Gift Card Safety -- which is safer?

[jnw]

I plan on buying a lot of Sams club gift cards this year so I can get 5% cashback year round at Sams, Walmart and for Auto Fuel (at sams gas station) -- via Discover It Cashback 5% rotating categories.

Which is safer? :
a) use the same card number and pin and just reload it -- making sure no one in person sees the bar code, card number or pin number -- I keep a strip of blue painters tape over the back of the entire card except for the magnetic strip, after recording the card number and pin on a piece of paper which I keep in the desk for online use.

b) buy a new card every time? i.e. to constantly get new card numbers and pins.

I plan on loading about $400 per month on them, with the Discover It Cashback card.

With option a) I worry about perhaps bot programs hacking card & pin numbers, over time.  With b) I have to worry about any tampering of each new card.. like people taking photos of the bar code and scanning an image of it on their phone at Walmart checkout -- I already know to look for any tampering such as bar code labels over the real bar codes, and tampering with the original scratch off to see the last 4 digits of card number along with the pin.

At least they keep the Sams club reloadable cards up at the register, so it'd be harder for someone to tamper with the cards there in front of all the clerks.  I got mine up at the register and had clerk load $400 on it.  I then had them check the balance there after I paid for it to make sure it was loaded.  I've heard of horror stories of clerks not loading the cards properly.

Just a little worried about gift cards.

[Sibley]

Step 0: confirm that buying giftcards are eligible expenses.

[NotJen]

Step 0: confirm that buying giftcards are eligible expenses.

They have been for me in the past with Discover.  I haven't bought Walmart/Sam's specifically, but during Target 5% spend quarters, I get 5% buying gift cards at Target.  During 5% grocery spend quarters, I get 5% buying gift cards at my grocery store.  If this changes, I bet there would be a post on Doctor of Credit, if you follow that.

Which is safer? :

I don't know - I've never had an issue with gift cards.  I personally would opt for less plastic.

[reeshau]

Are you worried about security in using them at all, or when reloading?

How about reloading through the app?  Nobody else there, so no physical security concerns.

Looking through the app, I see where you can buy gift cards, but I don't see a reload option.  Of course, I've never used one, so maybe it shows up when you have a known one.

Not quite related, but I also now see that you can buy their discounted restaurant gift cards through the app.  If those could be digitally delivered, I'll have to keep that in mind the next time we are thinking of going out.

[jnw]

Discover It's 5% rotating category this quarter is Wholesale Clubs.  And so I went to Sam's club the other day and bought a sam's club gift card which the clerk loaded with several hundred dollars.  I bought this in addition a few groceries.   So the total on the Discover It charge was not a suspicious rounded figure, but one with a few cents in the figure as well.  e.g. $363.37.

I just looked today in the Discover It app on my phone (great app btw) and I was awarded 5% for the entire charge.  I'll get an extra 5% on this as well after 12 months since the sign up promotion is double cash back.

I can use the sams club gift card for sams club, walmart and sams club gas station purchases all year round.   Sometime later this year will be a walmart.com rotating category where I can stock up on sams ( or walmart) gift cards.  Paypal.com will be another rotating category later this year most likely, and I can buy more walmart/sams gift cards then as well, in addition to Amazon gift cards etc.

I've heard Discover doesn't really care if you do something like because most people probably wont even do it and well they limit it to $1500 per quarter.  Most people will carry a balance and pay 20-30% interest.