Where to buy and sell gift cards in the UK

Two sides of one market

Gift cards move in both directions on the same handful of UK marketplaces. Someone ends up with a card for a shop they never visit and sells it for cash, below face value. Someone else buys that card at a discount and spends it at a retailer they were going to shop at anyway. Both sides are using the same mechanism — a marketplace that buys and resells gift cards — just from opposite ends.

This guide covers both: buying below face value to save money, selling a card you won’t use for cash, and the risks worth knowing before you do either.

Buying: pay less than face value for almost anything

A gift-card marketplace collects cards that other people no longer want and resells them below face value. Buy one for a retailer you were already planning to shop at and you’ve effectively bought a discount on anything from that store — full-price items included, since you’re not relying on a voucher code being accepted. Cardyard and Zeek are two UK examples of marketplaces that work this way — we mention them as examples of how this market works, not a recommendation of one over the other, so compare current rates and terms yourself before using either.

The discount on any given card is typically a few percent up to low double digits, and it moves with demand and which retailer’s card you want — treat any figure you see as a snapshot rather than a fixed rate, and check the live price before you buy. Because a gift card is a payment method rather than a discount applied at the basket, it usually sits on top of the loyalty price and a voucher code, and often survives alongside cashback too. See our discounted gift cards guide for how that stacking works in more depth, and the full stacking method for where it fits alongside everything else.

Selling: turn an unwanted gift card into cash

The same marketplaces that sell discounted cards will usually buy yours too. If you’ve been given a card for a shop you don’t use, or you’ve got credit left over that you know you won’t spend, listing it is normally straightforward: you submit the card details (or a photo of a physical card), the marketplace verifies the balance, and you’re paid out — typically by bank transfer or PayPal, after a short verification window.

You will get less than the card’s face value. That’s how these marketplaces cover their margin and the risk of a card turning out to be invalid or already spent, and exactly how much less varies by retailer, demand and which marketplace you use — there’s no fixed rate worth quoting, so check the live offer for your specific card before accepting it. Even so, a reduced payout is usually a better outcome than a card that sits in a drawer until it expires and becomes worth nothing at all.

The risks — and how to stay safe

Buying and selling gift cards is generally safe when you stick to reputable, established marketplaces, but it isn’t risk-free. A few things are worth knowing before you do either:

• Use a proper marketplace, not a stranger. Cards offered cheaply outside a recognised marketplace — on social media, classified ads or an auction listing — are a common scam vector. A code can be copied and spent before you ever redeem it, and once that happens there’s usually no way to get your money back. Treat an unusually generous deal from an unknown seller as a warning sign, not a bonus.
• Check the card the moment it arrives. Confirm the balance, the expiry date and any retailer-specific terms — some cards can’t be used online, or exclude certain categories — before you rely on it for a purchase.
• Understand refunds are limited. Once a code has been revealed, sold on or redeemed, a marketplace generally can’t reverse the transaction. Read the marketplace’s own terms on disputes and invalid cards before you buy or sell, since these vary by provider.
• If you’re selling, use a marketplace that verifies before it pays. A legitimate buyer checks a card’s balance is genuine before paying out, which protects you as the seller as much as it protects whoever buys the card next.

Why January is peak season for this

The weeks after Christmas are the busiest time of year for both sides of this market. Plenty of people end up with a card for a shop they’d never normally choose, and January — with the sales on and budgets tighter after Christmas — is exactly when turning that card into cash is most appealing. At the same time, more unwanted cards coming onto the market can mean more choice if you’re buying, since marketplaces have more stock moving through.

If you’ve come out of Christmas with a card you know you won’t use, it’s worth listing it sooner rather than letting it sit until it’s closer to its expiry date. See our Christmas shopping guide for the wider picture on stacking savings over the festive period.

Let DealStacker find the rest of the saving

A discounted gift card is one layer. Once you’ve bought one, DealStacker can show you whether the retailer still allows a voucher code or cashback on top, so you’re not leaving anything behind. Search a product to see the full stacked price before you buy.

How we make money: DealStacker is free. When you click through to a retailer or partner and buy, we may earn a commission. It costs you nothing extra and never changes which deal we rank cheapest.

Buying & selling gift cards — FAQ

Is it safe to buy discounted gift cards?

Generally yes, as long as you buy from a reputable, established marketplace — sites like Cardyard and Zeek verify cards before reselling them, and e-gift cards typically arrive within minutes. The main risks are buying from an unknown seller outside a proper marketplace, or not checking the balance and terms as soon as the card arrives. Stick to known marketplaces and check the card immediately, and you're taking on very little extra risk versus paying full price.

Where can I sell an unwanted gift card in the UK?

The same kind of marketplace that sells discounted cards will usually buy yours too — Cardyard and Zeek are two UK examples that let you list an unwanted card and get paid once it's verified. You'll typically need the card details or a photo of it, and payment lands by bank transfer or PayPal after a short verification step. It's worth comparing more than one marketplace, since what they'll pay for the same card can vary.

How much do you lose selling a gift card?

You'll always get less than the card's face value — that's how the marketplace covers its margin and the risk of a card turning out to be invalid or already spent. Exactly how much less depends on the brand, demand and which marketplace you use, so there's no single rate worth quoting; check the live offer for your specific card before you sell rather than assuming a fixed percentage. Even a reduced payout usually beats a card that never gets spent at all.

Can you pay with a discounted gift card and still get cashback?

Often yes, but not always — it depends on the retailer's cashback terms, and some specifically exclude orders paid by gift card. Where that applies, the gift-card discount and the cashback are mutually exclusive on that order, so check the terms and use whichever saves more rather than assuming you'll get both. Our stacking guide covers how gift cards fit alongside cashback and voucher codes more generally.