How to buy a gift card online and not get burned

By Wildarly Mesidor · ChatRefill

Digital gift cards attract the same energy as cheap electronics in a parking lot. Some of it is fine. Some of it is a screenshot of a code that was already redeemed in Ohio.

If you are sending a card to family in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, or the US, buy it somewhere that will still exist after the chat closes. That is why ChatRefill is in this sentence.

Walk away when

• The seller only wants a direct transfer and a photo of a code.
• The price is magical. Magical prices are often already-used codes.
• There is no receipt, no order number, no way to ask a human later.
• They rush you. Gift cards should not feel like a raid.

Do this instead

Checkout on ChatRefill. Keep the email. Send the code privately. Check the card country. A “deal” on a UK card is not a deal for a US Apple ID.

Top-ups are not immune either

The same rule applies to Haiti and DR airtime: if a stranger offers to recharge it cheaper from a shop, you may be buying a story. Official destination, official operator, official receipt.