How to replace a lost, stolen gift card (or return an unwanted one)

The reason so many of us love gift cards – they’re a lot like cash – is also the reason they can be hard to replace. If your card is lost or stolen, most retailers are sympathetic, but only if you can prove that you actually purchased, or were gifted, the card.

Replacing lost, stolen gift cards

To replace a card that’s been lost or stolen, or return one you don’t want, you have to do at least one of these things to demonstrate proof of ownership:

1. Keep the card’s activation receipt.
2. Write down the gift card number.
3. Put the card in your mobile wallet.

“A retailer will need to know the card number to look up a missing card. The activation receipt may help you locate the card number if you no longer have it.” says Shelley Hunter, founder of GiftCardGirlfriend.com and a spokeswoman for GiftCards.com. “If you didn’t save the card number one of those three ways when you received it, you may be out of luck.”

See “Major retailers’ gift card return and replacement policies” chart below for details.

If you held on to your receipt, or the generous soul who gave you the gift card can produce one, or if you know the card number, contact the retailer immediately. Most maintain toll-free numbers, available on the store’s website and staffed by customer service representatives. They can cancel the card and work on issuing you a new one. Some retailers, such as Simon Malls, can replace cards over the phone as long as you know the gift card number; others, including Starbucks, replace a lost gift card you registered online.

If it’s a store card, you may not even have to pay for a replacement fee, but that’s less likely with bank-issued gift cards. For example, American Express offers to replace lost or stolen gift cards for free if you have the original card number and security numbers. SunTrust charges $5 to replace a Mastercard gift card. If your bank wants to charge a replacement fee, ask about simply getting your money refunded instead, which may be free.

Even if you never wrote down the number and the receipt is long gone, you’re not entirely out of luck. If you already used the gift card to shop online, your data may still be stored in your account – and you can spend it down pronto. Otherwise, consider trying to get reimbursement from PayPal or your credit card company if you ordered a card online and it never arrived, or replacing a gift card stolen from your home through your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance coverage. Check your policy for coverage details.

Steps to keep gift cards safe

Even with a receipt in hand, it’s a hassle to cancel and then replace a lost or stolen gift card. Here’s how to keep your cards safer now:

• Register your card with the retailer.
  Some retailers, including Starbucks, Land of Nod, and Crate and Barrel, offer automatic balance protection and hassle-free card replacement to cardholders who register their gift cards with the store online. There can be bonus benefits, too. Starbucks, Cosi and Tully’s coffee shops treat registered gift cards as rewards cards. As customers swipe the registered card for purchases, they earn points redeemable for free coffee refills, sandwiches or scones.
• Track your card in a mobile wallet.
  Stow card numbers in an app such as Apple Pay, Android Pay, Samsung Pay, Gyft, Google Wallet or MyWallet Pro, where they’ll stay safely password-protected until you need them. Some apps also let you check balances, remind you to use your cards or allow mobile gift card purchases with your phone.
• Shop online.
  To make a purchase online, you only need the gift card number, which could help if you misplaced the actual plastic. Walmart.com offers a “Save Your Gift Card” option that allows customers to input up to five gift card numbers per account, then make online purchases later.
• Use your card quickly.
  Fewer gift cards go unspent than ever before. According to research by CEB TowerGroup, an estimated $973 million went unused in 2015.
• Safeguard your card from fraud.
  Even if you have the card itself, someone could steal your balance. High-tech fraudsters scan or copy card numbers in stores, then spend the money online as soon as the card is activated, leaving you with a worthless piece of plastic. When you purchase a gift card, search for scratches or signs of tampering. Or avoid the problem altogether by purchasing e-certificates from online retailers such as Amazon.com.

Options for using unwanted gift cards

While you’re trying to safeguard most of your gift cards, there are others you can’t get rid of fast enough, usually because the card is for a store you don’t like or can’t get to. Some stores treat gift cards the same as any other purchase, and let you return it under the same policy as any other merchandise.

Virtually no retailers allow you to trade in a new gift card for cash. The one exception: if you have only a few bucks left on your card. Some states, including California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Montana, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington, require retailers to return small-dollar remnants to consumers in cash. The laws generally apply when you have less than $5 on your gift card (and some states limit it to $1). For more rules related to gift cards in your state, check the National Conference of State Legislatures’ online chart.

That doesn’t mean you’re stuck with an unwanted card. Try these ideas:

• Sell the card.
  A growing array of websites – Raise.com, CardCash.com, Cardpool.com, ABCGiftCards.com and Giftah.com, to name a few – form the secondary gift card market. They’ll buy a card you don’t want, verify the balance and send you a check or a PayPal deposit for up to 92 percent of the card’s value, but on average it’s often less than that.To get the most cash for your card, use GiftCardGranny.com to compare the going rates and terms at several secondary gift card resellers. A little due diligence is required here.“For users selling a gift card for the first time, you want to read reviews on the gift card resellers online” and investigate how they protect both buyers and sellers, said Kendal Perez, formerly with GiftCardGranny.com. Strong consumer protection policies make eBay a fairly safe bet these days, but avoid Craigslist.org, which is notorious for gift card sale fraud.
• Swap it.
  GiftCardSwapping.com operates a message board where you can arrange to swap cards with other registered users at your own risk. Or simply

Major retailers’ gift card return, replacement policies

Retailer	Will the store replace a lost or stolen card?	How do I get started?	Can you get a refund for a gift card?
Target	Yes, with receipt	Call 800-5GIFTS5 800-544-3875 or visit the store nearest you	Yes. Returns or exchanges require a proof of purchase, must be made within 90 days of purchase and are subject to a 10% restocking fee, unless prohibited by law
Starbucks	Yes, if card is registered at Starbucks.com/card	“Sign in to your Starbucks account, select the “Cards” section and click on the Report Lost or Stolen link. We’ll freeze your remaining balance at that time, transfer it to a new Starbucks Card and mail you the replacement.”	Yes, unused with receipt. Call 800-STARBUC and a refund check mailed in 3-4 weeks of your call.
Walmart	No	Wal-Mart does not have liability to customers for lost or stolen cards.	No, except as required by law
Best Buy	Yes, with receipt	Call 888-716-7994 or visit the store nearest you	No, gift cards are final sale.
Toys R Us	Yes, with receipt	Call 800-TOYSRUS or visit the store nearest you	No, except as required by law
Old Navy	Yes, with receipt	Call 800-653-6289 or visit the store nearest you	Yes, in line with usual refund rules. Refund in same payment as purchase
Amazon	Yes, Amazon can resend a lost or stolen gift card	Contact Amazon online with your order number (if possible), the purchaser’s name and recipient’s name, plus the physical or email address to which the gift card was sent. The original card will be canceled and a new one reissued	No, except as required by law
Home Depot	Yes, with receipt	Call 800-466-3337 or visit the store nearest you	No, except as required by law
Chart data accurate as of Dec. 21,2017. Do you know of a change? Write editors@creditcards.com

See related: Gift cards: What to do when a retailer files for bankruptcy, Discounts: 8 ways to save on gift cards, Buying gift cards with credit cards gets easier