Is Amazon Gift Card Worth It? [Complete guide!]

Amazon gift cards are changing the way we give gifts. If that change is for the better is up for debate, but most people would argue that Amazon gift cards are worth your hard-earned money. After all, if you’re going to end up spending anyway, the gift card lets you do that and much more.

Generally speaking, Amazon Gift Cards are worth it in most cases. They make great gifts for most occasions, don’t expire, can be reloaded, speed up the checkout process when making a purchase, and can also help you control spending by preloading the money to the cards.

In the rest of this article, I’ll share with you some of the advantages of using an Amazon gift card and why it can be worth your money!

We will take a look at the different benefits to be enjoyed by using Amazon gift cards. So, if this is something you are interested to learn more about, keep reading until the end of the article. 

How Amazon Gift Cards Work

Amazon gift cards are either physical or digital cards that can be preloaded with an amount that is redeemable towards eligible products on the Amazon store. Amazon gift cards come in denominations of $15, $25, $50, and $100. 

You also have the option to add a custom amount for your gift card in addition to the aforementioned denominations.

You can buy Amazon gift e-cards at Amazon.com through the “Gift Card” page. The physical gift cards can be found in selected stores. Whether physical or digital, the process of redeeming the card is almost identical. Follow these steps to redeem an Amazon gift card:

1. Sign in to your Amazon account. 
2. Once logged in, open the “Account” settings option (or simply click this link).
3. Once the “Account” page opens up, click on the “Gift Cards” option.
4. That will take you to the option to ‘Redeem a Gift Card. Click that.
5. Enter the unique claim code on your gift card. The card funds will be reflected in your Amazon account.
6. Use your gift card as a payment to purchase any items you choose from the Amazon store. 

If the gift card is for a friend, you can opt for an e-card and have it sent to them via email. The email will come with redemption instructions from the company. You can also send it through postal mail for a more nostalgic personal touch. 

Why Amazon Gift Cards Are Worth It

Now that you’ve been brought up to speed on how gift cards work, let’s take a closer look at the merits of Amazon’s gift cards and what sets them apart from the rest. Here are the reasons why Amazon gift cards are worth it:

• They make the perfect gift.
• You can buy them for yourself.
• They have no time limit. 
• There are no hidden fees to redeem the gift card. 
• They speed up the checkout process.
• They help control spending. 

1. Amazon Gift Card is a Perfect Gift Option

Some of us were born with no talent for gift-giving. It’s not that we don’t want to give gifts to our friends or families—it’s that we have no idea what to get them. It’s like there is this gift-giving anxiety where we are afraid to disappoint the receiver.

Enter the Amazon gift card. It’s the perfect gift. You don’t have to bend your brain figuring out what to get your friend and worry about someone else getting them the same gift. Say goodbye to fretting about picking the wrong color or the wrong size. 

Some are of the opinion that gift cards are tacky and a “lazy” way to give presents. It takes the personal touch out of gift-giving, so they say. I’m not suggesting putting gift cards under the Christmas tree this year, but I beg to differ about gift cards being a lazy way to give gifts. 

After all, it’s about the receiver. And what’s more personal than actually letting them get exactly what they want instead of what we think they want? It’s the same principle behind why some people ask for monetary gifts in lieu of gifts at weddings. 

After all, you can only have so many salad bowls to kick off your married life. An Amazon gift card might just get you out of trouble the next time you forget to buy a gift for a wedding. [link to “is it okay to give a gift card for a wedding gift”]

You might be able to make an argument in favor of other gift cards, but the fact is that none of them offer the variety you’ll find in the Amazon store.

2. You Can Buy Amazon Gift Card for Yourself

Amazon gift cards aren’t only for giving out. You can buy yourself a gift card. After all, no one deserves it more than you. You can collect them for use in the future. It’s like saving up to treat yourself to an online spree without worrying about overspending. But more on that later.

3. There Is No Cap on How Many Purchases You Can Make

Amazon gift cards differ from other gift cards in that you can have several checkouts as long as there is still some credit fund left over on your card. Some other gift cards become invalid after a single checkout, meaning if the items for checkout don’t use up the total amount in your card, the remaining balance can no longer be used for a future purchase. 

With Amazon gift cards, you don’t have to worry about maxing out your card on a single checkout. In fact, you can aggregate the amounts of several gift cards for a larger purchase. This is why I mentioned earlier that you could collect gift cards for yourself. Most non-Amazon gift cards don’t let you do this. 

3. Amazon Gift Cards Don’t Expire

Unlike other non-Amazon gift cards with very limited validity, you don’t have to rush to spend your gift card as Amazon Gift Cards don’t expire! Once you redeem the gift card, you have the option to keep its balance for future purchases without the worry of expiration. 

4. There Are No Hidden Fees To Redeem Amazon Gift Card

Some non-Amazon gift cards have hidden fees during redemption of the card fund. You don’t have to worry about these fees with Amazon gift cards. What you pay for is exactly what you get. When you pay for a $100 gift card, that is the amount you get in your card fund, and you have complete discretion to use up every cent. No deductions are made after redemption. 

5. Amazon Gift Cards Speed Up The Checkout Process

I mentioned in a previous section that you could buy Amazon gift cards for yourself. One of the main reasons why people do this is because they prefer to pay with their card funds than go through the regular checkout process where you have to enter debit or credit card details, get past 2-fact authentication, or other verification checkpoints. 

6. Amazon Gift Cards Help Control Spending

Perhaps one of the most compelling arguments for Amazon gift cards’ worthiness is their role in controlling spending.

With millions of great products on the Amazon store, it can be a little engrossing to keep adding things to the cart. By the time it’s time for check out, you’ve gone over the budget, so you have to load up from a credit card. 

These little moments of compromise can accumulate into a substantial bank overdraft. Using a gift card helps you stay within a budget that is easier to stick to. Many people find this trick helpful in putting limits on spending.

Amazon Gift Cards are also often better than using a credit card which can also lead to a bank overdraft.

Disadvantages of Using Amazon Gift Card

There aren’t really too many drawbacks to using an Amazon gift card. After all, the primary reason for using an Amazon gift card is for, you guessed it, gifting! So, what can really go wrong with it?

Well, here are two disadvantages that I’ve come across while using gift cards from Amazon for the past few years.

1. Amazon Gift Card Doesn’t Work Internationally as Seamlessly

When it comes to using Amazon gift card for gifting to your family and friends that are located outside the USA, the process is a bit confusing.

The gift card can be used to send to a person located in a different country. However, there are specific rules you have to be aware of.

The biggest factor you need to keep in mind is that it is best to purchase an Amazon gift card from the Amazon site of the specific country of residence of the person you are planning to gift to.

Basically, a gift card purchased on “Amazon.com” is only valid on the “.com” domain. Likewise, if the gift card has been purchased in the UK using “Amazon.co.uk”, it can only be used on the “.co.uk” domain.

Thus, ideally, it is best to simply purchase the gift card on the Amazon site of the respective location of the person you plan to gift.

2. Amazon Gift Card May Fail to Redeem

Generally, technology is used to solve our day-to-day challenges. However, it is not always perfect.

For instance, sometimes, when you try to redeem the gift card, you may receive an “Invalid Code” error. As frustrating as it can be, there is nothing much you can do about it!

This phenomenon is quite common, especially when you purchase a physical gift card. Perhaps one digit of the code gets erased, or the code simply fails to work! Either way, you can lose the money if you cannot redeem the gift card!