Restriction 1 — the region
A code is issued against a particular storefront, and storefronts are national. A code bought for one country's store will usually be rejected outright by another country's store, even where the brand and the currency look identical.
This is the restriction that costs people the most money, because a regional mismatch is rarely refundable and the code is genuinely valid — just not for you. There is a longer piece on this at why region matters for gift codes.
Always state the country the code needs to work in before anything is issued.
Restriction 2 — online versus in store
Three patterns exist:
- Both. Most large retailers.
- Online only. Common for digital-first brands and for anything delivered as a wallet top-up.
- In store only. Less common now, but still found with restaurant groups and some supermarkets.
A digital code is not automatically online-only. Plenty of shops will scan a code off a phone screen at the till. Equally, a plastic card is not automatically usable online.
Restriction 3 — what it can be spent on
Inside one brand, a balance may still be fenced off from certain things:
- Other gift cards. Nearly universal, and deliberate — it stops gift cards being used to launder value.
- Subscriptions and recurring payments. Some platforms allow a balance to cover a renewal, others insist on a card on file.
- Delivery charges, taxes and deposits. Usually covered, occasionally not.
- Marketplace sellers. A big one. Many large sites let a gift balance pay for their own stock but not for third-party sellers.
Restriction 4 — group versus brand
A card that says it works "across the group" may cover a dozen brands, or may quietly exclude the franchise-operated locations, the airport branches and the concessions inside department stores. Franchises are separate businesses, and they are the usual exception.
How to check before you commit
In order of reliability:
- The brand's own gift card terms page. Tedious, authoritative.
- The checkout itself. Add something cheap to a basket and see whether a gift card field appears.
- Asking whoever is selling you the code. A seller who cannot answer "will this work in my country, online" is a seller to leave alone.
We ask these questions before issuing anything, which is why the request form is followed by an email rather than an instant code. It is a slower start and a much lower failure rate.