Gift cards are digital assets that give you a myriad of access to different content when you have a gift card tailored to a particular brand. You can buy gift cards online when there is a need for you to unlock the opportunities of this digital asset that is buzzing the international market at the moment.
The international gift card market has significantly boomed, with an annual growth rate of 15.4% from 2019 to 2027, as estimated. It culminates in replacing plastic gift cards with digital cards, resulting from steady growth in buying gift cards online and which portends a brighter future for the gift card market.
Gone are the days when gift cards were exclusively available at a designated gift card store, and you could not get the gift card outside the business store.
For instance, you couldn’t get an Amazon gift card outside the Amazon store some years ago. Still, the emergence of peer-to-peer (P2P) and over-the-counter (OTC) gift card trading platforms has disrupted the status quo, such that you can get Amazon gift cards and other cards from platforms other than the Amazon store.
When you buy gift cards online, you can use the cards for varying intended purposes that best suit your needs. Some of the reasons people accept gift cards online are:
- Access different content (games, movies, music, software, books, etc.)
- To hold as an alternative for cash in a way similar to your credit card
- To sell for cash or cryptocurrency
- To make payments where necessary
Meanwhile, you can buy gift cards online for friends, family members, colleagues or your boss. It is because gift cards enunciate kind gestures when you purchase and give them to loved ones as gifts.
Gift cards are undoubtedly a great gift to gift, so this is why this article harps on how to buy gift cards online without hassle.
What Are The Benefits Of Buying Gift Cards Online?
1. Convenience
When you buy gift cards online, you can be assured of convenience without borders. It means you purchase gift cards anytime and anywhere without leaving your comfort zone. Unlike physical stores with operation hours, most online gift card trading platforms are always open, regardless of the time difference or distance for their teeming customers.
2. Accessibility
Online gift card purchases give you unlimited access to different gift card platforms. This contrast with buying your gift cards at physical stores as you may not have many stores to buy your gift card from in a particular geographical area. Still, you have the luxury of exploring many online platforms to decide which of the platform from where you can buy your gift card.
3. Wider Variety Of Options
There is a proliferation of gift card trading platforms online, so you can choose the best platform to buy your gift cards. It is easy to achieve so far; the gift card trading platform meets your expectation. So you do not typically have to buy your gift cards on the official brand website that issues the gift card.
For instance, you may decide not to buy your iTunes gift card on the iTunes store, as you can also buy your card on other gift card trading platforms. Here, you can also buy your iTunes gift card on Prestmit, as we offer the best prices for your gift card.
How To Choose The Right Online Gift Card Retailer
Buying gift cards online has some due diligence you must put in place to ensure you have a good experience when you accept your gift cards. In other words, there are some considering factors you must take into cognisance when choosing an online gift card retailer.
1. Reputation Of The Online Retailer
The reputation of every business matters as it gives the potential customers an overview of what the achievement of the business has been in terms of customer satisfaction. It also relates to what you must look for when buying gift cards online.
You must assess what the online reputation of the gift card retailer is from its customer’s reviews. It must be a total turn-off for you when the reviews connote more negativity than positivity while digesting the retailer’s response rating.
2. Types Of Gift Cards Available
There is a wide range of gift card types that lurks in the international gift card market. Therefore, you must know the kinds of gift cards that are available on the gift card trading platform to infer that the online retailer would either meet your needs or not.
It is noteworthy that every online gift card retailer does not sell every gift card, as most of these retailers only sell gift cards of high demand on their platform. So it is essential to know the number and types of gift cards a gift card retailer has to inform your decision on proceeding to buy your gift cards from the platform.
3. Shipping And Delivery Options
For every order you make online, there is always room for shipping and delivery options. When you want to buy gift cards online, you can either decide to buy a physical gift card or a digital gift card. As such, there must be an adequate provision for shipping options.
Often, digital gift cards are delivered to you via email, while you can get your physical gift cards via shipping or online means. But every online gift card retailer must have a delivery option to get your gift card after purchase. Where this is not available, it is advisable to avoid buying your gift card on such a platform.
How To Buy Gift Cards Online
As earlier stated, buying gift cards online comes with some level of convenience, but there are also some expectations from you to make your purchases seamless.
1. Create An Account
You must create an account with your preferred gift card trading platform on which you will have to supply your personal information to enable you to select your gift card of choice and which would allow the retailer to process your order.
You can be likened to a ‘window shopper’ when you have not created an account with the online retailer. But your registration with the gift card trading platform gives a level of certainty of buying from the platform. You may have to supply details like your email address, name, and address.
2. Add Gift Cards To Your Cart
After creating an account, you can navigate the available gift cards on the platform to look for your preferred gift card. Most online retailers can have tens or hundreds of different types of gift cards on their media. This is why you need to surf and select your gift card(s) and add it/them to your cart on your account dashboard of the platform.
3. Payment Options
You can proceed to make payment as you check out the gift cards you have added to your carts. Every online gift card retailer has payment options that customers can use to buy gift cards.
These payment options may include bank transfers, wire transfers, and card payments. You can sometimes use cryptocurrency to buy gift cards on some online gift card trading platforms.
How To Receive And Use Gift Cards
You can be assured of getting your gift cards upon completion of the purchase on a trusted gift card trading platform, and you can use your gift card as you wish.
What Are The Delivery Methods?
When you buy gift cards online, you can either buy a physical gift card or a digital form, depending on your choice. But upon payment, you can get your gift cards via email, as the gift card codes will be sent to your email address when you buy a digital gift card.
In addition, you can get the image of your gift card delivered to your address when you order a physical gift card. But in most cases, digital gift cards are the most common gift cards when you buy gift cards online.
How To Activate And Use Gift Cards
Gift activation is important as you can not redeem or use your gift without activation. Therefore, you must activate your gift card at the point of purchase from your online retailer. While physical gift cards need to be activated before use, a digital gift card does not necessarily require activation, as the cards are automatically activated before you receive them via email.
When your gift card is activated, you can then use it for different purposes. You can decide to redeem your gift card on the gift card store to access various content or, better still, your gift cards.
How To Check Gift Card Balances
You can check your gift card balance immediately after you have redeemed your gift card on the official gift card store. This is about the number of gift cards you bought from an online retailer. Every gift card store has steps you can follow to check your gift card balances.
Best Practices For Buying Gift Cards Online
1. Research And Compare Prices
In similitude to how you compare prices from one physical store to other, you should also take your time to compare gift card prices on different gift card trading platforms. When you do this, you can have a price overview or the average gift card amount, and you can then buy from online retailers whose prices are close to the average price.
2. Check For Discounts And Promotions
Having a discount for your gift card purchases is a relishing experience that buyers enjoy. Discounted prices attract potential customers to a product. So explore more for discounts while staying awake to avoid deals and promotions that are too good to be true.
3. Read Reviews And Ratings Of Online Retailers
Be proactive in knowing the reputation of online gift card retailers to know those platforms that have red flags and others that are safe to use. Ensure to read and understand what customers say about the online retailer to inform and influence your decision to buy gift cards.
Conclusion
Buying gift cards online is fascinating as it comes with convenience, accessibility, and a wide range of options. It would help if you found an online retailer that best meets your needs, and you created an account and bought from that platform.
However, it is essential to take your time when buying gift cards online to avoid falling victim to a fraudulent platform that could lead to the loss of money.
In this instance, I recommend Prestmit as the best platform on which you can buy and sell gift cards at ease without risk or stress.
