Target reusing gift cards?

[MrTwoArms]

So a weird thing happened at Target today. I made 2 separate transactions, because the first was going to get me 2 $5 gift cards and I wanted to use those on the 2nd transaction. I get the 2 gift cards and use them towards Mad Men. The total was $10.82 and I had a dollar out ready to pay the tax, but the cashier says she doesn't need it and hands me the receipt and one of the gift cards back. I thought maybe the gift cards reduced the price to zero and I didn't pay have to pay the tax, but I've never had that happen before.

When I get home I notice the 1st gc had a $10 balance and the 2nd was for $5. The 1st receipt shows I only received 2 $5 gc, but 1 of them does say it has a new balance of $10. So that means that the gift card already had $5 on it before she swiped it to add the $5 I earned with that transaction.

Now I'm sitting at home with the gift card she handed back to me and it shows a $4.18 balance on the 2nd receipt (after paying for Mad Men). I decide to check the balance on the Target website and it is correct, but this is where it gets really weird. There are several different transactions with this same gift card. It was first issued 12/28 for $5, then redeemed on 1/3 in full. It was issued again that same day for $10 and then redeemed the following day in full at a different store (the store I ended up getting it). The next time this same card was issued was during my transaction today.

This is all very odd and I'm hoping someone here who works at Target can explain. Because the way it looks to me is that they are issuing the same gift cards over and over once they are emptied and the customer leaves them behind. If this is true, what is to keep someone who previously had one of these gift cards from using someone's balance? All they would need to do is write down the card # and access # and they would be able to use it online.

If anyone else has a gift card they got at Target recently, check it and let me know if you see anything similar.

[akayw0718]

I take this was the type of gift card that you get for buying 'x' item, not one you purchase?

That makes sense, because it's more like a merchandise credit. So they load it with what you earned $5, $10, etc, and just recycle.

It sounds like the one that was $10 was probably just not cleared properly. I can see being able to use someone else's being a problem, but maybe when they reset them the access number changes?

[MrTwoArms]

Originally Posted by akayw0718

I take this was the type of gift card that you get for buying 'x' item, not one you purchase?

That makes sense, because it's more like a merchandise credit. So they load it with what you earned $5, $10, etc, and just recycle.

It sounds like the one that was $10 was probably just not cleared properly. I can see being able to use someone else's being a problem, but maybe when they reset them the access number changes?

That's correct about the type of gift card. But the access number is printed on the back of the card, so it can't change. And I had to enter the gc # and access # to see the balance and that's where I saw all the different times it has been used. Anyone else who had this card before me would have had to enter the same numbers to see their balance.

[Pookymeister]

Was the access number scratched off already on that card? (not sure how they work at Target)

[MrTwoArms]

Originally Posted by Pookymeister

Was the access number scratched off already on that card? (not sure how they work at Target)

These cards don't have anything covering the numbers, so there's nothing to scratch off.

[HDMe]

Every time I use up one of those gift cards, I throw them away and don't have the info... so I never had a reason to think about it.

They can't be reusing them once I have them But they could have before I got them.

That seems like bad form if Target is doing that on purpose. Maybe it is a rogue store not telling their employees to trash used cards or something?

[MrTwoArms]

Originally Posted by HDMe

Every time I use up one of those gift cards, I throw them away and don't have the info... so I never had a reason to think about it.

They can't be reusing them once I have them But they could have before I got them.

That seems like bad form if Target is doing that on purpose. Maybe it is a rogue store not telling their employees to trash used cards or something?

But the details for this gc show it being used and reissued between 2 different stores.

Store #1:
1. Issued $5 gc (12/28)
2. Redeemed (1/3)
3. Issued $10 gc (1/3)

Store #2:
1. Redeemed (1/4)
2. Issued $5 gc (1/7...this is when I got it)

I also just noticed an option when checking the balance where you can click to save the gift card to your account. So hypothetically, this same gift card could be saved in 3 different peoples account right now.

Weird.

[MifuneFan]

I remember reading that thousands of gift cards that were purchased were showing up as being invalid because they weren't fully activated. It's possible that the ones given to you were customer-returned cards, and assumed to be blank. Maybe once the cards was fully activated for you, the original balance and transaction history was restored too? Kind of a far out theory lol, I have no idea

Edit: Here's the story

NEW YORK (AP) — Target is getting hit with another lump of coal this holiday season.

The nation's second-largest discount retailer said Tuesday that an unidentified number of gift cards sold over the holidays were not properly activated. The Minneapolis chain says the number of cards affected was less than 0.1 percent of the total sold and that it will honor the affected cards.

Customers can bring faulty cards to any Target service desk or call 800-544-2943 for help.

"We are aware that some Target gift cards were not fully activated and apologize for the inconvenience," company spokeswoman Molly Snyder said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press.

[HDMe]

Originally Posted by MrTwoArms

But the details for this gc show it being used and reissued between 2 different stores.

Store #1:
1. Issued $5 gc (12/28)
2. Redeemed (1/3)
3. Issued $10 gc (1/3)

Store #2:
1. Redeemed (1/4)
2. Issued $5 gc (1/7...this is when I got it)

I also just noticed an option when checking the balance where you can click to save the gift card to your account. So hypothetically, this same gift card could be saved in 3 different peoples account right now.

Weird.

It's still possible to just have one rogue store in that mix.

Since you can reload gift cards...

The original purchaser could have gotten it at Store #1 and redeemed it and then reloaded it at Store #1... then gone to Store #2 and redeemed it and then trashed it there.

I can't pretend to know for sure, obviously, but it's still at least possible that only Store #2 is a rogue store reloading cards and re-gifting them.

[MrTwoArms]

Originally Posted by HDMe

It's still possible to just have one rogue store in that mix.

Since you can reload gift cards...

The original purchaser could have gotten it at Store #1 and redeemed it and then reloaded it at Store #1... then gone to Store #2 and redeemed it and then trashed it there.

I can't pretend to know for sure, obviously, but it's still at least possible that only Store #2 is a rogue store reloading cards and re-gifting them.

That's true. Hadn't thought of that possibility.

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

I remember reading that thousands of gift cards that were purchased were showing up as being invalid because they weren't fully activated. It's possible that the ones given to you were customer-returned cards, and assumed to be blank. Maybe once the cards was fully activated for you, the original balance and transaction history was restored too? Kind of a far out theory lol, I have no idea

Edit: Here's the story

I didn't hear anything about that. I guess that's something that could play into this as well. I wish the cashier would have given me back the other gift card I used in full. I would have like to see the detailed information on that one. Especially since it had that extra $5 on it before it got to me.

[HDMe]

The scary thing here... in your scenario, is that IF someone knows this... they could keep their info and keep checking for whenever someone unsuspecting like you gets it re-gifted and then they could potentially use the balance before you do... and in that scenario I don't know how the conversation would go when you are trying to use it after that and wonder where the balance went.

[MrTwoArms]

Originally Posted by HDMe

The scary thing here... in your scenario, is that IF someone knows this... they could keep their info and keep checking for whenever someone unsuspecting like you gets it re-gifted and then they could potentially use the balance before you do... and in that scenario I don't know how the conversation would go when you are trying to use it after that and wonder where the balance went.

Yeah, that was my original concern. Not for me personally, but for anyone else that may have a lot of money on a card. There's only $4 on this one so I'm not worried (and technically I shouldn't even have it since I was given an extra $5 on the other card). If I had a lot on the card, I probably would have gone back yesterday to either spend it or get a new card.

[mike568]

This sounds like a rogue store. Because where I work (not Target) if someone uses a gift card I always ask if they want it back. If they don't I bend the gift card then throw it away. I would never reuse another customers gift card/merchandise credit on another customer.

[-mystery-]

Most Target stores in my area (Pittsburgh), including the store I work at reuse the gift cards. The most frequently used gift card is that generic red one that's handed out with the buy whatever, get a free gift card promotions. There's usually a stack of these gift cards sitting at every register and usually whenever a guest uses one the cashier will just toss it onto the pile they already have sitting at their register.