My brother was in town recently, and naturally, a trip to the mall was on the agenda. His mission? To snag a new pair of sneakers – and he was planning to pay in cash. Being a true “sneakerhead,” I knew this wasn’t going to be a small purchase; we were probably looking at around $100.
My mind, always on the lookout for opportunities, immediately started racing: how could I leverage this situation for some points? Then it hit me – MileagePlus X!
Sell gift card on Raise app for quick cash
And here’s the kicker: with my Chase United Explorer card (check it out here), I knew I could unlock a sweet 20% mileage bonus on gift cards bought through the app – regardless of which card I actually used for payment.
Off we went, hitting up what felt like every store in the mall – Nike, Finish Line, Journeys, Foot Locker, and a couple of department stores thrown in for good measure. Mall shopping isn’t really my scene, so I was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed. Finally, he settled on a pair of Nikes at Finish Line. This was my moment. I eagerly pulled out my phone and purchased a Nike gift card through the MPX app. But the second the transaction went through, it dawned on me… we were in Finish Line, not Nike. Doh!
My brother paid with his cash, and there I was, stuck with a Nike gift card I couldn’t use. “It’s not a huge deal,” I tried to reassure myself. But then I remembered – I could sell it online. Maybe that would salvage the situation and at least get me back to even, points and all.
That’s how I ended up selling the gift card on Raise. Here’s the full rundown of my experience!
My Experience Selling a Gift Card on Raise
Before committing to one platform, I did a quick comparison of a few gift card reselling sites – CardCash, CardPool, Gift Card Granny, and Raise – inputting my gift card details to see the estimated payout from each.
It quickly became clear that Raise was offering the best combination of payout and speed of sale for my Nike gift card. My priority was to offload this card quickly, even if it meant taking a slightly smaller hit financially.
Raise offered me $116.25 for my $140.73 Nike gift card.
That stung a bit – a $24.48 loss, or roughly a 17% decrease in value. But again, this was on me for the mistake, and I was ready to move on.
Setting up an account on Raise was a breeze. Within minutes, I had a new account, payment information entered, and was ready to list my gift card. Entering the gift card details – number, PIN, and value – was equally straightforward, and I promptly set it to sell!
Selling gift card using Raise mobile app
I was genuinely surprised by how fast the entire process unfolded. Raise made it incredibly user-friendly. Here’s a quick timeline:
- 7:56pm – Email confirmation complete
- 7:58pm – “Welcome To Raise!” email received
- 7:58pm – Gift card sale status: pending
- 8:39pm – Gift card status: live for sale
- 11:15pm – Gift card sold, payout requested
In just a few hours, the gift card was approved, listed, and SOLD! I honestly expected it to take days, not hours. I logged back in, requested the payout, and opted for PayPal, receiving the funds shortly after (other options include check or direct deposit).
Raise gift card selling platform logo
So, despite the small financial hit, I was relieved to recoup the majority of the gift card’s value. It definitely softened the blow of my initial gift card blunder.
The Points Perks from the Gift Card Purchase
On the day of my slightly misguided gift card purchase, Nike was offering a generous 4X United miles through MileagePlus X. And remember that 20% bonus I mentioned? That bumped up my earnings even further. In total, the gift card purchase netted me 702 United miles, which I value at around $14 based on a valuation of 2 cents per point.
MileagePlus X app showing points earned from gift card purchase
These miles landed in my United account almost instantly. These miles alone helped to offset the fees charged by Raise for using their platform to sell my gift card. Which is understandable – they need to make their cut too.
For the initial gift card purchase, I used my Citi AT&T Access More card (sadly, no longer available for new sign-ups) which earns 3X Citi ThankYou points on these types of purchases. This added another 422 ThankYou points to my haul, which I value at approximately $8 (again, at 2 cents per point).
Let’s break down the final tally:
- Paid $140.73 for the Nike gift card
- Received $116.25 from Raise for selling it
- Earned 702 United miles = $14 value
- Earned 422 ThankYou points = $8 value
In essence, the situation played out like this:
- Net loss of cash value: $24.48
- Points gained value: ~$22 (from 1,124 total points)
So, while normally I wouldn’t intentionally go through this process just to earn points, these extra rewards were a welcome consolation for my gift card mishap. In the end, I practically broke even. My total loss was a mere $2 after selling on Raise and factoring in the points earned.
Key takeaway: Don’t get overly eager to chase points when paying in cash. And definitely double-check which gift card you’re buying in your excitement!
Bottom Line: Selling Gift Cards on Raise is a Solid Option
It’s not always smooth sailing in the world of points and miles maximization. Sometimes you make mistakes – and buying the wrong gift card definitely qualifies as one of those moments.
However, selling it on Raise allowed me to recoup a significant portion of the value. And the ~1,100 points earned from MileagePlus X helped me almost reach break-even territory. Ending up only “down” by about $2 and recovering so quickly thanks to Raise felt like a win in itself.
Have you used Raise to sell gift cards before? Was your experience as efficient and hassle-free as mine?
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