When Target offers a free gift or a free Target GiftCard with a purchase of qualifying items online, the process might seem a bit different from regular online shopping. It’s designed to ensure you receive your promotional gift, but it involves a specific way of processing your payment. Let’s break down how it works to clear up any confusion.
Essentially, when you take advantage of these deals, Target applies a discount to the qualifying item. This discount is equal to the value of the gift or gift card you’re supposed to receive for free. Simultaneously, you’ll see a separate charge for the value of the gift card itself. Don’t worry, this isn’t an extra cost! The sum of these two charges will always equal the original price of the qualifying item, meaning you’re still paying the advertised price for the item and getting the gift card as promised.
For example, imagine a promotion that says, “Buy a $30 item and get a free $10 Target GiftCard.” In this case, you will see a charge of $20 for the item itself (which is $30 minus the $10 gift card value) and another charge of $10 for the Target GiftCard. Adding these up, you’ll see the total is $30, which is the price of the item you intended to buy.
If you are purchasing online, keep in mind that you might notice two separate authorizations and charges on your payment method. This is because Target’s system processes the gift card aspect of the transaction when the qualifying item is either picked up in-store or shipped to you. These two transactions together will always add up to the original total of your order.
For those using Order Pickup or Drive Up services, the promotional items and gift cards are processed slightly after the initial transaction. They will generally be shipped within 5-7 days after you’ve picked up your order. If you’re ordering directly from Target.com or through the Target app for home delivery, the promotional items and gift cards will ship only after your qualifying purchase has shipped. Specifically, if your promotion includes a Target GiftCard delivered via email or mobile, you can expect to receive it shortly after your pickup is completed or your item has shipped.
It’s important to remember that these promotions cannot be applied to previous purchases. If you need to understand the return process for a free gift or gift card received with an order, you can find detailed information here for information about returning a free gift or gift card.
