You might have heard of purchasing gift cards from retailers online and in-store through cashiers. But today, we will guide you on whether you can buy gift cards at self-checkout at different stores!
- The stores that allow you to buy the gift cards at self checkout include Kroger, Walmart, Safeway, The Home Depot, Target, BJ’s Wholesale Club, WinCo Foods, and Lowe’s.
- Specific types of gift cards whose activation works a bit differently include Prepaid gift cards, No-set amount gift cards, and Store gift cards.
- Various stores that do not yet permit buying gift cards at self checkout are Whole Foods, Sam’s Club, Food Lion, Kmart, Tops Friendly Market, and CVS.
…and Much More!
Can You Buy Gift Cards At Self Checkout?
Self-checkout facilities are common these days, where you don’t have to interact with the cashiers to handle your transaction processes.
Moreover, gift cards have become quite famous over the years. While many gift cards can be bought online, various stores, such as Circle K or Ross, allow you to buy them at their self-checkout service. In this case, the gift cards are automatically activated as soon as you scan them and complete the transaction.
Gift cards are prepaid debit cards on which you load a certain amount of cash. There are closed-loop and open-loop gift card types that you can use online and in-store.
- However, the loading amount varies with the card type and the limit you can load onto your card.
Gift cards can be used for purchases, ATM withdrawals, and other financial transactions as a unique gift for friends and family. Purchase the gift cards of their favorite shopping store or restaurant, where they can use them according to their preferences.
List of Stores That Sell Gift Cards At Self Checkout
Let go of pouring over your transaction processes to the store assistants and handle them on your own as per your requirements. Stores, where you can buy gift cards at self-checkout, are.
Kroger
- Scan your Kroger shopper card when using the self-checkout kiosk.
- If the gift card you want to purchase already has an amount, you will only have to scan it and cash it out.
- The gift card activates for usage as soon as you complete the transaction.
Safeway
- Scan your card and fill in the amount you want to put on the gift card.
- Then, pay for the card at Safeway self-checkout to complete the activation.
- Safeway also sells Visa and Mastercard prepaid gift cards in denominations from $25 to $250.
Walmart
- Scan the barcode and complete the transaction to activate the prepaid gift card.
- Then enter the amount you want to load onto your gift card after scanning the card.
- When you complete the transaction, your gift card will be activated.
The Home Depot
- Scan the card’s barcode at self-checkout and then enter the amount you want on the card.
- The scanning process is similar for all gift cards, like Mastercard, retailer cards, restaurants, and Visa.
- Moreover, Home Depot has a variety of third-party gift cards, but it doesn’t sell them online.
BJ’s Wholesale Club
- Various gift cards do not have any predetermined amount on them.
- Then, specify the amount you want to put on the card to pay.
- The BJ’s Wholesale Club gift card gets activated when you complete the transaction.
Target
- It offers a vast range of gift cards that can be scanned at the self-checkout.
- At Target, purchasing the cards through cashier lanes would be best.
- The checkout process gets hectic since the transaction is put on hold until the employee processes the activation procedure.
Lowe’s
- At Lowe’s, you can scan gift cards at a self-checkout kiosk.
- Your transaction is kept pending until the employee completes the transaction.
- It charges no fee for gift cards and is redeemable both online and in-store.
WinCo Foods
- You can get the gift card at self-checkout with the help of an assistant there.
- Also, you can scan the card and enter the amount you want to load onto it.
- Complete the transaction to finish activating your card.
You might be interested in reading: Buy Now Pay Later Gift Cards.
Stores Where You Can Not Buy Gift Cards at Self Checkout
Self checkout service is not available in few of the top-notch and eminent stores. Several such stores where you cannot buy the gift cards at self checkout include.
- Tops Friendly Markets
- Kmart
- Whole Foods
- CVS
- Food Lion
- Sam’s Club
How To Activate Specific Gift Cards?
Gift cards bought at the self-checkout stage require a specific scanning and activation process. The course of action slightly varies with every card type, and you must know how each works.
Prepaid Gift Cards
Although it is assumed that prepaid gift cards work just like debit cards, you must know certain things to get the best experience. Prepaid gift cards can be activated in different ways, as mentioned below.
- Scanning and paying can activate your prepaid gift card at the self-checkout.
- In addition to this, you can also do it over the phone once you have made a purchase.
- You need to provide certain details, including the account number and activation code of the gift card, to do so.
- To learn the activation code, kindly scrape off the coating on the card for security purposes. You will find your activation code below.
- The self-checkout prepaid gift cards are distributed so that there is always a preestablished amount on them.
- Then, all you need to do is scan the barcode on your card, and the price of your gift card will be displayed on the total.
No-Set Amount Gift Cards
Unlike prepaid gift cards, which have a predetermined amount, no-set-amount gift cards allow you to put a specific amount on the card, this means you can enter as per your requirement but within the card’s loading limit.
Typically, the range within which you can load money onto your gift cards is $20 minimum and $500 maximum. These vary with gift card types and several associated features.
- The no-set amount gift cards can be purchased at the checkout by scanning the barcode present on them.
- As soon as you scan your card, you will be asked to enter the amount you wish to add to it.
- Once done, you will then have to pay to complete the transaction.
- Following this step leads you to the activation of your gift card.
- Moreover, kindly ensure you receive the notification informing you that the activation has been completed.
- The activation notice can be on your purchase receipt or a separate receipt claiming the gift card activation.
Store Specific Gift Cards
This is another popular type of gift card. These can be redeemed at particular stores or restaurants to buy something.
The store-specific gift cards go about two significant ways. You can either put an amount on the card of your choice or purchase the prepaid gift cards that already have a set amount.
- At the self-checkout, store-specific gift cards can be activated by scanning them and completing the transaction.
- If you are asked to choose the amount on your behalf, the process is similar to that of the Visa and Mastercard gift card.
- Various stores have a self-checkout facility in addition to allowing the purchase of gift cards here.
The Bottom Line
Self-checkout kiosks are now standard and supported by several grocery and retail stores. Their convenience supersedes traditional checkout counters, as customers can handle their transactions without waiting for store assistants.
- You can activate the gift cards by calling the respective merchant or entering the correct activation numbers at the provided URL.
Various stores allow you to purchase gift cards at self-checkout, where the activation occurs automatically upon completion of your payment.
You can also buy a gift card and take it to the cash register. The cashier loads money onto your card and activates it for further usage. You should always check the machines before scanning groceries and completing payments.
You might be interested in reading: Where To Buy Discounted Gift Cards.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I buy a gift card with Walmart Pay?
Unfortunately, Walmart does not allow you to buy Visa gift cards with Walmart gift cards. You can only buy them using cash in-store or credit or debit cards.
Does Asda allow you to buy gift cards at self-checkout?
Yes, you can buy their gift cards at self-checkout, which range from £1 to £500.
Can I purchase a gift card with a gift card?
Purchasing one gift card with another is entirely subjective, depending upon the company’s policies. Therefore, kindly look into them for further confirmation.
Can I buy a gift card in the cash?
Yes, you can buy a gift card using cash only when you are buying it physically in-store.
How can I convert the gift card to cash?
To convert the gift card to cash, Check the balance on the gift card > Go to the Gift Card Exchange kiosk > Enter the gift card information > Review the cashback> Accept it > Print the voucher > then Show the voucher to the cashier who pays you.
Can you take money off a gift card at an ATM?
Yes, you can withdraw the cash against the balance on various gift cards and Mastercard prepaid cards at the ATMs.
Jamie Johnson is very enthusiastic Kansas City – based freelance writer, and her core expertise are finance and insurance. She has been endorsed on several personal finance, insurance & business website to share her thoughts. Her publications can be found on famous sites like Bankrate, The Balance, Business Insider, Chamber of Commerce and many others.
From many years, she served more than 10,000 hours of research and writing to more than 2000 articles related to personal finance, credit building, mortgages, and personal and student loans.
