How Do I Use My American Express Gift Card for My Purchase?

The first step is to activate your card first by calling the toll-free number. To use the card in-store, simply swipe the card and choose Credit on the keypad. For online transactions, prepare the gift card number, expiry date and security code to purchase items with your gift card. American Express gift cards can also be used for Google Pay, Apple Pay and Samsung Pay.

Jul 13, 2023

After buying an American Express gift card, the first step is to first activate it. Gift cards purchased on the official American Express website are ready for use right after purchase. For cards purchased at partner stores, you will need to call the toll-free number found on the back of the card to activate your gift card.

You can also log in to the American Express website to activate the card. Just make sure you have your card number, expiry date and security code. It's also recommended to keep the card information in case it's either lost or stolen. You'll need the gift card number, expiry date and security code to get a replacement.

American Express gift cards can be used in any U.S. and District of Columbia stores that accept American Express cards. Customers can also use the American Express gift cards by mail-order or phone. However, the e-gift card can't be used for any American Express transactions that require a physical card.

How to Pay With Your American Express Gift Card

When using your American Express gift card in store, make sure the balance is enough to cover the entire purchase. Some merchants may not allow split payments, while others require a fee for using another card. To pay with your card, just swipe it and choose Credit on the keypad.

For online shopping, just enter the card information in the payment section. Make sure you have enough balance to avoid other fees.

American Express gift cards can also be used for Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay. Just open the app to add the e-gift card and follow the on-screen instructions.

If you have questions about your American Express gift card, please contact Customer Support.

Further questions?

Ask a followup or related question and we will try to provide an answer in seconds.
Adam has been tirelessly trying to help customers find the best tips and tricks to get through phone trees and writing many guides for prickly customer service problems. He's been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Inside Edition and Bloomberg.
How Do I Use My American Express Gift Card for My Purchase?

Why does GetHuman Write How-to Guides for American Express Problems?

GetHuman has been working for over 10 years on sourcing information about big organizations like American Express in order to help customers resolve customer service issues faster. We started with contact information and fastest ways to reach a human at big companies. Particularly ones with slow or complicated IVR or phone menu systems. Or companies that have self-serve help forums instead of a customer service department. From there, we realized that consumers still needed more detailed help solving the most common problems, so we expanded to this set of guides, which grows every day. And if you spot any issues with our How Do I Use My American Express Gift Card for My Purchase? guide, please let us know by sending us feedback. We want to be as helpful as possible. If you appreciated this guide, please share it with your favorite people. Our free information and tools is powered by you, the customer. The more people that use it, the better it gets.

American Express

Asked a year ago
Updated 9 months ago
Viewed 205,975 times
American Express
Use American Express Gift Card
How to Use American Express Gift Card
Was this page helpful?
Thank you and please share!
Thank you and please share!
Needs work
Sharing is what powers GetHuman's free customer service contact information and tools. You can help!