If you want to try CardCash and you don’t know how it works, here’s what you need to know before creating an account.
Ever since online shopping became a normality for many of us, stores have been giving out gift cards which you can use to shop in their store.
But have you ever wondered if there’s a way you can get cash instead of a gift card you have to use for a particular online store?
Well, it turns out there’s a way to exchange your gift cards for cash or even trade them for more valuable gift cards to other stores through CardCash.
With that being said, if you’re looking up reviews for CardCash, you’re in the right place.
Before creating your account, you need to keep on reading this.
We gathered all the information on how it works, what you can exchange and how you can get money which you can use however you want to.
Sounds too good to be true, right?
What is CardCash?
CardCash is a website that allows you to buy, sell or exchange gift cards.
It was originally co-founded in 2009 by Elliot Bohm (CEO) and Marc Ackerman (COO) and they are established in Brick, New Jersey.
Since its start, the company has grown constantly and many platforms have been accessible to its users by displaying the website in the top right corner as one of the places to sell gift cards online.
But given the mixed reviews online, many potential users wonder if CardCash is actually a safe place where you can sell or buy gift cards.
How does CardCash work?
CardCash is based on a simple formula – there are three factors involved: a buyer, CardCash and a seller. What CardCash does is simply behave as an intermediate between the buyer and the seller of a gift card, which means they sell gift cards on your behalf (if you’re the seller).
Sell unwanted gift cards
If you have a gift card which you want to sell and get real money, you can go to CardCash, click on Sell Gift Cards at the top right corner and select the type of gift card you want to sell and input the gift card’s current balance.
Once you click “Get Offer”, you’ll see a cash offer or other types of gift cards that you could receive in exchange for your unwanted gift card.
If you prefer cash, you can get a check in the mail, as an automated clearing house deposit or a PayPal deposit.
Trade gift cards
As mentioned above, once you click all the information of your gift card, you’ll get offers for exchanging your unwanted gift cards with other gift cards from other stores.
If you opt for this, you’ll be surprised to find out that for some gift card you can get an even better value.
So it’s your choice.
Buy gift cards
If you want to buy gift cards, there’s an option for you, too. You can go to the CardCash’s buying page and search for any gift cards you’d like to buy for you or for your loved ones.
CardCash carries more than 1100 retailers including Target, Home Depot, Starbucks, TJ Maxx and more.
You can buy discounted gift cards using a Credit Card, Paypal, or Bitcoin.
On the website, in the FAQ section, they also explain that once you have completed a minimum of 3 transactions and want to make a purchase of over $1,000, you can apply for access to ACH payment.
All you have to do is email a copy of your driver’s license, the email that your account is saved under, and a small note requesting access to ACH payment, to compliance@cardcash.com.
Your application will then be reviewed by one of their compliance experts.
Is CardCash Reliable?
Now, one of the most searched for questions is if CardCash can be used safely. The answer for this question is: it depends.
There are many reviews online of different customers who complain about the safety and guarantee policies. CardCash only gives you the opportunity to find buyers for your gift cards. And here are the main issues people have been bringing up often:
Balances Disappearing For No Reason
Many people have been complaining that their balances have been disappearing mysteriously after the 45-day buyer protection passes.
What is more, CardCash doesn’t even have a customer support in place and many users haven’t got any help after the buyer protection period ended.
What you can do, if you still want to use this platform, is to use your cards within 45 days of purchase and be aware of how much time you have left.
Also, check your balances often and if you notice any mysterious changes and if you do, it’s safer to give up using CardCash.
You Might Not Get The Best Value For a Gift Card
One of the most important things you need to understand before accepting the offers by CardCash is that you need to know that they can give you at least 92% of the value of your gift card.
This isn’t a bad thing because you don’t lose as much, but the truth is CardCash will give you less than what your gift card is worth.
Many CardCash offers can even go as low as 50% of the actual value of the card, which means you will definitely not get the best value for your gift card.
Negative Rating on Better Business Bureau
If you take time to search for reviews of customers on BBB website, you’ll be surprised to see how many negative reviews there are.
Customers are complaining that money disappears mysteriously from the card. Well, we already know that.
The Better Business Bureau tried to put a stop to CardCash’s stealing practices and in 2016, they reached out to CardCash on these on-going complaints.
CardCash responded that they will eventually include an insert in order to inform their customers to use their cards within 45 days of purchase.
After more than a year, BBB confirmed that CardCash hasn’t stopped the pattern of stealing from their customers and this pattern continues to this day.
Over the years, it has become clear that CardCash isn’t doing a good job to protect its users. From not implementing a customer support service to avoiding transparency of balances, there are still many things to consider.
After so many years since the start of CardCash, they haven’t made any improvements to their services and people keep being scammed all over the world.
What are CardCash Customer Reviews saying?
If you take a moment to look up reviews of CardCash’s users, you wouldn’t be surprised to find many unsatisfied customers.
The main issues are the ones presented above. Obviously, many of them are not aware of the policies implemented by CardCash, so they are often an easy target.
Thus, most CardCash users complain about their gift card balances disappearing without even knowing about the 45 day protection guarantee.
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
Does CardCash Pay Instantly?
No, it doesn’t. Before checking your card, you need to know that CardCash sends money to sellers within 1 to 2 business days.
It is not an instant payment, but you shouldn’t wait more than 2 business days, which is a fair amount of time.
How Long Does CardCash Take To Paypal?
The same amount of time takes for your money to get into your Paypal account: 1 to 2 business days.
Unfortunately, it is not an instant payment.
BottomLine – Should You Trust CardCash?
CardCash is not a total fraud. If it was so, why would big companies still recommend their customers to use CardCash?
Many of them get on the CardCash website without being aware of how attentive they need to be once they start using their services.
Again, many of them are not aware of the 45 days protection policy, so it all comes to how you manage your account.
I wouldn’t say it’s safer to buy gift cards than sell your unwanted ones, but if you are aware of the problems CardCash has and you are willing to keep track of your balances often, I don’t think you can get scammed.
Apart from the many negative reviews you find online, there are still people who enjoy using this platform.
I would advise people to check all policies before creating an account and actually starting to sell or buy.
Also, one way you can try this platform (and see if it suits your needs) is to first register your unwanted gift cards.
But if you are completely certain you won’t be using CardCash anytime soon due to its on-going complaints, you can always try different alternatives such as Gift Card Granny, FusionCash and CardPool.
Make sure each time you come across a platform like these ones, you have learnt your lesson and you check reviews and their policies beforehand, so that you won’t encounter any bad experiences.
All in all, it’s your decision on how to spend or earn your money online. But, be sure to do it safely!