Cardpool Alternative: What to Use Now That Cardpool Has Closed
If you’re searching for Cardpool, here’s the key fact first: Cardpool shut down. Its parent company, Blackhawk Network, closed the Cardpool gift-card exchange permanently in early 2021. It no longer buys gift cards, sells discounted cards, or honors its former guarantee. So the real question isn’t "Cardpool vs the rest" — it’s what to use instead. This page lays out the options honestly, including FlipGift’s fee-free swap.
What happened to Cardpool
- Permanently closed in early 2021. Blackhawk Network wound down Cardpool along with its other gift-card exchange operations.
- No current service. You can’t sell a card to Cardpool or buy discounted cards from it today.
- Old Cardpool cards: if you still hold a card bought from Cardpool, use it sooner rather than later — the Cardpool guarantee no longer applies.
Your options now
Broadly, there are two routes for an unwanted gift card:
- Resale for cash (at a discount). Sites like CardCash and GiftCash buy your card and pay cash, and marketplaces like Raise let you list it for buyers. All of them pay a percentage of face value — you trade some value for cash. See our CardCash, GiftCash, and Raise comparisons.
- Swap for another card (full value). FlipGift trades your card directly for one you’ll use, with no fees and no discount taken — see what’s trading in the live pool.
How FlipGift works as a Cardpool replacement
FlipGift is a peer-to-peer exchange: it matches you with someone who wants your card and holds one you want, then swaps them.
- No fees or commission — nothing is skimmed off the top.
- Full value retained — it’s card-for-card, not a discounted cash sale; ratios follow live supply and demand, and popular brands trade close to 1:1.
- Instant automated matching — no waiting for a buyer.
- Lower scam risk — balances are verified before codes release, codes swap simultaneously, and no money moves between accounts.
Cash sites vs FlipGift
| Resale sites (CardCash, GiftCash, Raise) | FlipGift | |
|---|---|---|
| What you walk away with | Cash | Another gift card you’ll use |
| Fees / commission | Discount or commission applies | None |
| Value retained | A percentage of face value | Full value, ratios set by demand |
| Speed | After verification or after your listing sells | As soon as a match is found |
| Model | Buyer / marketplace | Peer-to-peer swap |
When a cash site is the better choice
If you need cash in your bank account, a resale site does that and FlipGift does not — FlipGift gives you another gift card, not money. For a real cash need, that’s the right tool, and you accept a discount for it. If you’d be spending that cash at stores you already use, a swap keeps the full value as a card you’ll actually spend.
How a FlipGift swap works
- List your card — brand, balance, and code, encrypted with AES-256 and shown only to a verified match.
- Pick the brands you’d accept — more options, faster match.
- Get matched and verified — both balances checked before any codes move.
- Receive your new card — codes release simultaneously, with a 48-hour dispute window.
Start a fee-free swap
Frequently asked questions
Is Cardpool still open?
No. Cardpool permanently shut down in early 2021. It no longer buys or sells gift cards.
What happened to gift cards I bought from Cardpool?
Use them as soon as you can. Cardpool’s guarantee is no longer in effect now that the service has closed, so don’t leave a balance sitting.
What’s the best Cardpool alternative?
It depends on what you want. For cash, resale sites like CardCash, GiftCash, or the Raise marketplace pay a percentage of value. For full value, FlipGift swaps your card for one you’ll use, with no fees.
Does FlipGift pay cash like Cardpool used to?
No — FlipGift is a card-for-card exchange, not a cash buyer. If you need cash, use a resale site; if you want full value as a card you’ll use, swap on FlipGift.