Disney Gift Card Deals

[auger]

The item page doesn't update to reflect the amount of eBay Bucks you'll receive when you change between gift card denominations.

It should show you the correct eBay Bucks amount during checkout.

OK, that's what I was wondering. Thank-you!

 

[Cydney]

Thanks. I'll have to really let that sink in. I'm thinking of the immediate few weeks though. Doesn't the quarter end on the 31st, leaving me enough time to churn once, MAYBE twice? Then with the new quarter I would have to be more selective.....

With the regular 2% eBay bucks you won't earn much. Say you did $600. You earn $12. BUT you pay $5.96 in shipping. Your eBay bucks profit is only $6.04. Yes you get 1% from the portal and the 2% portal on the target conversion where you get 5%. There is money to be made. ($48 on $600.) but that adds extra in the target end that might flag your account and ties up your cards risking missing a 3x-5x offer. Those offers add $30-$60 on $600. It's up to you! I know we all went through that eager stage! I am more conservative about it because I worry about the target bans.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

You can buy giftcards for Best Buy on EBay with no shipping through Paypal.

Flipping used video games with trade in values is a huge thing with lots of profit (I've made $150 in a single day with only $30 out of pocket.) It's a lot of work, but the return is great. Since so many companies do the trade ins with video games, one company will have certain promotions (30%-50% more trade in credit) while one retailer will have that same game on sale or a B2G1. Flippers will buy the sale game and flip it to another retailer for a profit. With Gamestop and Best Buy, they often have great promotions and a lot of glitches in their system. Once, Target was doing a certain promotion with trade ins getting 3X their trade in value. One game that was on sale at a Best Buy for $15, was trading in at Target for $54. Then with that trade in credit you can buy gift cards (Disney, Gas, Food, Ebay, Amazon). Gamestop is starting to slowly catch on and not let people purchase gift cards with trade in credit though, but some stores will let it slide.

You'll have to watch and jump on certain values same day as they can change them and often do daily. Theres even a forum for this (cheapassgamer.com) with people doing spreadsheets etc. for the maximum return. You'll also have to read through lots of posts through different threads for people that aren't on the computer as much.

Anyways... there's my long post for people that don't know about flipping games. You can profit somewhat, and it can payoff if you're looking to budget and willing to do the extra research. Great alternative way to still flip if they're running a good promo and if you're waiting for a Target GC in the mail.

I took advantage of Target's B2G1 promo at the beginning of November. We got 2 games we wanted and then also bought Fallout 4 because it was new that week. I sold it on Craigslist for just $5 below retail price. It basically gave us 50% off our other games. I could see how this could be lucrative, but I don't think I like the idea of being stuck with a game I don't want if something goes south. At least with gift cards I can use them eventually for something I want (or can gift).

 

[PerfessorZ]

And when you say a solid initial investment...any idea how much $ that might mean? I don't want to start too slow, but I honestly haven't a clue how much a good initial investment would be for a $3,000 trip... TY!

Lots of variables to say for sure, which is why I recommended starting slow and letting you get a feel for the numbers. Then you can extrapolate your results if you added to your arbitrage kitty. Then you can either work backwards from your final numbers (taking into account the eBay limits) or calculate forwards (if I invest $x now, how much will I end up with at the end of October. Making yourself a spreadsheet is a great exercise and a good starting point. You can tweak it as you go (I did with mine), but putting it all in a computer and keeping track of every penny and gift card will save you a lot of $ and headaches down the road.

 

[StuckInKS]

It is easier than you think. I went through $10,000 in 2.5 months.

I decided last night to add up how much I've had to push through Target to realize my $1,100 savings and it was almost $4,500 in 2.5 weeks. More than I thought! I really want to get my last $59 eBay bucks and churn my $3k in GCs a few more times before I have to turn them into Disney GCs, but I hope I'm not pushing it. I might go ahead and get my tix through OTC instead of Disney so that I can churn less.

And when you say a solid initial investment...any idea how much $ that might mean? I don't want to start too slow, but I honestly haven't a clue how much a good initial investment would be for a $3,000 trip... TY!

Starting with $1,435 and churning your total amount once a month for six months + adding in two rounds of Ebay bucks = should get you past your goal. You'll have little more than you need with rebates and all, but just look at it as extra spending money. It really all depends on how much Target risk you are willing to take because the more you churn, the less money you will need to start with. I read on SD last night that someone got banned after churning $400 total in 4 months. Most of us are doing more volume than that, so IDK if volume is even the issue. PP above me did $10k in 2.5 months and is still going. IF there were no barriers (Target flags, etc) you could turn $2,500 into $10,500 in 6 months (including the $1k in Ebay bucks you'd get), assuming you turned around all of your GCs once a week (about how long it takes to get them from GCM). But of course, Target would probably stop you in your tracks long before you get there.

 

[Cydney]

I read on SD last night that someone got banned after churning $400 total in 4 months.

I wish I knew more of this story. If they used gift cards from a reseller, if they used ebates etc.

 

[StuckInKS]

I wish I knew more of this story. If they used gift cards from a reseller, if they used ebates etc.

Yeah, me too. The more we know, the more we can try to avoid it.

 

[mhartman09]

Is anyone using their churning profits for anything else besides Disney trips?

We need to replace several appliances (clothes washer and dryer and dish washer) in the near future. We would most likely buy from Sears. Those 15% off Sears gift cards are looking pretty good to me. Especially if I could buy them during a bonus ebucks time.

After saving so much (well over 30% not counting any cash back from my credit cards used to purchase some of my gift cards and not including the Ebay step) on my family's first Disney trip thanks to so much help and knowledge from the amazing folks on this board, I've decided to try this same method to save on a Carnival cruise next summer. I use Swagbucks for free Target gift cards and basically churn from Target to Ebay and back again until I'm ready to cash out as Carnival gift cards on Ebay. Still in the churning process right now since I don't have to pay out the cruise until next May. Hoping to see significant savings with this trip as well.

 

[ski_mom]

Flipping used video games with trade in values is a huge thing with lots of profit (I've made $150 in a single day with only $30 out of pocket.) It's a lot of work, but the return is great. Since so many companies do the trade ins with video games, one company will have certain promotions (30%-50% more trade in credit) while one retailer will have that same game on sale or a B2G1. Flippers will buy the sale game and flip it to another retailer for a profit. With Gamestop and Best Buy, they often have great promotions and a lot of glitches in their system. Once, Target was doing a certain promotion with trade ins getting 3X their trade in value. One game that was on sale at a Best Buy for $15, was trading in at Target for $54. Then with that trade in credit you can buy gift cards (Disney, Gas, Food, Ebay, Amazon). Gamestop is starting to slowly catch on and not let people purchase gift cards with trade in credit though, but some stores will let it slide.

You'll have to watch and jump on certain values same day as they can change them and often do daily. Theres even a forum for this (cheapassgamer.com) with people doing spreadsheets etc. for the maximum return. You'll also have to read through lots of posts through different threads for people that aren't on the computer as much.

Anyways... there's my long post for people that don't know about flipping games. You can profit somewhat, and it can payoff if you're looking to budget and willing to do the extra research. Great alternative way to still flip if they're running a good promo and if you're waiting for a Target GC in the mail.

I'd love to know a little more about this. I went to the website you posted, but didn't really see anything about this (but I'm not at all familiar with the site). Do you have any links to the thread(s) about it?

 

[kristenrice]

I don't know if it will prevent me from getting banned or not, but whenever I order a gift card from Target, I add something for in-store pickup. Then, when I go to the store to pick it up, I make sure to make other purchases (usually my groceries) and put it on my RedCard. That way they can see that ordering online is getting me into the store where I buy more stuff.

 

[Alice Sr.]

My 1st eBay purchases was a $25 Gamestop eGC that I bought with a $10 off welcome to eBay coupon. They were out of Target cards at the time and some mentioned Gamestop as an alternative. Do I have to go to a store to buy another GC or can it be flipped online? I have had it in my inbox since January, surprised I haven't forgotten about it. Also, what if anything do you do in April if there aren't any promo ebucks during the redemption period? Do they usually offer other discounts like the buy $100 for $95 or is it basically a churn hiatus? Will we all be going through withdrawal or welcoming the break?

 

[MrInfinity]

Starting with $1,435 and churning your total amount once a month for six months + adding in two rounds of Ebay bucks = should get you past your goal. You'll have little more than you need with rebates and all, but just look at it as extra spending money. It really all depends on how much Target risk you are willing to take because the more you churn, the less money you will need to start with. I read on SD last night that someone got banned after churning $400 total in 4 months. Most of us are doing more volume than that, so IDK if volume is even the issue. PP above me did $10k in 2.5 months and is still going. IF there were no barriers (Target flags, etc) you could turn $2,500 into $10,500 in 6 months (including the $1k in Ebay bucks you'd get), assuming you turned around all of your GCs once a week (about how long it takes to get them from GCM). But of course, Target would probably stop you in your tracks long before you get there.

I would not project ahead like this. There are so many variables that it's almost sure to not work out how it's projected. Most of how we're churning today is different than how we did 6 mo ago and 6 mo before that... so to take the current status quo and extrapolate that if you repeat this every month... and GCM was always available... and the Target glitch continues to work... and the Ebates glitch continues to work... and portals continue to give rebates on GC purchases... and if Target and Ebay continue to allow gift cards to buy gift cards... and Ebay keeps giving Bonus Bucks... and you keep getting the offers... That's so many "ifs" to base a reliable projection on. Setting a long-term plan based on exploiting weaknesses is not a realistic exercise, nor is turning $2500 into $10,500 in 6 months. If you churn once per month for 6 months, (and the process remains viable for 6 months) you can end up with double your value. But you will have run $15,000 thru Target.

Churn. Evaluate. Decide on the next step based on what's changed that week. Even week by week my strategy and results vary.

And when you say a solid initial investment...any idea how much $ that might mean? I don't want to start too slow, but I honestly haven't a clue how much a good initial investment would be for a $3,000 trip... TY!

If you need $3000 for a trip, first of all be sure you have the $3000 in case the process gets interrupted at any point and whatever money you've put in gets stuck in Ebay cards that are no longer applicable to your trip. I would try it and look at the money you earn as a bonus, not a necessary result. Start small -- be sure you can afford your trip with other cash should your investment $$ become stuck in Ebay. As everyone else says, you just have to try and see what feel you get for it. This is not a mechanical process that you just repeat for free money, but an investment which carries risk. Start, try, see your comfort level, and move on. Just like you could not go to your stock broker and say "I want to turn $1500 into $3000 in 6 months tell me what to buy"... he will just laugh silently and explain the risks and tell you no one could guarantee that. Here too it's very much the same. Start small. Get a feel for what you like or don't like. Go from there.

Also keep in mind the timing of the funds is squishy. So you earn $100 from Ebates... when you get paid for that is 2-5 mo later, so those funds may not be there to use for your trip. That's why I look at it all as a bonus. I will get the money eventually, plus I end up with goods from Target as part of my profit. It is not just one dollar being turned into 2 dollars... it's 1 dollar being turned into a combination of gift cards, future monies, and products. For example I buy things I need on every Target order. This might suck $20 or $30 out of my Disney pool, but I still count the products obtained as profit.

 

[CMNJ]

I would suggest not projecting ahead like this. There are so many variables that it's almost sure to not work out how it's projected. Most of how we're churning today is different than how we did 6 mo ago and 6 mo before that... so to take the current status quo and extrapolate that if you repeat this every month... and GCM was always available... and the Target glitch continues to work... and the Ebates glitch continues to work... and sites continue to give rebates on GC purchases... and if Target and Ebay both continue to allow gift cards to buy gift cards... That's so many "ifs" to base a reliable projection on. Setting a long-term plan based on exploiting weaknesses is not a realistic exercise, nor is turning $2500 into $10,500 in 6 months. If you churn once per month for 6 months, (and the process remains viable for 6 months) you can end up with double your value. But you will have run $15,000 thru Target.

Churn. Evaluate. Decide on the next step based on what's changed that week. Even week by week my strategy and results vary.



If you need $3000 for a trip, first of all be sure you have the $3000 in case the process gets interrupted at any point and whatever money you've put in gets stuck in Ebay cards that are no longer applicable to your trip. I would try it and look at the money you earn as a bonus, not a necessary result. Start small -- if you can afford your trip with other cash should that amount become stuck in Ebay. As everyone else says, you just have to try and see what feel you get for it. This is not a mechanical process that you just repeat for free money, but an investment which carries significant risk. Start, try, see your comfort level, and move on. Just like you could not go to your stock broker and say "I want to turn $1500 into $3000 in 6 months tell me what to buy"... he will just laugh silently and explain the risks and tell you no one could guarantee that. Here too it's very much the same. Start small. Get a feel for what you like or don't like. Go from there.

Very well said. I've been using the target glitch to save on Disney cards since I discovered it (via this thread of course) last June. I never did the whole eBay churning thing (even though it seemed quite profitable for many) because I don't regularly shop on eBay and wouldn't want to be stuck with several hundred $ in eBay gift cards. However, I am an avid target shopper so even if they stopped selling Disney gift cards today I could easily use whatever discounted target cards I had purchased. I used to buy from the resellers last summer when they had awesome discounts (over 10% at times) but as discounts got lower and I found a new credit card with better cash back I realized I could save more using that and getting fuel discounts at our local grocery store. After doing that for many months I've finally decided to try the whole eBay churning but with just a small investment so that if something does change I won't be stuck with $1000s in eBay gift cards. My goal is just to see how much I can turn $166 into ($200 eBay gift card bought with my fuel/cash back discounts)-knowing that it is a gamble and I could wind up with the money "stuck" in eBay gift cards. Bottom line is don't go into this thinking it is a sure thing-policies could change at any time or target could ban you for whatever reason. It's a gamble but a very lucrative one at this point in time.

 

[Angeliki19]

I earned my first eBates!! So excited! Do I want to have it in a check to my house or in my Paypal account?

 

[Marionnette]

I earned my first eBates!! So excited! Do I want to have it in a check to my house or in my Paypal account?

Either way, it's the same amount of money. PayPal is faster. If you're comfortable with receiving money that way, it would be my choice.

 

[havaneselover]

I earned my first eBates!! So excited! Do I want to have it in a check to my house or in my Paypal account?

I get it sent to PayPal. It gets there a little earlier than a check.

 

[Eighty8Keys]

I earned my first eBates!! So excited! Do I want to have it in a check to my house or in my Paypal account?

Excellent! I know exactly how you feel. I prefer PayPal because it's more secure than a check in the mail. Plus I use the funds in my PayPal account to cover the shipping charges on my GCM purchases.

 

[Angeliki19]

I don't know where eBates has been all my life. I must have missed out on thousands with all the online shopping I do!!!! If nothing else works out, at least that was worth it alone!

Nothing like the thrill of saving money!

 

[MrInfinity]

I don't regularly shop on eBay and wouldn't want to be stuck with several hundred $ in eBay gift cards. However, I am an avid target shopper so even if they stopped selling Disney gift cards today I could easily use whatever discounted target cards I had purchased. I used to buy from the resellers last summer when they had awesome discounts (over 10% at times) but as discounts got lower and I found a new credit card with better cash back I realized I could save more using that and getting fuel discounts at our local grocery store. Bottom line is don't go into this thinking it is a sure thing-policies could change at any time or target could ban you for whatever reason. It's a gamble but a very lucrative one at this point in time.

This is my worst case scenario, getting stopped with money in Ebay. When GCM runs out of stock, the idea of buying used cards is something I consider extremely high risk and never do... Also I feel like Ebay redemption codes are more likely to be hacked than Target Cards... they're just one string of digits, and you know there are hackers out there trying to discover these untapped Certificates and spend them some way. I also feel like Target, being a bricks-and-mortar store first, would be more apt to defend me should a card get compromised. Ebay is more of a nebulous site with Paypal and Ebay potentially giving the runaround as to who to call. So for all these reasons I don't like leaving money in Ebay certs beyond when I can actually spend them.

I don't know where eBates has been all my life. I must have missed out on thousands with all the online shopping I do!!!! If nothing else works out, at least that was worth it alone!

Yes! Everything I buy I check Ebates first. To think of the money I left on the table over the last few years...

 

[JKalai]

I took advantage of Target's B2G1 promo at the beginning of November. We got 2 games we wanted and then also bought Fallout 4 because it was new that week. I sold it on Craigslist for just $5 below retail price. It basically gave us 50% off our other games. I could see how this could be lucrative, but I don't think I like the idea of being stuck with a game I don't want if something goes south. At least with gift cards I can use them eventually for something I want (or can gift).

A lot of the flips with the most profit come from used games at Gamestop which have a 7 day return period even though it's opened, so you wouldn't be stuck with a used game. A lot of people take advantage of this with "renting" the games (buying them used and returning them within 7 days). Usually with new games I buy and flip, I buy them and I don't open them until I'm heading into the store. I haven't been stuck with a game yet. I normally jump on good trade in credits ASAP, though.

I'd love to know a little more about this. I went to the website you posted, but didn't really see anything about this (but I'm not at all familiar with the site). Do you have any links to the thread(s) about it?

It's not really a specific thread, but the whole "video game deal" section of the website. Anytime a game goes on sale, they will post a thread about said sale. Then, people in the thread sometimes will check the trade in value on Gamestop, Best Buy etc within that specific thread. I usually check the trade in values myself on games since I work in front of a computer all day (I'm a reservations agent here in a resort in Vegas), so when it's not busy I'll browse game deal websites.

If you guys want and if I have the time I could post good video game flips here since I've been on here more frequently lately.