Is an e-gift card the same as a gift voucher?

Close, but not identical. A voucher is usually tied to a specific offer or amount and often has to be spent in one go. A gift card holds a balance you can spend across several purchases.

Can I print an e-gift card and give it as a present?

Yes, and many people do. Print the code and the PIN, and remember that anyone who reads the printout can spend it, so do not leave it lying around before the day.

What happens if I lose the email with the code?

If you have already applied the code to a store account, nothing — the balance is on the account. If you have not, contact whoever sent it. A reputable seller keeps a record of what was issued to you.

What is an e-gift card, and how is it different from a plastic one?

The card is the code

A plastic gift card carries a number on the back. The plastic is packaging; the number is the product. An e-gift card removes the packaging and sends you the number directly.

That sounds like a small change, and for the shop it is. For you it changes four things:

Delivery takes minutes, not days. Nothing is posted.
You cannot lose it down the back of the sofa. You can, however, lose the email.
Anyone who can read the code can spend it. There is no signature and usually no name attached.
It is hard to gift-wrap. Some people mind this more than they expect to.

What a code actually looks like

Formats vary by brand, but almost all follow the same shape:

A code of 10 to 19 characters, often in groups of four.
Sometimes a separate PIN of 4 to 8 digits, printed under a scratch panel on physical cards.
Occasionally a claim URL that redeems the code for you when you open it.

If a code arrives with a PIN, you need both. Saving only the long number and throwing away the email is the single most common way people lock themselves out of a balance they paid for.

Where the balance actually lives

This trips people up, so it is worth being precise. The balance is not stored in the code. The code is a pointer. The balance sits on the issuer's system, and the code is how you prove you are allowed to spend it.

Two consequences follow:

Redeeming moves the balance to your account. Once you have applied a code to a store account, the code is spent even though the money is not. Losing the code afterwards does not matter; losing access to the account does.
An unredeemed code is bearer property. Whoever types it in first gets the balance. Treat an unredeemed code the way you would treat cash in an envelope.

Refunds, returns and the awkward cases

Buying something with a gift card and returning it usually puts the money back on a gift card, not on a bank card. This is standard and is not the shop being difficult.
Refunding the gift card itself is rarely possible once the code has been sent, for the obvious reason that the shop cannot tell whether you wrote the code down first.
A code that was never delivered is a different matter entirely and should be replaced. Keep the order confirmation.

Is a physical card ever better?

Yes, in three situations:

The recipient is not comfortable online, or does not use email much.
You want something to hand over in person.
The brand's physical cards can be used in shops where the digital ones cannot. This is rarer than it used to be, but it still happens with some supermarket and restaurant chains.

Otherwise the digital version wins on speed, and it cannot be dropped in a car park.

How this works here

We send codes by email after confirming the details with you. There is no account to create and no card details are taken on this site — you tell us what you are after on the request form, and a person replies. If you want to see the shape of it first, read how a gift code reaches your inbox.