No More Using a Gift card at Target.com to save 5%

[descovy]

Many here have been using a Target Gift Card to save 5% at Target.com. It was a loophole that worked like this...

1. Have a Target Red card as your default payment.
2. Order stuff. The Payment summary would show the 5% off
3. Edit the Payment option from Red Card to Gift Card. The 5% off discount would still apply.

This loophole appears to have closed. I just tried it this morning. When I started with the Red Card as a payment option, I had the discount. When I changed it to using a gift card, the 5% discount disappeared.

So it was fun while it lasted. It was a loophole after all. A flaw in the system that they have apparently fixed. Those of you who buy gift cards just to use this flaw to save 5% at Target.com may want to find other avenues to save money.

 

[kamik86]

Many here have been using a Target Gift Card to save 5% at Target.com. It was a loophole that worked like this...

1. Have a Target Red card as your default payment.
2. Order stuff. The Payment summary would show the 5% off
3. Edit the Payment option from Red Card to Gift Card. The 5% off discount would still apply.

This loophole appears to have closed. I just tried it this morning. When I started with the Red Card as a payment option, I had the discount. When I changed it to using a gift card, the 5% discount disappeared.

So it was fun while it lasted. It was a loophole after all. A flaw in the system that they have apparently fixed. Those of you who buy gift cards just to use this flaw to save 5% at Target.com may want to find other avenues to save money.

Makes sense since you save the 5% when using the red card to buy a giftcard.

Gift card discounts are weird because the store is trying to make sure they don't get doubled.

• If my husband buys a gift card to somewhere that isn't target he gets both his 10% employee and his 5% red card discounts.
• If he buys a target giftcard he only gets the redcard discount.
• When he using a target giftcard he gets his employee discount.

 

[descovy]

Other factors, that may or may not apply to you...

1. I have received my new Target Chip card. Some people still have the old ones. But all Red Cards will be replaced with chip cards eventually.
2. I save my gift cards on the Target.com app instead of physically carrying them. This was a gift card saved on the app.

So if it is still working for you, great. But take warning, they are getting wise to this trick!

 

[SparklePixie]

I'm glad they closed it. You should only receive the 5% if you pay with the Red card, not just have it listed as your default payment.

 

[Marionnette]

Many here have been using a Target Gift Card to save 5% at Target.com. It was a loophole that worked like this...

1. Have a Target Red card as your default payment.
2. Order stuff. The Payment summary would show the 5% off
3. Edit the Payment option from Red Card to Gift Card. The 5% off discount would still apply.

This loophole appears to have closed. I just tried it this morning. When I started with the Red Card as a payment option, I had the discount. When I changed it to using a gift card, the 5% discount disappeared.

So it was fun while it lasted. It was a loophole after all. A flaw in the system that they have apparently fixed. Those of you who buy gift cards just to use this flaw to save 5% at Target.com may want to find other avenues to save money.

Hmmm. I just added a $100 Disney GC to my cart and did the usual REDCard-Target GC switch and the 5% discount remained in place.

 

[descovy]

Makes sense since you save the 5% when using the red card to buy a giftcard.

Gift card discounts are weird because the store is trying to make sure they don't get doubled.

• If my husband buys a gift card to somewhere that isn't target he gets both his 10% employee and his 5% red card discounts.
• If he buys a target giftcard he only gets the redcard discount.
• When he using a target giftcard he gets his employee discount.

Is your husband a Target Team Member? I used to buy gift cards to other places (Subway, Starbucks, etc.) and get my T M 10% discount too. But that stopped working over a year ago. T M discount no longer works on "Entertainment" cards at Target... and hasn't for awhile either.

 

[supersnoop]

It's stopped working before, and it's always started working again. I wouldn't call it dead based on one single experience.

 

[Marionnette]

I'm glad they closed it. You should only receive the 5% if you pay with the Red card, not just have it listed as your default payment.

That's a pretty spiteful remark. Why would you be glad that Target pulled a popular discount?

 

[havaneselover]

Hmmm. I just added a $100 Disney GC to my cart and did the usual REDCard-Target GC switch and the 5% discount remained in place.

Me too. It still works. It worked for me yesterday. I keep hearing it's dead and it won't surprise me if someday it is, but it appears to be alive and well today.

 

[SparklePixie]

That's a pretty spiteful remark. Why would you be glad that Target pulled a popular discount?

You aren't using the Red Card to pay, you shouldn't get the Red Card discount.

 

[descovy]

That's a pretty spiteful remark. Why would you be glad that Target pulled a popular discount?

Honestly, I don't think it was a discount they intended to give. It was/is a loophole. They found it and closed it. (or at least are trying to close it)

 

[Marionnette]

You aren't using the Red Card to pay, you shouldn't get the Red Card discount.

That's for Target to decide. Not you.

 

[DisneyMandC]

Hmmm. I just added a $100 Disney GC to my cart and did the usual REDCard-Target GC switch and the 5% discount remained in place.

Just did the same thing, no issues for me. Applied Redcard and a $2 gift card I have leftover right now. Did not place the order as I just did one on Saturday, but it shows the Redcard and the gift card applied.

 

[havaneselover]

That's a pretty spiteful remark. Why would you be glad that Target pulled a popular discount?

On a FB group I belong to there's a guy who insists this is fraud although we probably won't be prosecuted. Phew!

I don't get the sentiment either. Target knows this works and has clearly decided to continue allowing it to work. It's a business decision. Why would someone be happy if this goes away? Seems pretty bizarre to me. It's not a zero sum game.

 

[kamik86]

Is your husband a Target Team Member? I used to buy gift cards to other places (Subway, Starbucks, etc.) and get my T M 10% discount too. But that stopped working over a year ago. T M discount no longer works on "Entertainment" cards at Target... and hasn't for awhile either.

We haven't done it in a while... maybe that is why and I just forgot. I know it used to work we would use the discount to get movie or applebees gift cards.

As for if the red card loophole works or not I would try it but not be upset if you don't get it... It would make sense for them to close but its not hurting anyone else if they still allow it so I don't know why anyone would be upset that people were using it.

 

[Marionnette]

Honestly, I don't think it was a discount they intended to give. It was/is a loophole. They found it and closed it. (or at least are trying to close it)

It has disappeared in the past and then reappeared. Loopholes don't get reinstated. They stay closed.

If Target removed the discount, then okay. It was great while it lasted. But it's petty and spiteful to dance gleefully on its grave.

 

[kamik86]

Just did the same thing, no issues for me. Applied Redcard and a $2 gift card I have leftover right now. Did not place the order as I just did one on Saturday, but it shows the Redcard and the gift card applied.

Assuming the total price was over $2 this is actually a bit different scenario. It may be that if you use the redcard for even part of the purchase price the discount still works.

 

[DisneyMandC]

On a FB group I belong to there's a guy who insists this is fraud although we probably won't be prsecuted. Phew!

I don't get the sentiment either. Target knows this works and has clearly decided to continue allowing it to work. It's a business decision. Why would someone be happy if this goes away? Seems pretty bizarre to me. It's not a zero sum game.

LOL yeah, a lot of my prosecutor friends are really combing through these bargain forums trying to weed us out.

 

[kamik86]

On a FB group I belong to there's a guy who insists this is fraud although we probably won't be prsecuted. Phew!

I don't get the sentiment either. Target knows this works and has clearly decided to continue allowing it to work. It's a business decision. Why would someone be happy if this goes away? Seems pretty bizarre to me. It's not a zero sum game.

Honestly if I had a business I could see that with the few people that would try this and get an extra 5% discount that it may not make sense to bother closing that loophole. Depending on how complicated the software is and how much you would have to pay someone to find the bug, fix it, and roll out the fix.

 

[havaneselover]

Assuming the total price was over $2 this is actually a bit different scenario. It may be that if you use the redcard for even part of the purchase price the discount still works.

I applied a gift card to cover the entire Disney gift card purchase and the 5% discount remained. It still works.