White House Black Market Gift Card Balance

What the terms actually say

This is worth quoting, because shared ownership makes people assume more than the card promises. WHBM's own gift card terms: cards "may be redeemed for your merchandise purchase at any WHBM boutique located in the United States, including WHBM Outlets, online (for U.S. orders only) at whitehouseblackmarket.com, or for phone transactions at (877) 948-2525."

Note what is there — outlets are explicitly included, which is not true of every fashion brand — and note what is not: Chico's and Soma are not named, even though all three belong to Chico's FAS. If you also hold a Chico's card, treat it as a separate instrument until a register tells you otherwise.

Checking the balance

Two routes, both from the terms themselves:

• Online at whitehouseblackmarket.com, on the gift card balance page;
• By phone on (877) 948-2525, the same number that takes phone orders paid by card.

A boutique register can also read the card, which is the answer when a PIN panel has been scratched past legibility.

No expiration, no fees

WHBM states plainly that its gift cards and eGift cards do not expire and have no fees. A card found two years later is worth exactly what it was worth the day it was issued — no dormancy deduction, nothing to lose by waiting for the right occasion.

Occasion dressing and the waiting problem

WHBM sells for events, and events arrive on their own schedule. A card given in January for a wedding in September is doing exactly what it should. Check the balance now, write it down, and stop thinking about it.

When the lookup fails

Confirm you have the card number rather than an order reference, paste eGift codes from the email rather than retyping them, and allow a few hours after purchase for the card to activate.

Turning it into cash instead

If the style is not yours, the value need not be lost to politeness. On FlipGift you can sell a WHBM balance through escrow while the card stays with you: a buyer's payment is escrowed before anything is ordered, you place their order with your own card, and escrow pays you once it is delivered. A flat 2.5% fee is split between both sides, and sellers typically keep 72–88% of face value.