If I Redeemed 100 Points for a Reward at Sephora Can I Reddem the Same One Again

Lord's day Nov 3, 2019

How Tin can I Get My Lost Gift Card Back?

The Story of a Lost Gift Carte

My blood brother called the other day to mutter that he'd lost a gift card. He wanted to know if I had any tricks for getting it back. Like a criminal offence scene investigator, to answer his question, I first needed to understand how he treated the gift card earlier he lost it. The situation is not good. He allegedly put the now-missing gift card in his pant pocket, just he could accept thrown it on the counter side by side to the mail service, or (most likely) he left it inside the greeting card it came in–which he tin can't detect either. This case is nearly to go cold.

You've heard the saying, "treat gift cards like cash?" Well, it's true. Had my brother opened a greeting card and found a 20 dollar beak inside, I doubt he would have stuffed the cash into his pocket, tossed information technology on the counter or left it in the card. He likely would have immediately put the money in his wallet. He should take done the very same affair with his gift menu. Since he didn't, the chances of recovery are slim, but there are a few things I can still suggest.

If you lot bought the souvenir card from a gift card mall, read this mail service on how to supersede a lost souvenir carte from the grocery shop.

How to Get Your Lost Gift Card Dorsum (Or Replaced)

While I cannot guarantee you will exist able to become a lost souvenir carte dorsum, yous may be able to become it replaced if you have the gift carte number, a payment receipt or the activation receipt. Without that information, replacing a lost gift card will be a claiming, but still worth the try. Below are the steps I would accept to try and become a lost souvenir bill of fare back.

1. Find the Gift Carte Number

I know what you're thinking. "Without the gift card, how can I possibly find the gift card number?" Well, having the physical plastic would be the easiest mode, of class, but that's not available. Then we accept to look at the original purchase for clues. Below are places to expect for the missing gift card number:

• Cheque the Activation Receipt. All gift cards must be activated (and funds allocated) at the fourth dimension of purchase. The system that activates the card will typically record the gift card number, or a portion of information technology, on an activation receipt. This receipt may be printed on the lesser of the total purchase receipt or it might be a separate piece of paper. Make every effort to observe this receipt.
• Check the Purchase Receipt. If y'all can't find the activation receipt, cheque for any information y'all tin can find on the buy transaction. At a minimum, you should exist able to identify the engagement, fourth dimension and dollar amount of the gift card purchased. I'one thousand hoping y'all'll also find a portion of the gift carte du jour number at that place also.
• Cheque Your Electronic mail. If y'all ordered the gift card from a website, then you are in luck. While your email receipt may not have the gift menu number on it, a full record of the transaction should exist easily accessible online.
• Check Your Bank Statement. Check the debit or credit carte statement for the payment method used to purchase the gift card. Although the banking company statement is not likely to have the gift card number on it, I'm hoping you'll at least find the date, time and dollar amount of the gift carte buy.
• Check for a Partial Redemption. If you used function of the lost gift card at some betoken, the company may have a record of the buy which might requite y'all the gift card number used. If you lot used the gift card online, then the website you ordered from may still take your gift card number in their system (or may motorcar-make full the number if you lot render to the same website). It's a long shot, but something you could attempt in desperation.
• Enquire the Giver. If you lot didn't buy the souvenir carte yourself, so you'll have to contact the person who did in order to become that data. I realize this may be an bad-mannered situation so you'll accept to decide whether or not the effort is worth information technology. If my mom gave me a card and I lost information technology, I'd ask her for the card information without hesitation. If an acquaintance gave me the carte du jour, then I probably wouldn't. This one is up to you.

If you lot find the lost gift card number, then your chances of recovering the associated funds increase significantly. If you lot tin can't detect the number, don't give up. Gather activation, purchase and transaction data instead.

Think you're the victim of a souvenir card scam? Read this mail service on Gift Card Scam Protection.

2. Contact the Gift Card Seller (or Reseller)

Once you have the gift bill of fare number (or as much information as you tin can discover), telephone call customer service for the merchant that issued the gift menu. Be aware that you lot will likely have to dig in and be prepared for more than a simple telephone call. Thieves love souvenir cards almost equally much as they honey cash and souvenir bill of fare scams are the modus operandi du jour. Then exist prepared to prove that y'all're one of the skilful guys.

• When you lot make the telephone call, explain what happened to the souvenir carte du jour and provide whatsoever information you take. The objective of the phone phone call is non to "find" the gift card, but to notice out if the souvenir bill of fare has been used. If the menu hasn't been used, ask if it can be cancelled and a replacement gift card issued. (You may have to pay a fee to become a replacement card.)
• If the carte du jour has been used, then information technology's not then much "lost" equally information technology might have been stolen. Ask the client service representative to explicate when and where the carte got redeemed. In the process, you may sheepishly discover that you're the one who used information technology ("Ah…that's correct, we did apply the gift carte du jour on our summertime vacation.") or you may notice clues as to who did. While a merchant certainly has no obligation to replace a stolen gift card, I accept heard of it happening, especially if the theft mirrors a bigger fraud outcome.
• If y'all purchased the gift bill of fare from a gift bill of fare mall (meaning somewhere other than directly from the merchant), you might need to talk to both the seller and the reseller considering each political party just has access to half of the transaction. The gift card reseller (gift card mall) should be able to provide information well-nigh the gift card activation (due east.thousand. possibly fifty-fifty provide the gift card number), but they don't know if the carte has been used. Conversely, the merchant tin can tell y'all well-nigh transactions on the card and the remaining balance, but information technology tin can't tell yous information most the original purchase. Since both parties have a vested interest in providing a positive gifting feel, notwithstanding, I would expect that both would be willing to help resolve the situation.

While the merchant may non be willing to supplant a lost gift card without having all of the data, it doesn't hurt to ask. If your claim is legitimate and you've done all the work needed to runway downwards the menu number, your efforts might be rewarded.

three. Contact Your Depository financial institution

If you tin't get resolution or a replacement gift card from the souvenir card merchant, then perhaps your bank has a heir-apparent protection policy that tin assistance. If y'all purchased the souvenir card with a debit or credit card, contact your banking concern to come across if they take a replacement option for lost or stolen merchandise.

Lost (or Stolen) in the Mail?

If you lot think the card got "lost" in the post, file a complaint with the United States Postal Service (or other shipping company) or contact your local regime. You should besides let the merchant know that you are not the person who used the card. ("I live in California, the card was apparently used in Connecticut.") Although yous are not likely to be compensated for the missing card, peradventure your efforts will expose a bigger fraud problem and forbid others from having to endure the aforementioned disappointment.

How to Prevent Gift Cards from Getting Lost

The key to recovering a missing gift card is knowing the gift card number. You don't even need to detect the physical plastic if you tin merely provide the number itself. To be sure you never go caught without the gift card number once more, take the following precautions:

ane. Put the Souvenir Carte in Your Wallet

By putting the souvenir menu in your wallet next to the credit and debit cards you lot use most often, you lot're more likely to meet the gift card on a regular basis. Seeing the gift card will assist you apply it in a timely fashion. Using the carte du jour quickly prevents you from losing information technology.

2. Record the Gift Card Number

This is very onetime schoolhouse, but simply writing the gift card number (and PIN, if it has 1), on a notepad, in your smartphone or in a journal is a simple manner to keep track of the souvenir menu numbers you haven't used. If you lot lose the physical plastic, you can always spend the gift card online or phone call the issuing gift card company to order a replacement.

iii. Put the Gift Card into an App or Mobile Wallet

The easiest mode to proceed track of souvenir card numbers is to enter the cards into a mobile wallet or souvenir carte app. I accept used several. If you lot store gift cards electronically, y'all may be able to use the gift cards in stores without carrying the plastic plus many characteristic automated balance checks and then I don't have to call back how much coin is on the card–the app keeps track of it for me. For this reason, I think gift card apps are useful for more than than just making certain I accept a manner to recover a lost gift card.

4. Take a Film of the Gift Carte du jour

Somewhere between writing the souvenir carte number down on paper and inbound the cards digitally into a mobile wallet is this hybrid solution that's a mix of both–simply have a picture of the forepart and dorsum of the gift card. In your camera roll, you'll always have a copy of the card number, customer service line and PIN, if applicable. (Be sure to scratch the Pivot off before taking the picture). This is simply one of 10 gift card hacks that tin can salvage y'all time, money and hassle!

5. Register the Gift Card

Even if you expect to use the gift card fairly chop-chop, it's a proficient thought to register the gift card at the issuing company. At Giftcards.com, you can register your Visa® Gift Carte du jour when you activate it. Others companies do the same. It'south a lot easier to work with a company on replacing a bill of fare if they already accept your client data (and the carte number) in their system.

6. Relieve the Activation Receipt

This isn't my favorite thing to do when giving a souvenir because information technology looks…ugly, only I ofttimes tuck the activation receipt of a gift carte into the gift card holder. This style, the recipient has a record of the buy if anything goes wrong. If yous receive the activation sideslip, concord onto it until the gift carte is fully redeemed.

Retailers and gift bill of fare issuers will be more likely to work with customers on recovering or replacing lost souvenir cards if there is proof that the gift card story is legitimate. That proof comes in the shape of knowing the gift bill of fare number, when it was purchased, the dollar amount on the card, and then along. Without that information, asking for a replacement gift card is like asking for a replacement xx dollar bill…non likely to happen. Better to avoid that situation entirely by keeping ameliorate track of the gift menu in the showtime identify.

Equally for my brother, he is out of luck. He didn't care for the gift carte du jour like cash, he didn't write downwardly the number or get an activation receipt and he hadn't registered the gift bill of fare anywhere. All he got out of this particular gift menu is a lesson learned.

If you lot have any experience on getting a lost or stolen gift menu replaced, let me know almost it in the comments beneath or attain out to me on Twitter (@GCGirlfriend). Perhaps your story will assist us all learn something new.

Happy Gift Carding!

~Shelley Hunter, Gift Menu Girlfriend

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Source: https://www.giftcards.com/gcgf/lost-gift-card

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