Link: https://old.reddit.com/r/LifeProTips/comments/1uutifp/lpt_always_use_a_credit_card_to_buy_gift_cards/

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The original was posted on /r/lifeprotips by /u/Crane_Train on 2026-07-12 22:26:07+00:00.

If you are going to buy a gift certificate to a restaurant or store, it's best to use a credit card in order to have proof that the transaction was fully completed.

For Father's Day, I put $50 on gift card to a restaurant that my parents like. I went there and paid in cash. It seemed like it took the older cashier a long time to ring it up. Eventually the lady gave me a receipt and the card, and I left thinking everything was fine.

Fast forward to today. My parents tried to use the card and the waitress said it hadn't been "activated". They claimed that my receipt wasn't a receipt. It looked like a receipt to me, but they claimed it was an "informational receipt" and there was no proof that I had actually paid. Eventually after a lot of arguing, they relented and put the money on the card, but I could have been out $50 cash because the cashier was either incompetent or a straight-up thief.