Gift card
A gift card holds a balance. You spend against it, possibly across several purchases, and what is left stays on the card.
- Paid for in advance, usually by whoever is gifting it.
- Spends like money within that brand.
- Leftover balance persists.
- Almost never combinable with another payment problem — you just pay the rest another way.
Gift code
A gift code is the digital form of a gift card. The distinction is delivery, not function. Everything true of a gift card is true of a gift code; it simply arrives as characters rather than plastic.
Some brands use "e-gift card" for the same thing. There is no meaningful difference.
Voucher
A voucher is typically fixed: it is worth a set amount off a set thing, and it is used once.
- Often no change given. A £20 voucher against a £14 basket loses you £6.
- Often restricted to a product, a department or a date range.
- Usually issued as compensation, as a promotion, or as part of a bundle.
The no-change rule is what catches people out. Treat a voucher as a coupon with a big number on it, not as money.
Promo code / discount code
A promo code changes the price. It is not a form of payment at all — it is an instruction to the till.
- Percentage off, amount off, free delivery, buy-one-get-one.
- Applied before payment, so it reduces what you then owe.
- Almost always has conditions: minimum spend, new customers, selected lines.
The bit that matters: what stacks with what
Because a promo code changes the price and a gift card is a payment method, the two usually work together. Because a voucher is often also a payment-like instrument, it often does not stack with a gift card, and two vouchers almost never stack with each other.
A rough rule that holds at most retailers:
- Promo code plus gift card: usually fine.
- Gift card plus bank card: usually fine, and normal when the basket is larger than the balance.
- Gift card plus gift card: usually fine, sometimes capped at two or three.
- Voucher plus anything: check first.
There is a fuller treatment in can you combine gift cards and discount codes.
Why the words get muddled
Mostly marketing. "Voucher" sounds generous, so it gets used for things that are really gift cards. "Gift card" sounds like a present, so it gets used for things that are really vouchers. The wording on the front tells you less than the terms on the back, which is where the expiry date and the change policy live.
When you are not sure which you are holding, ask one question: if I spend less than the full amount, does the rest stay? If yes, it behaves like a gift card. If no, it behaves like a voucher.