Gift Card Promotions and the Expiry That Catches People Out
Gift card promotions run seasonally, most consistently in the run-up to the winter holidays. The structure is usually a bonus card issued alongside a gift card purchase above a threshold.
The value is genuine. The trap is the expiry, and it catches people every year.
How the structure works
You buy a gift card above a stated threshold and receive a bonus card on top. The gift card itself generally has a long life or no expiry.
The bonus card is a promotional instrument and almost always carries a much shorter window — often a matter of weeks, and frequently in a period after the holidays rather than during them.
It also commonly carries exclusions the gift card does not: minimum spend, dine-in only, or not valid with other offers.
- Bonus card expiry is much shorter than the gift card
- Bonus windows often fall after the holidays, not during
- Bonus cards commonly carry a minimum spend
- Usually not stackable with other offers
- Check the terms on the bonus card itself, not the promotion advert
Using them well
Read the expiry on the bonus card as soon as you receive it, and put the date somewhere you will see it. The advertising foregrounds the bonus amount, not the window.
Plan the bonus visit before the window opens rather than after it starts, since these periods are often deliberately set in quieter months.
If you are buying gift cards as presents, remember the bonus card comes to you rather than to the recipient. That is the point of the promotion from the restaurant's side, and it is worth being deliberate about who ends up with it.
When it is worth it
If you were going to eat here anyway, a bonus card is straightforwardly free money and worth taking.
If you are buying gift cards purely to obtain the bonus, work out whether you will realistically use both the card and the bonus inside their windows. Unused gift card balances are the most reliable profit in the entire restaurant industry.
Frequently asked
When do gift card promotions run?
Most consistently in the run-up to the winter holidays, though timing varies year to year.
Does the bonus card expire?
Almost always, and much sooner than the gift card that earned it. Check the card itself.
Can I use a bonus card with Early Dine?
Early Dine states it is not valid with other offers, so generally no. Check the bonus card terms.
Keep reading
The Email Club: The Only Reliable Source of Offers
The one route to an offer that arrives with your name on it and a real expiry date.
Read →
Coupons: What Actually Exists
A page full of live-looking promo codes for a sit-down steakhouse is almost always recycled expired ones.
Read →
Early Dine: The Complete Guide
The largest standing saving on the menu, needing no code and no app — with restrictions worth knowing before you travel for it.
Read →