In what order are online gift cards used up?

[alienkid]

In what order are online gift cards used up? Online chat support told me it was FIFO, but wanted to ask the community for confimation.

[keriflur · Accepted solution]

The largest card is charged first for each purchase.

[#3]

do you know this from (recent) experience?

[#4]

Not personal experience, but my dad likes gift cards and has seen this recently. Also, a number of other people have posted on this recently (you can get more info with a search, if you'd like). If you call B&N, they'll tell you the same, but really, you'll get more info from a forum search.

[#5]

Ah thanks. I wonder why online chat said otherwise.

[#6]

Online chat may have wrongly assumed that B&N acts in a logical, sensible and ethical manner.

[#7]

LOL new answer "please be advised that it is our system who chooses what gift card it will going to be charged. Usually, the system will charge randomly or use one gift card that will cover one order."
Randomly, randomly! What a joke!

[#8]

Also, they may occasionally ignore your gift cards altogether and charge your credit card.

And, there was a point last year where a number of people were complaining that the gift cards that they had entered into B&N's system "fell out" and couldn't be used. B&N COULD NOT RETRIEVE THE DATA. Those that did not keep their actual, physical cards or emailed card info (for e-gift cards) could not retrieve their funds and their money went into the void (aka B&N's pockets).  Seriously.

The reason I have no recent gift card personal experience is that I've asked everyone who buys me gift cards to get me cards to other (non-book) stores, and specfically not to buy me cards from B&N.