Gift cards look simple. Buy the code, redeem the code, done. But between the buying and the redeeming is a maze of exchange rates, scam sellers, region restrictions, and expiration dates that most people don't know about.
What a gift card actually is
A gift card is prepaid store credit. When you buy a $50 Amazon card, you're buying a one-time code that adds $50 to an Amazon account. That's it. It's not a currency, not a payment method, and it can only be spent at that store.
Regions matter more than people realize
A $100 US iTunes card cannot be redeemed on a UK iTunes account. This is the single biggest reason people lose money on gift cards. Always buy for the region of the account that will redeem it.
The card's currency isn't what matters. The account's region is.
Why the WhatsApp market is terrible
Selling gift cards on WhatsApp works — until it doesn't. Rates change every hour. Sellers ghost after payment. Codes turn out to be pre-redeemed. There's no dispute process. Millions of Nigerians have lost money to this exact scam pattern.
Legitimate gift card platforms exist because these problems are structural, not individual. A platform can guarantee the code works. A random seller in a group chat cannot.
What to check before you buy
Region of the card. Denomination (some brands have minimums). Expiration date (rare but exists). Whether the platform offers a refund if the code fails. If any of those aren't clear, don't buy.
What Randzify does differently
Every code we sell is live-tested before delivery. If the code fails to redeem, you're refunded — not offered store credit. Rates are transparent, updated in real time, and don't change between the price you see and the price you pay.