Our Mission
GiftCardEdu (info-giftcards.com) is a free, independent educational resource dedicated to helping people in the United States understand how gift cards work, use them safely, and protect themselves from fraud.
Gift cards are one of the most popular financial products in the US — billions of dollars in gift card value are purchased each year. Yet many people remain unaware of the fee rules, expiration protections, and scam risks that come with them. We created GiftCardEdu to close that knowledge gap with clear, accurate, unbiased information.
What We Are
- An independent educational website about US gift cards.
- A free resource with no subscriptions, no registration required, and no paywalls.
- A consumer-focused guide that covers how gift cards work, how to use them, and how to stay safe.
What We Are Not
- We do not sell gift cards. We have no gift cards for sale and do not facilitate gift card transactions of any kind.
- We do not check gift card balances. We do not have a tool to check the balance on any gift card and we do not process any card numbers or PINs.
- We do not activate gift cards. Activation must be done through the card's official issuer — never on a third-party site like ours.
- We do not collect financial data. We do not collect, store, or transmit gift card numbers, PINs, account numbers, or any other financial information.
- We are not a financial institution. Nothing on this site constitutes financial, legal, or tax advice.
How This Site Is Funded
GiftCardEdu is funded entirely through advertising revenue from Google AdSense, the Google Ads program. Advertisements displayed on this site are managed by Google and shown to visitors based on their browsing context and Google's advertising policies.
Key facts about our advertising:
- Advertisements on this site are clearly labeled as ads.
- We do not control which specific ads appear — that is managed by Google's ad platform.
- Advertising revenue does not influence our educational content. We do not receive payment from gift card issuers, retailers, or brands to mention or recommend their products.
- We do not have affiliate marketing relationships with any gift card seller or brand. We do not earn commissions on gift card sales.
This funding model allows us to provide all content on this site free of charge to all visitors.
Our Content Standards
All content on GiftCardEdu is written with the following principles:
Accuracy
We research and verify information against federal law, regulatory guidance from the CFPB and FTC, and published industry sources before publishing it.
Transparency
We disclose our funding model, non-affiliation with brands, and the limitations of our content (general information, not professional advice).
Consumer Safety
We actively warn against gift card scams and provide resources to help users recognize and report fraud. Protecting our readers from harm is central to our purpose.
Independence
We do not accept compensation from gift card issuers, retailers, or brands. Our content reflects our honest assessment of publicly available information, not paid promotion.
Information Sources
The information on this site is drawn from publicly available sources including:
- The Credit CARD Act of 2009 and implementing regulations from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
- The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) consumer guidance on gift cards and fraud
- The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) publications on prepaid cards
- State consumer protection agency guidance (where cited)
- Official card issuer terms and conditions (publicly available)
- Published news and research on gift card trends and fraud
Limitation of Liability
The information on this site is provided for general educational purposes only. It is not legal, financial, or professional advice. Gift card rules, fees, and protections vary by card issuer and may change over time. We make every effort to keep content accurate and current, but we make no guarantee of completeness or accuracy. For questions about a specific card, always contact the card's issuer directly.
See our full Terms of Use for more information.
Contact
Have a question, a correction, or a comment about our content? We welcome your feedback. Visit our Contact page to reach us.