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Gift Card Hacking: The Legal Way to Score Severely Discounted Gift Cards

March 13 // 4 Comments // 3 Minute Read

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Fund your gift purchases, trips, restaurant meals, and even your grocery budget with discounted gift cards! Here’s where to buy gift cards to earn savings on top of savings.

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

Fund your gift purchases, restaurant meals, and even your grocery budget with discounted gift cards! Here's how to score savings on top of savings....and it's totally legal. #giftcardhacking #giftcards #discountedgiftcards #raise

I recently discovered a fun little hobby—gift card hacking.

Honestly, I’m not even sure “gift card hacking” is a thing, but basically, I define it as the ability to score high value gift cards for a lot less. And yes, it’s totally legit!

Just to be clear, I’m not talking about the $5 and $10 bonuses that come with gift card purchases around the Holidays. Those are great opportunities and you should definitely take advantage of them while you can! But I found a new-to-me site that gives you savings on top of savings. 

It’s kind of like GiftCards.com and Cardpool where you can buy and sell gift cards at a discount…except this one is SO MUCH BETTER. You can stack coupon codes, cash back, and signup bonuses on top of already discounted gift cards, making this site one you’ll want to come back to again and again.

Editable Vacation Packing List

Do you hoard gift cards to use on trips? Now you can know for sure you have everything you need (including gift cards!) for every upcoming vacation!

It’s called Raise.com, and here’s what you do:

1. Sign up for a free Raise Account through this link. You’ll get $5 automatically applied to your account, but you have to use the link above to get the credit.

2. Activate 1% Rakutan Cash Back. If you don’t yet have a free Rakutan account yet, you can sign up for one HERE. Even though it’s not huge savings, you should still take advantage of free money!

ebates-cash-back-arrow

3. Go to the rewards page and click REDEEM NOW to activate the $5 bonus. Don’t forget to do this step or the $5 will not be applied to your order.

my_rewards

4. Purchase a Gift Card you would normally use. I personally look for discounts that are at least 6% or more to get the biggest bang for my buck. Make sure you look through the “on sale specials” section too. Some gift cards are a whopping 50% off.

buy-homegoods-gift-cards

5. If this is your first time using Raise, use the code NEW10 to save another $10 off {as long as the gift card is $50 or more}. Otherwise, set Honey to run other coupon codes for you. I’ve been able to get at least another $5 by doing this.

Note: You cannot use two coupon codes in one transaction.

buy-gift-cards

Here’s an example of the gift card I snagged just the other day, using this exact method:

HomeGoods Gift Card Original Value – $62.02

– Raise Discount {12.5% off} – $54.21

– NEW10 Coupon {$10 off} – $44.21

– Signup Bonus {$5 off} – $39.21

TOTAL PAID = $39.21

+ 1% Ebates cash back + 1% credit card cash back

That’s almost $23 in savings! Woohoo!!

Obviously, the first time you do this will have the biggest payoff—because you have a signup bonus and new customer coupon code to use together—but still, as long as you run Honey coupon codes for the following purchases, you can save even more than the Raise discount alone.

If you enjoyed this post, you’ll love these other ways to score discounted gift cards:

  • Visit big box stores {like Sam’s} for bulk gift cards at 10% off.
  • Sign up for Swagbucks to earn a couple $5 Amazon Gift Cards per month.
  • Use the best money-saving app to receive cash back on grocery items {including generics!} and cash out with gift cards. Here’s my Ibotta app review, a tutorial on how this app works and why it’s a no-brainer to use.

Discounted gift cards are an awesome way to fund gift purchases, but I also use them to eat out without dipping into my grocery budget. Snag a gift card from Raise.com, plan a date night, and enjoy yourself without the guilt!

If you use this “hacking” method, tell me what gift card you bought in the comments!

Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. Read my full disclosure policy here.

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Comments

  1. Lindsey Mozgai says

    December 5 at 2:09 pm

    I’ve never tried raise or any of those sites before, but I did just do one of those holiday deals at outback. I love me a discounted bloomin onion lol. Are they e giftcards or like mailed ones?

    Reply
  2. Sandie @ Fulfilled For Less says

    December 7 at 6:41 pm

    Wow, this is awesome!! I have been cashing in points with rewards programs and credit card companies to get gift cards for holiday shopping, and this is just another way to stretch that even further! I will have to see if TJ Maxx has any good deals on this site. 🙂

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      December 9 at 2:38 pm

      That’s a great way to pay for your holiday shopping!

      Reply
  3. Ashley McKinnon says

    December 8 at 8:52 am

    Great hack!

    Reply

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Hi, I’m Kalyn—a recovering perfectionist who nerds out about organizing systems, personal productivity, and helping you prioritize what matters over the pressure to do it all. I have a feeling we’re about to become the best of friends! Learn more >>

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👩‍💻 | I help value-driven women lead manageable + meaningful lives.
💬 | INFJ / Enneagram 1
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What’s one thing you budget for that other peopl
What’s one thing you budget for that other people might not? I always find those interesting. 😃⁣ ⁣ You might have a mortgage. I budget for campgrounds. You might want a separate clothing budget, while I’m fine combining it under “Beauty and Style.” Recently, we also added a new line item for our motorcycle—something I NEVER thought would appear in our budget. ⁣ ⁣ See, we’re all different! ⁣ ⁣ Recently, I rearranged my budget categories and created this “cheat sheet.” Sometimes I forget where things go, like picking up new wall art for the living room. Does this item belong in the categories of Household Items or Home Maintenance? 🤔⁣ ⁣ Now I know! And I save time processing receipts each Friday. 🧾⁣ ⁣ What budgeting categories do you use? Share one of your random budget line items with me in the comments below! 😃

I call 2020 the Year of Abandoned Books. ⁣
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I call 2020 the Year of Abandoned Books. ⁣ ⁣ I’m never afraid to stop reading a book if it doesn’t live up to the hype. Why invest more time in a book I’m not all that excited about when I could be exploring new authors and storylines where I can’t wait to turn the page? 🤷⁣ ⁣ But in 2020, I let more books go than I normally do. I suppose my patience dwindled when I thought the world was ending. Not that I thought the world was actually ending…but you know what I mean. 😉⁣ ⁣ As an Enneagram 1, I hate giving up on a book. I’m prone to the all-or-nothing mentality, even in my reading habits. My eyes could glaze over boring prose and I’d still repeat to myself: “You MUST finish this book!” 😫⁣ ⁣ Why? ⁣ ⁣ No one is adding a plastic star to your Book-It pin, (Remember those?) This isn’t assigned reading from your high school English class. This is YOUR reading life. ⁣ ⁣ And YOU should choose what books deserve your attention. 📚⁣ ⁣ There are too many good ones out there anyway. Like one of my favorite reads from 2020. 😍⁣ ⁣ This week’s newest blog post rounds up everything I read last year (43 books total!) including 5-star psychological thrillers, a delightful royal series, a couple self-help books, and of course, historical fiction.⁣ ⁣ Click the link in my bio to read it! ☝⁣ ⁣ What were your favorite books in 2020? Our literary styles might be a match made in heaven! ✨

My planner/journal lineup for 2021. 👆 ⁣
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My planner/journal lineup for 2021. 👆 ⁣ ⁣ These small but mighty sidekicks will be my saving grace this year. 📚⁣ ⁣ 1️⃣ Bullet Journal (Blue) - for everyday planning and goal setting⁣ 2️⃣ Regular Journal (Yellow) - to track gratitude (5 things a day!) and to process ALL the feelings⁣ 3️⃣ Growth Journal (Sand) - a space for me to brain dump everything I learn from books, podcasts, sermons, etc ⁣ ⁣ That last one is new to me as of this year and I can't wait to flip back through all my notes come December! 📆⁣ ⁣ What planners/journals are you using for 2021?

Self-care is just as important as making your famo
Self-care is just as important as making your famous sugar cookies this holiday season. 🍪⁣ ⁣ Because let’s be real. ⁣ ⁣ That Hallmark-esque Christmas magic disappears the moment disagreeable family members annoy you. Or when you feel irritable over too many late nights and little-to-no sleep. Or when expectations over meals and traditions and social activities fall short and leave you feeling disappointed. 😬⁣ ⁣ But instead of dwelling on these stressful moments and using them as an excuse to completely disconnect from reality (as I’m often tempted to do!), view them as an opportunity for you to respond with poise. 💞⁣ ⁣ ➕ Journal your feelings. ⁣ ➕ Go for a walk. ⁣ ➕ Prioritize what’s essential. ⁣ ➕ Remember to breathe.⁣ ➕ And try not to eat your feelings…okay?⁣ ⁣ Here’s your permission slip if you need one: You don’t need to do or participate in everything! Take a time out when you need it. 🙌⁣ ⁣ That’s the best way you can protect your emotional well-being over the next few days.⁣ ⁣ Merry Christmas, friends! 🎄


I know you’re ready for this year to be over. 🙋‍♀️ The last twelve months brought so many hard things into our lives—relationships were lost, our country became more broken and divided than ever, and oh yeah, we walked through a pandemic too. 🦠 🤯 No biggie, right? Ha! 😅 And while it’s easy to look back and wish we could skip 2020 altogether (or at least insist on a do-over), I don’t want this year to be the one where the hard overcame the good. 💕 Just as hard days don’t mean ruined days, hard years don’t mean ruined years. 2020 can still be good. 💪 For me, I want to remember the fun and exciting things we did. The adventures we had. The new shows we watched, and the books we read. The new life hacks and things I discovered that made my life easier or just brought me joy. 💞 You’ll find it all in my latest blog post (link in profile). If you still need to buy a gift for a loved one (or for yourself!), you’ll find plenty of fun and affordable ideas to fill up the rest of your gifting list. 📦 Otherwise, enjoy a stroll down the good side of 2020’s memory lane and leave your favorite things in the comments so I can try them. 👋


Pro minimalism tip: Use double-duty appliances. 🤯⁣ ⁣ With limited kitchen space, I have to be super careful about what appliances we invite into the RV. We already had an Instant Pot, Ninja Blender, and a Food Processor. But I really wanted an air-fryer! ⁣ ⁣ With no place to put it, I discovered that Instant Pot made a dual instant pot/air-fryer product. So I gave my instant pot away, and my mom bought me this one for an early Christmas present. I’ve only played with it a couple of times but I’m already in love! 💕⁣ ⁣ Kale chips...sweet potato fries...broccoli. I’m basically an air-frying queen now. And I can easily switch back to the instant pot whenever I want. Yay for two appliances in one! 🥳⁣ ⁣ Q: What is your favorite appliance to use? Is it double duty? 🤔


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