Where does it say not valid for gift card purchases?

[Free4Life11]

First off, YES they DO add the $10 gift card to your order then subtract $10 as a "Target Coupon." This also reduces the amount of your Red Card discount by $.50, so you don't actually get 5% off.

My Receipt:
Alarm Clock $19.99
Handsoap $2.64
Entertainment card $30.00
Gift Card $10.00
Target Coupon ($10.00)
Subtotal $52.63
Red Card Savings ($2.13)

I have used this coupon twice and used it to purchase Virgin Mobile Top Up cards and a $30 Starbucks Card. The coupon worked both times, no problems at all.

 

[zeferjen]

We know that Target has the ability to stop coupon use with gift card purchases at the register. If they are not doing it in this case, then they clearly don't have a problem with it. By the way, I did use it to buy many Disney gift cards and had no issue. It's basically at 20% (or more) discount off my vacation.

 

[discorsner]

I went today to see what I could accompish with my target coupons. I had mixed results. One time I bought a $50 Disney card and a package of socks that cost $5. I was able to get my 5% red card savings as well as get the $10 target card to use another time.

After going to lunch with my friend I decided you know what that was a good deal and I think I am going to pick up another one since I had printed more than one coupon anyway.

Went to ring it up and the cashier started processing it (and the register was taking it fine) and then a manager happened to walk by and say to the associate that those coupons were not valid on gift cards. The sales associate said, "Oh, even on these?" showing him the Disney card. The manager said "yeah on gift cards and on entertainment cards". The associate seemed surprised and I couldn't do it.

I almost argued that it doesn't say "entertainment cards" anywhere on the coupon but I decided not to. In looking at my receipt it does ring up as "Disney Entertainment Card". So if they are going to exclude them they should put that wording on as well.

 

[wowsmom]

The cashier never adds or takes off the gift card it is an automatic thing after you are totaled.

Denise in MI

I was in Target yesterday and today and got free gift cards with purchases both days and both receipts show the gift card being rung up as a purchase, then being taken off down lower on the receipt.

 

[cseca]

As much as I agree with OP it doesn't matter what WE think. Right now it's YMMV. If the mgr of your Target store allows it then you're in luck. Mine won't.
I don't want to argue for $10GC, although I agree that the wording clearly states trademarked GiftCards and not gift card.

But hey, it's their company... that's why I do most of my purchases at Amazon now except for groceries (well, even some of it I do). Unfortunately B&M stores have become clearly inconsistent with their policies and service. The only store that has the best and consistent service around me is Kohls. Never had any customer service issue there. So I plunked down a lot of $ there. I appreciate companies who knows how to treat their customers.

 

[marlynnp]

No. Read it again.
When you get a free Target Gift Card the cost of it is added into the total cost of your purchase. So the sub total will be $60, then $10 is subtracted for the free gift card.
What that line means is that you cannot spend $40 and adding the gift card makes it $50. Or that you spend $45 and $5 taxeir owngift cards.

No. Read it again.
It says GiftCards - plural - not just the one you get, but any.

 

[cats mom]

All this for a $10 gift card??

Much more important things in life to be annoyed about.

But it's not just over a $10 gift card.

The way some people are rolling their purchases, they're coming away with hundreds of dollars in gift cards after just an initial $50 investment.

Of course in order to do that they have to ignore "Limit one Facebook Friends and Fans coupon per guest." I'm not sure what could possibly be unclear there, but I guess that's not the topic of discussion on this thread.

If the "GiftCards and tax will not be included in determining purchase total." condition only referred to the $10 GiftCard you receive by using the coupon, adding: "Free GiftCard not valid as payment on this purchase. " doesn't really seem necessary, does it?

It's clear to me they didn't intend for "GiftCards" to qualify as any part of the $50 purchase needed to use the coupon. Since they used their proprietary spelling of "GiftCards", I assume that only applies to Target GiftCards, not any and all gift cards.

Yes, I know the registers allow it, as do many Target employess. Doesn't mean that's what the intention was.

 

[stitchlovestink]

Ooops!!! Well I guess I was bad! I didn't read the coupon I just printed it off and took it to the store. I bought the $60 pack of Itunes GC that were on sale for $54 and handed the clerk the coupon. She scanned it and it told her to scan the free gift card. I didn't intentionally try to beat the system I just didn't bother to read it. I'm surprised that if GC's are supposed to be excluded, the system didn't reject the coupon. They could certainly have programmed that!

 

[cats mom]

Ooops!!! Well I guess I was bad! I didn't read the coupon I just printed it off and took it to the store. I bought the $60 pack of Itunes GC that were on sale for $54 and handed the clerk the coupon. She scanned it and it told her to scan the free gift card. I didn't intentionally try to beat the system I just didn't bother to read it. I'm surprised that if GC's are supposed to be excluded, the system didn't reject the coupon. They could certainly have programmed that!

I think what you did was just fine. My DS used his coupon on that same pack of Itunes cards.

It's buying Target GiftCards that wasn't supposed to be allowed, at least if I'm understanding the terms of the promotion correctly. That's where the big time abuse begins.

Some people would start the ball rolling by buying one $50 Target gift card, they would get the bonus $10 gc; then they would buy two $25 Target gift cards, which they would pay for with the $50 gc, they would get another bonus $10 gc; etc, etc, etc, ad infinitum.

Why a cashier would let anyone roll the deal over and over like that I have no idea. It makes no sense. But people are bragging about doing it. Some claim they came away with hundreds of dollars of gift cards and/or merchandise and they only had to spend $50 to do it.


Edited to add:
ITA on wondering why they don't get their system to disallow usage that violates their terms. Or if that's too hard, at least train the employees and make sure they know how to handle the coupon.

 

[pillow]

FYI - I went in to Target last night to use the Facebook coupon and was told by the cashier that it was not a valid coupon. I was told that someone fraudulently reactivated an old coupon with a new exp date and that Target had lost TONS of money on these coupons over the last few days. (I had wondered why I couldn't find the coupon on target.com and could only get it through the link). The cashier didn't even attempt to scan it but said that they were not taking them anymore.

Anyone know how long the ITunes gift card sale lasts? Do I need a coupon for that?

Jodie

 

[pillow]

Edited to add:
ITA on wondering why they don't get their system to disallow usage that violates their terms. Or if that's too hard, at least train the employees and make sure they know how to handle the coupon.

Not sure they can when folks go to different registers with different coupons. The new cashier has no way of knowing that the customer just broke the "limit one per customer" rule. Although I love a discount just as much as the next person, its not ethical behavior. I'm sure Target stockholders can't be thrilled about people violating terms and coming away with an enormous number of discounted gift cards!

Jodie

 

[Marionnette]

FYI - I went in to Target last night to use the Facebook coupon and was told by the cashier that it was not a valid coupon. I was told that someone fraudulently reactivated an old coupon with a new exp date and that Target had lost TONS of money on these coupons over the last few days. (I had wondered why I couldn't find the coupon on target.com and could only get it through the link). The cashier didn't even attempt to scan it but said that they were not taking them anymore.

Anyone know how long the ITunes gift card sale lasts? Do I need a coupon for that?

Jodie

The coupon was located at coupons.target.com and that IS Target's online coupon website. If it was fraudulently re-activated, then it was someone from Target who did it.

The itunes gift card sale might be part of the 3-day sale that is ending today.

 

[cats mom]

I think the Itunes deal was part of the 3 day sale, which I'm pretty sure ended yesterday.

The coupon was legit. I printed mine directly off the Target coupon site. The confusion may have been because this was the second one Target released in just 2 weeks.

If Target wanted to stop people from using multiple coupons they could put a unique number on each one. That thwarts most folks. If they wanted to disallow using the coupon to buy Tager GiftCards, they could have their IT department program the registers that way. Obviously many cashiers will do anything the register will allow.

I'm guessing the number of people who really abused the deal is pretty small overall, but I'm amazed at how much $$$ some of those folks took Target for with this coupon.

 

[camlace]

Perhaps I am taking this personally, but I am getting annoyed by reading post that using this coupon to buy gift cards is fraud. I have read this coupon backwards and forwards, with and without Target team members and I do not see that anywhere. Can someone tell me where it is written that anything at all is excluded from purchase?

GiftCards as printed in the T&C of the coupon is the trademarked Target word for their own GiftCard they are giving you as part of the coupon. It is not the generic term gift card(s). So you are free to buy any gift card Target sells and as long as your total equals $50 then Target will give you a $10 GiftCard good at their store.

 

[cats mom]

GiftCards as printed in the T&C of the coupon is the trademarked Target word for their own GiftCard they are giving you as part of the coupon. It is not the generic term gift card(s). So you are free to buy any gift card Target sells and as long as your total equals $50 then Target will give you a $10 GiftCard good at their store.

I think what a lot of people were questioning is whether it was OK to buy Target branded GiftCards to get to the $50 purchase total required to use the coupon.

If the "GiftCards and tax will not be included in determining purchase total." condition only referred to the $10 GiftCard you received by using the coupon, adding: "Free GiftCard not valid as payment on this purchase. " wasn't necessary.

The way I read the terms, buying gift cards to get to the $50 total was OK, unless they were Target branded GiftCards. That was specifically prohibited.

Since the coupon expired yesterday, it's a bit of a moot point now anyway, except it has been interesting to read all the justifications and exploits surrounding the use of the coupon.