Frequently Asked Questions

Gift Card Market makes it easy to give meaningful gifts to be used at your favorite local spots. Our platform helps you quickly find and choose gift cards that can be used at local merchants – like restaurants, spas and auto, home and personal services – all in one place!

We do this via our new proprietary, personalized curation gifting platform, backed by layers of intellectual property protection, that combines easily searchable local merchant content and is powered by Mastercard resulting in a Local Prepaid Gift Card product that can be used within a specific category of merchants, i.e., restaurants, spas, or auto, home and personal services*. Please be advised that using our platform is governed by our Terms of Use.

*Gift Card Market sources business information (including names, locations, hours, and other details) from our partners under License Agreement as an official affiliate of that partner. All business information is provided from these trusted partners. While we strive to display accurate content, we are not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or availability of information displayed. Please note that in instances where the information displayed is outdated, incomplete or inaccurate, we allow our product to easily be switched to another business by clicking the provided link on the recipient’s redemption page.

You can purchase a Gift Card Market Local Prepaid Gift card by visiting https://www.giftcardmarket.com. You will be able to search from millions of local restaurants, spas and auto, home and personal services.

You can purchase these Gift Cards by using Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover credit/debit cards or Apple or Google Pay. Amazon Pay, Klarna, Afterpay and Affirm payment types will be added soon so please check back to find these on our checkout page. Please note that Gift Card Market Local Prepaid Cards may not be purchased using another prepaid card. The billing address must be within the United States or US territory, excluding Hawaii, regardless of payment method. Businesses may also register for bulk purchases and may be able to pay via additional payment methods. For more information please contact support@giftcardmarket.com.

You can purchase up to 5 Gift Cards for a total purchase of no more than $500 within a 24-hour period. A recipient can receive up to 2 Prepaid Gift Cards of no more than a total of $500 within a 24-hour period. Please contact us at support@giftcardmarket.com to inquire about increased purchasing limits.

There are three ways to give a Gift Card Market Local Prepaid Gift Card:

1. Via text message
   • If purchasing and sending from a mobile device, a link and outbound text, from your device, will be created and you will be asked to tap the button “Send to Recipient name” to populate that text and link directly into your SMS/text messages with the recipient. Next, you must press the “Send” button in that text to deliver the text and link to the recipient (Standard SMS/text rates may apply). We recommend that the recipient add the prepaid gift card to their wallet and take a screenshot of the prepaid gift card for future reference. A recipient can also print out the prepaid gift card for manual entry into the establishment’s POS system where applicable.
   • If sending from a desktop device, a link and message will be generated and sent via text to the recipient automatically from https://www.giftcardmarket.com. We recommend that the recipient add the prepaid gift card to their wallet, via the “Add To Wallet” button, and take a screenshot of the prepaid gift card for future reference. The recipient can also print out the prepaid gift card for manual entry into the establishment’s POS system, where applicable.
2. Via email which is sent to the recipient automatically from https://www.giftcardmarket.com.
3. You can also select print at home to print the Prepaid Gift Card. With this option, an email will be sent directly to the purchaser with a link to the Prepaid Gift Card. When the link is accessed, you will be asked to complete a two-factor authentication, and after a successful authentication, you can print the Prepaid Gift Card and deliver to the recipient.

After approval of payment, most approved orders are delivered within 15 minutes but can take up to 24 hours. Delays can be caused by authorization review, approval delays and other delays that may occur from our system providers.

If the recipient doesn’t receive their gift card, you can forward the redemption link to the recipient, contained within your order confirmation email. For any questions regarding resending a Local Gift Card, please contact us at support@giftcardmarket.com.

For Prepaid Gift Cards sent via text or email, a link will be sent to the recipient to access the Prepaid Gift Card. The recipient will then be asked to perform a two-factor authentication. Once complete, the recipient will be able to see the Prepaid Gift Card details and it will be ready to use.

For print at home, an email will be sent to the purchaser who will then be asked to perform a two-factor authentication. Once complete, you will be able to see the Prepaid Gift Card details the Prepaid Gift Card will be ready to use. Simply print those details and then deliver to the recipient.

IMPORTANT: First, ensure that the balance on the card exceeds, or is the same as, the total purchase amount, including any sales tax and a potential 20% hold (that may be required and programmed by some systems). Please note that certain types of transactions may require a hold of up to 20% above the total purchase price. That 20% hold is often held for tipping or will be available after checkout if the full balance is not used. Please see your Cardholder Agreement for more information. If you are using the entire available amount on your prepaid gift card, please tip via a different payment method to avoid problems with your transaction. If the total purchase price exceeds the balance on the card, your transaction will be declined for insufficient funds. To avoid this decline, you may ask the merchant to perform a “split tender” transaction. Please tell the merchant the available balance on your card and request the business run the card for an amount equal to or less than this available balance and enter it as a credit card. Please provide an additional form of payment for your remaining balance due.

We recommend that you contact the merchant in advance to confirm that they accept Apple or Google Wallet payments or digital/virtual prepaid MasterCard gift cards. It is possible that some merchants have not updated their POS systems to allow for manual entry of credit/debit products or contactless wallet payments. If the establishment is unable to accept the Local Prepaid Gift Card, cannot accept a Local Prepaid Gift Card without a magnetic stripe or has a system limitation, or if you would like to change to another establishment within the same merchant category, please see the link on the gift card redemption page under “How to use your Local Virtual Gift Card Mastercard” to switch the establishment. If you were given a printed gift card redemption page, please contact the purchaser and ask them to access that link on the redemption page. The Prepaid Gift Card can also be used at other establishments within the same business category and where Mastercard Prepaid Gift Cards are accepted. If you need assistance please contact us at support@giftcardmarket.com.

There are two options to use your Local Prepaid Gift Card:

1. In some cases, the local establishment may accept a wallet tap and pay digital payment in which case you can upload the Local Prepaid Gift Card information into your wallet on your mobile device (e.g., Google Wallet or Apple Pay). Once uploaded, you can present your stored Local Prepaid Gift Card to the local business via your wallet for tap and pay payment. This is the preferred method for redemption. Simply access the prepaid card from your wallet and tap and pay for quick checkout.
2. If the establishment does not accept tap and pay wallet digital payments, please inform the merchant that you will be using a Mastercard Prepaid Gift Card for your payment and that they should enter as a debit or credit. You can provide the 16 digit account number, Valid Through Date and 3 digit security code located on your Local Prepaid Gift Card to the establishment so they can input that information into their credit card payment system manually. If you are not using a wallet to pay, we recommend that you take a screenshot of the card information and share it with the server or cashier.

Your Local Prepaid Gift Card may be used at the establishment featured on the Local Prepaid Gift Card redemption page, where Mastercard Prepaid Gift Cards are accepted. If the establishment is unable to accept the Local Mastercard Prepaid Gift Card, cannot accept a digital/virtual Local Mastercard Prepaid Gift Card or has a system limitation, or if you would like to change to another establishment within the same merchant category, please see the link on the gift card redemption page under “How to use your Local Virtual Gift Card Mastercard” to switch the establishment. If you were given a printed gift card redemption page, please contact the purchaser and ask them to access that link on the redemption page. The Prepaid Gift Card can also be used at other establishments within the same business category (such as another restaurant merchant, Salon merchant, etc.) where Mastercard Prepaid Gift Cards are accepted. If you need assistance please contact us at support@giftcardmarket.com.

The funds on the Gift Card Market Local Mastercard Prepaid Gift Card never expire. However, they do have a Valid Through Date listed to facilitate transactions.

The “Valid Through” Date indicated on your Local Prepaid Gift Card is not actually an expiration date. It is intended primarily for fraud protection purposes and permits your Prepaid Gift Card to be used for payment.

If the Valid Through Date has passed, please contact us at cs@giftcardmarket.com or call 1-855-798-2146 for assistance in re-issuing a Card with an updated Valid Through Date. A fee may be charged for re-issuing a new card.

If the establishment is unable to accept the Card, cannot accept a digital/virtual Card or has a system limitation, or if you would like to change to another establishment within the same merchant category, please see the link on the gift card redemption page under “How to use your Local Virtual Gift Card Mastercard” to switch the establishment. If you were given a printed gift card redemption page, please contact the purchaser and ask them to access that link on the redemption page. The Prepaid Gift Card can also be used at other establishments within the same business category and where Mastercard Prepaid Gift Cards are accepted. If you need assistance please contact us at support@giftcardmarket.com.

Your Local Prepaid Gift Card may be used online at the establishment featured on the Prepaid Gift Card where Mastercard Prepaid Gift Cards are accepted. Please note usage tips under “How do I Use My Gift Card Market Local Prepaid Card” above.

Gift Card Market Local Prepaid Gift Cards cannot be used at ATMs nor can you get cash back from any of your purchases. No refunds or returns are allowed.

You can check your card account balance in two ways:

1. Click Check Balance and enter your Prepaid Gift Card’s 16 digit number and the security code
2. Call 1-855-798-2146 and choose options “1” and enter the same info noted above to hear your current balance

IMPORTANT: First, ensure that the balance on the card exceeds, or is the same as, the total purchase amount, including any sales tax and a potential 20% hold (that may be required and programmed by some systems). Please note that certain types of transactions may require a hold of up to 20% above the total purchase price. That 20% hold is often held for tipping or will be available after checkout if the full balance is not used. Please see your Cardholder Agreement for more information. If you are using the entire available amount on your prepaid gift card, please tip via a different payment method to avoid problems with your transaction. If the total purchase price exceeds the balance on the card, your transaction will be declined for insufficient funds. To avoid this decline, you may ask the merchant to perform a “split tender” transaction. Please tell the merchant the available balance on your card and request the business run the card for an amount equal to or less than this available balance. Please provide an additional form of payment for your remaining balance due.

We recommend that you contact the merchant in advance to confirm that they accept Apple or Google Wallet payments or digital/virtual prepaid MasterCard gift cards. It is possible that some merchants have not updated their POS systems to allow for manual entry of credit/debit products or contactless wallet payments. If the establishment is unable to accept the Local Prepaid Gift Card, cannot accept a Local Prepaid Gift Card without a magnetic stripe or has a system limitation, or if you would like to change to another establishment within the same merchant category, please see the link on the gift card redemption page under “How to use your Local Virtual Gift Card Mastercard” to switch the establishment. If you were given a printed gift card redemption page, please contact the purchaser and ask them to access that link on the redemption page. The Prepaid Gift Card can also be used at other establishments within the same business category and where Mastercard Prepaid Gift Cards are accepted. If you need assistance please contact us at support@giftcardmarket.com.

If you have questions regarding the status of your order, please contact us at support@giftcardmarket.com.

To ensure that your order is processed and delivered quickly, the order cannot be canceled after the order has been submitted. Please ensure you review your order details in advance of checking out. For questions please contact support@giftcardmarket.com.

If your order was canceled and you did not want it to be canceled, please contact us at support@giftcardmarket.com.

Gift Cards are non-refundable once purchased, unless there was an error with your order. If something doesn’t look right, please contact us right away and we’ll be happy to help. Terms and conditions apply. See Cardholder Agreement for details or contact us at support@giftcardmarket.com to explore options.

If you believe that your Card has been lost or stolen, please notify us immediately by emailing us at cs@giftcardmarket.com or calling 1-855-798-2146. Please have the Prepaid Gift Card Number and other identifying information on hand. We will not be able to offer a replacement Card unless you provide your Prepaid Gift Card Number and all other requested identifying information or if the Prepaid Gift Card has been used.

Please contact us at support@giftcardmarket.com for assistance.

Please contact us at support@giftcardmarket.com for assistance.