difference from a classic voucher or discount code lies mainly in the fact that a gift card carries its own value, which can often be passed on, while a discount code only lowers the price of an order. How stubbornly expired codes hang around online is shown in the article Why expired codes keep circulating online for so long. With a discount code that is a nuisance; with a gift card that holds a balance, real money is at stake. You can find current discount codes for your next purchase in the discount code overview on daily-coupons.info.

Frequently asked questions

Can I have a lost gift card blocked?

That depends on the issuing shop. If the card was linked to an account, the remaining balance can often still be used there, independently of the physical card. Without registration, there is usually no way to block the code specifically.

Does a gift card expire automatically if it goes unused for a long time?

With some providers it does, either through a fixed expiry date or a fee after a long period of inactivity. Other cards stay valid indefinitely. The exact rule is usually in the terms linked at the time of purchase.

What should I do with the receipt when I give a card as a present?

The simplest option is to hand over the receipt or order confirmation together with the card, or at least tell the recipient where to find it. That makes it easier to prove the purchase if there is ever a dispute.

Is a card sent by email safer than a physical one?

Not fundamentally safer, but easier to find again as long as the email is not deleted, because the code can always be looked up there. A physical card, by contrast, can simply be mislaid without any copy of the code existing.