Discounts still apply
A gift card is a payment method, not a discount, so store promotions and loyalty pricing come off the total first and the card pays what remains. Anyone with a store loyalty account should keep using it exactly as normal.
This is worth saying out loud because people often assume paying with a gift card means forfeiting member pricing. It does not — see can you combine gift cards and discount codes.
What it covers
General merchandise across the store: household, clothing, electronics, toys, groceries in the larger stores. Both in person and online.
The usual exclusions apply — other gift cards, and regulated goods where local rules restrict them.
Part payment
Balance plus a bank card is handled normally at both the till and the online checkout. If the basket is bigger than the card, say so at the till before they total it up; some systems cannot add a card afterwards without voiding the sale.
Returns
Something bought with the card refunds back to a card, not to cash. Expect the refund to arrive as a newly issued card rather than a credit to the original one — and watch for the email, because those get missed. Detail in returns and refunds when you paid with a gift card.
Who it suits
Someone setting up a home, a new parent, or anyone you do not know well enough to choose for. Broad catalogue, no sizing risk, spent easily.
Asking for one
Country and amount. That is all we need. Wider context in the shopping guide.