Amazon offers millions of products making an Amazon gift card the perfect gift for literally anyone. But do Amazon gift cards expire?!
It would be horrible to give a gift with a time limit, especially if the recipient doesn’t know what to use it for yet. So I did some digging to find out exactly whether or not Amazon gift cards expire….
Do Amazon Gift Cards Expire?
Amazon gift cards don’t expire. You can add and redeem an amazon gift card at any time without worrying about it expiring or losing the money. It will always stay in your account until it is used up.
If you want to learn more about Amazon gift cards, how they work and where to use them, keep reading…
What Does Amazon Say About Gift Cards?
Amazon’s term and conditions state the following regarding gift card expiration:
The portion of your Amazon.com Balance made up of Gift Cards issued after October 1, 2005 does not expire and may be applied to your Amazon.com account and applied to eligible purchases despite any stated expiration date. Expiration dates also do not apply for the portion of your Amazon.com Balance made up of any Gift Cards issued prior to October 1, 2005 in CA, CT, LA, ME, MD, MA, MT, NH, ND, OK, RI, VT, WA, or in any other jurisdiction solely to the extent prohibited or limited by law. All other Gift Cards issued prior to October 1, 2005 and the portion of your Amazon.com Balance made up of those Gift Cards expire in accordance with their stated terms.
Based on this, we know that since 2005 Amazon Gift Cards don’t expire.
So yes, if you found a gift card that someone gave you for Christmas 2005, it can still be redeemed!
How to Redeem an Amazon Gift Card
Redeeming an Amazon gift card is fairly straightforward and easy.
You can redeem it on either your desktop or through the Amazon app on your mobile device.
To redeem follow these easy steps:
- Go to the Amazon website or open the Amazon app on your phone.
- Make sure you’re logged in and click on ‘Account’ underneath ‘Hello’ on the righthand side.
- Scroll down and click on ‘Your Payments’
- Here you will see all your saved credit cards on file. Click on ‘Redeem a Gift Card’ and enter the card information
You’re done!
Now you can use your gift card balance as a payment method when checking out.
Do Amazon Gift Cards Expire If Not Redeemed?
No, even if you forget to redeem your Amazon gift card, the balance does not expire. You can redeem your Amazon gift card at any time.
So if you are gifted an Amazon card and lose it for three years, the balance will still be on the card when you find and claim it.
It is, however, a good idea to activate your gift card immediately and add the balance to your account. This will help avoid any problems like misplacing the card.
You don’t have to use it right away when you redeem it. The funds will just sit in your balance until you select the option to use it as a form of payment.
That’s why we recommend adding the money right away to your account.
Can You Return an Amazon Gift Card?
No, Amazon doesn’t allow you to return an Amazon Gift Card.
If you are trying to return an Amazon gift card for cash, it isn’t possible at this time.
If you have already redeemed the card and want to regift or resell it, that also won’t be possible.
The only thing you can do, once you have redeemed a card, is ask a customer associate to transfer the funds to another account. But you won’t have any luck getting the funds back into your credit or debit card.
Amazon’s policy doesn’t allow any forms of returns associated with gift cards, they are strictly final sale.
How to Remove an Amazon Gift Card from Your Account
Once a gift card has been redeemed, the value cannot be removed from your account.
You do have the option of using a different payment method on Amazon if you don’t want to touch your gift card balance. Make sure to remove it as the ‘preferred payment method.’
The Amazon gift card balance will stay in your account until it is completely used.
Enjoyed this? Make sure to check out more posts about Amazon like where can I use Amazon Gift Card besides Amazon, can you split payments on Amazon, and does Amazon gift wrap?
Conclusion…
Amazon gift cards don’t expire and can be redeemed at any point in time.
The money will stay in your account until it is used and you don’t have to worry about it expiring or disappearing.