If you have been trying to convert MasterCard gift card to cash and it has not been working for you, it could probably be because you have not followed the right steps. Conversion of every gift card to cash requires a specific procedure that must be followed carefully. In this article, I am going to be showing How to Convert MasterCard Gift Card to Cash.
Master card gift card is a debit payment method issued by Mastercard in the US, It can be used both online and offline anywhere MasterCard is accepted within the US territories. MasterCard gift cards make online shopping or purchases easy and secure.
If you receive a MasterCard gift card and you decide to cash it out instead of using it for personal shopping, you can do that securely and conveniently. See How to check MasterCard gift card balance.
It only requires that you do it on the right platforms, following the right procedures. By the time you are done with this article, you will have known how to convert MasterCard Gift Card to Cash.
How To Convert a Mastercard Gift Card to Cash
Mastercard gift cards are open-loop cards that can be redeemed at any place that accepts Mastercard as a payment method. Despite their versatility, you may want to get cash off your card—which can be a little tricky.
The issue with cashing out your gift card is that you cannot use them at ATMs like traditional cards. If you really need the cash, you have to settle for roundabout methods that won’t necessarily give you the full value on the card.
Currently, you can get cash for your Mastercard gift card in three ways:
- Liquidating the card through various channels
- Transferring the funds from the card to your PayPal account
- Buying a money order with the gift card
Where To Liquidate a Mastercard Gift Card
You can liquidate your Mastercard gift card—plastic or digital—locally or through online channels.
To sell your gift card locally, get the word out to your friends, family, and acquaintances to see if anyone would be interested in your gift card for a discounted price.
Many towns also have gift card kiosks that allow you to deposit your gift card and collect a reduced percentage of its value.
These kiosks are usually self-service machines, but it’s no longer easy to find one because many of them have shut down during the pandemic.
As for online channels, you’ll find several websites that facilitate the sale or exchange of gift cards issued by various retailers and card networks. Let’s take a look at some options in the table below:
| Platform | Description |
| Raise | You can sell your gift card at Raise for up to 85% of its stored value. The website also lets you trade in partially used gift cards |
| GIFTDEALS | GIFTDEALS provides two different platforms, CardSwapper and Prepaid2Cash, where you can sell your unused gift cards |
| Gameflip | Gameflip offers to buy unused, prepaid, and non-reloadable gift cards for discounted prices. You can also exchange your gift cards for popular in-game items like Roblox cards and Riot points |
| CardCash | CardCash offers to buy gift cards for around 90% of their value, but many users have complained about the site being unsafe to use |
The reliability of these websites is often questionable, so you should do your research before selling your gift card online.
Can You Get Cash Back From a Mastercard Gift Card Using PayPal?
If you’re looking for a more reliable way to cash out your gift card, you can always send the money to yourself via PayPal! See How to Convert iTunes Gift Card to Cash.
For this to work, you need to have two PayPal accounts, i.e., accounts attached to different email addresses. Link your Mastercard gift card to one of the accounts and follow the steps below:
- Log in to the account linked to your Mastercard gift card
- Use the card to send money to your second account—the transaction carries a fee of around 3%
- Log in to your second account to verify you’ve received the funds—the amount will show up on your online wallet, but you can also transfer it to your bank account and cover the money transfer fees charged by your bank
While this method may be dependable, the multi-stage transfer charges are a turn-off for many users. Note that you can still cash out about 95% of your gift card’s value via such transfers, which is better than the discounted deals offered by gift card exchange websites.
If you don’t want to lose a part of your gift card balance in transfer charges, the next best option would be to forward it to:
- Digital wallets like Venmo
- Online gift card wallets on versatile e-commerce websites (like Amazon)
How To Get a Money Order With Your Mastercard Gift Card
If you want to convert your Mastercard gift card to cash, use it to buy a money order in your own name.
A money order is a paper document that works similarly to a check—it allows the payee to get cash for the amount it holds. If you want the cash for yourself, you have to put your own name as the payee.
You can purchase a money order by giving cash or guaranteed funds to the cashier at designated places, such as:
- Post offices
- Retail stores like Walmart
- Banks and credit unions
- CVS pharmacies
Currently, you can also pay for money orders with cash, debit cards, and prepaid Mastercard or Visa cards (including gift cards). Certain locations, like Walmart, don’t accept credit cards for these orders.
Once you have the money order, cash it out at any local bank. You can also store the document and cash it out at a future date, as funds on a money order never expire.
The purchase fees for money orders are usually between 65 cents to $1.50, depending on the location. There are also caps on the maximum value of money orders you can take out in a day.
How To Get Cash From a Prepaid Mastercard
A select few prepaid cards can be used to withdraw cash at particular ATMs. Prepaid cards with ATM access are usually issued by top banks, financial institutions, and similar organizations.
Some examples of ATM-enabled prepaid cards include Emerald Prepaid Mastercards and Brinks Prepaid Mastercards.
ATM-enabled prepaid Mastercards can generally be used at ATMs with Mastercard, Maestro, or Cirrus brand marks. You have to register or activate your card online to enjoy this feature.
You can expect a fee of $3–$4 per domestic withdrawal, while a withdrawal at a foreign ATM will typically cost you around 4% of the transaction value.
How to Add a Mastercard Gift Card to Your Paypal Wallet
One of the easiest ways to get the full balance off of your Mastercard gift card and into your bank account is through your PayPal wallet.
I went down to my local Target and bought a Mastercard gift card to try this very method. The gift card came with a steep $4 fee, taking my total to $29 for a $25 gift card.
Luckily, there’s no fee to transfer a gift card to your Paypal account so you get 100% of the value. It took me less than two minutes to transfer the funds.
To add your Mastercard gift card to your Paypal wallet, you can start by following this handy list I’ve broken down for you:
- Open Paypal: To add a Mastercard gift card to your Paypal account you’ll have to open the Paypal app.
- Head to the Wallet section: There are five tabs you can click on the Paypal app that will take you to different parts of the app. The Wallet tab is the fifth of the tabs towards the bottom of the screen.
- Click Add Banks and Cards: The Wallet tab allows you to add new means of funding your account through the “Add Banks and Cards” button towards the top of the screen.
- Click Debit and Credit Cards: Paypal will treat your prepaid gift card as a debit card, allowing you to add it to your account. Click “Debit and Credit Cards” when it appears on the screen.
- Link Your Card: Enter your card’s information into Paypal manually. When you enter your card information manually, Paypal will still give you the ability to scan your card. Paypal will ask for permission to use your camera, scanning the front of your card to obtain its numbers and expiration date. It will ask you to enter the security code yourself.
- Find your card: Unfortunately, Paypal can’t transfer the balance from your gift card to your account. They can add your prepaid card to your wallet though, allowing you to use the card whenever you’re at checkout with Paypal.
It’s not easy to transfer cash from a gift card to your bank account once you buy it.
If you use Paypal to purchase items though, it may be a good idea to add the card to your wallet where you can use it at checkout for free.
I hope that you have found useful information from this article. In case of any other questions about How to Convert MasterCard Gift Card to Cash, kindly make use of the comment section below this article.
