Gift card didn’t work
By Lena Kovadlo
@lovebuglena (45802)
Staten Island, New York
April 2, 2025 3:13pm CST
I went to my Russian grocery store recently to get a few things I wanted. When it was time to pay I decided to use a gift card. When I swiped the card it didn’t work. The cashier asked me what I swiped and I told him it was a gift card. He said it either has no money on it or not enough to cover the total balance of what I bought. I ended up paying with my credit card.
When I got home I checked the balance on my card to make sure it wasn’t empty. There was in fact money on it but not enough to cover the total cost of what I had purchased.
I thought if there is money on a gift card, but not enough to cover everything, you still can use it to buy something. You just have pay the remainder with cash or another card. That’s what I did at Lidl when I had money left on a different gift card. I used it and then paid the rest in cash.
Does it depend on who issues the gift card? Or does it depend on the store you’re shopping at? Or is it something else?
I once bought shoes at TJMaxx for $24.99. I needed a bag so total was $25.04. I decided to pay with a gift card which had $25 on it. I thought it would work and I’d just have to pay four cents. When I swiped the card it didn’t go through. Tried again and same result.
If I have money left on a gift card I should be able to use it.
10 people like this
9 responses
@RasmaSandra (83541)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
2 Apr
I have no idea I only use Amazon or Walmart gift cards when I earn them,
3 people like this
@lovebuglena (45802)
• Staten Island, New York
6h
I have an Amazon gift card. And had one in the past. I don’t remember if I’ve ever had to use that plus pay remainder of the balance but I’d reckon that yes as what I buy can’t be exactly the amount on the gift card.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (172575)
• Boise, Idaho
2 Apr
There is a scam on ecards too. Someone sees that a person has bought a card and they go in and nab the money. It's pathetic. And the retailer won't help in many instances. It happened to a lady at Walmart and the store wouldn't honor it. Other stores are having this issue as well. I think I posted about it several months back.
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (144745)
• United States
2 Apr
The way that scam works is someone goes in and takes the scratch off backing from the card, records the number and then puts a fake backing over the numbers on the back of the card. (Those fake backing strips can be bought online.) When you load money on the card, the person just has to look to see how much you loaded and then they can remove the money from the card.
I posted about this scam several years ago when I still worked at Walmart. At that time, if you bought the card from Walmart, they could tell you where the money went... They couldn't tell you who took it but they could tell you the bank account that took it or the card the money was moved to after it was taken from your card.
I don't know if they still do that or not. I haven't worked at Walmart since January 2021.
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (45802)
• Staten Island, New York
2 Apr
@DaddyEvil 
Is this for gift cards sold at stores or online that this happens?
Is this for gift cards sold at stores or online that this happens?1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (144745)
• United States
3 Apr
@lovebuglena The ones sold in stores. As far as I know, it can't happen with the ones sold online unless the person selling the gift cards is the same person stealing the money from them.
2 people like this
@lovebuglena (45802)
• Staten Island, New York
19h
Ideally, that should always work. Seems like it isn’t the case. I should be able to use up everything on my card.
@lovebuglena (45802)
• Staten Island, New York
19h
I hate that. If I have a small balance on it I want to be able to use it.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (185512)
• United States
16h
I ran into the same problem at Red Lobster. I have about $17 left on a card. The first time they were able to use it....the second time they couldn't and I don't know why.
1 person likes this
@porwest (98579)
• United States
2h
NORMALLY that's how a gift card works. It uses the balance and then you just pay the balance with another form of payment. The Russian store just might not be technologically advanced enough to be able to accommodate this OR the cashier was an idiot.
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (45802)
• Staten Island, New York
8m
But what about what happened at TJMaxx? There I actually said I was using a gift card. I was only four cents short. And yet the card didn’t work, even after a few attempts. It should’ve worked there.
@kaylachan (76457)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
3 Apr
Depends on the store, the gift card, and if the cashire did it correctly. Usually there's a code they need to enter so it'll do a split payment. Some stores it's built into the card reader.
@kaylachan (76457)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
8h
@lovebuglena Yeah. When I give gift cards, I tell the cashiier, and hand the card to them, they can then do a split payment. Otherwise the machine thinks you're paying with a credit or debit card.
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (45802)
• Staten Island, New York
6h
@kaylachan Good to know. Thanks.
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (45802)
• Staten Island, New York
19h
Maybe I should’ve told him it’s a gift card before I swiped it. I didn’t do that when I used the same gift card at Starbucks and it worked so I thought I didn’t need to tell him. Granted when I used it at Starbucks it had enough funds to pay for my hot chocolate.
1 person likes this
@luisadannointed (7315)
• Philippines
23h
I think you can use it at the right time for your most needed groceries soon.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (144745)
• United States
2 Apr
You have to tell the cashier how much money you want to use from the gift card. The cashier will punch that in, you swipe the gift card again, and then you can pay the remaining balance with cash or a credit card.
It doesn't matter who issues the gift card. You just have to know how much is on it in order to use it.
@DaddyEvil (144745)
• United States
3 Apr
@lovebuglena Sure you can just swipe the gift card, as long as you know the gift card has more on it than your purchase.
When that happens, it's a store gift card issued by that store. So their computer already knows how much is on the card.
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (45802)
• Staten Island, New York
2 Apr
So I can’t just swipe the card and it will take off what’s on it and then I just pay the remainder? That’s what happened at Lidl. I told the cashier I have a gift card and asked if I can use that and then pay the rest with cash and she said yes. I never told her how much I have on it as I didn’t know.
1 person likes this
