Can you use a vanilla gift card on cash app

Gift cards have become more popular than ever, ranking among the top three online purchases during the past holiday season. Who wouldn’t want a gift they can buy whenever they want?

Gift cards are often seen as a safer option than traditional gifts. So, if you’re looking for a quick and easy way to give a gift, a gift card is the way to go.

As such, you may receive a gift card during the holiday season and want to add it to your Cash App account. Cash App is a popular mobile payment app that lets users send and receive money from peers, friends, and loved ones.

So, what gift cards work with Cash App?

Short Answer: Cash App does not support gift cards since it’s incompatible with gift-based cards. It supports Plaid-linked bank accounts, credit cards, ATM cards, debit cards, Chime, Robinhood, Netspend Green Dot, and financial institutions.

Unlike other well-known payment apps—such as PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay — Cash App does not support gift cards.

Although you cannot directly add a gift card to Cash App, a workaround allows you to transfer the gift card amount to your Cash App account.

No, you cannot add a gift card to Cash App, except for a few government-enabled prepaid cards. The app supports Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express cards. Generally, a prepaid card, such as a gift card purchased in-store or online, will not be compatible with Cash App.

The federal government uses government-enabled prepaid cards to load certain benefits, such as social security or veterans’ benefits.

See our guide on paying with Cash App in-store without a card.

How To Add a Gift Card to Cash App?

Currently, you cannot add a gift card to Cash App. It only accepts cards and bank accounts linked to brands such as Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover. 

Here’s how to add a gift card to Cash App if they are linked in the future:

1. Launch the Cash App on your mobile device.
2. Tap the building icon in the lower-left corner to access the “My Cash” tab.
3. Select “+ Add Credit Card” under the name of your bank.
4. Enter your gift card information (when available).
5. Add the gift card to your Cash App account by tapping “Add Card.”

Learn how to remove the payment method on Cash App.

How to Transfer Money from Gift Card to Cash App?

Cash App does not directly accept gift cards. However, alternative ways are to transfer money from a gift card to Cash App with CardCash.

Card Cash is one of the best places to sell gift cards for cash. In addition, you can use discounted gift cards to save money on purchases.

Here’s how to transfer money from gift cards to Cash App:

1. Go to the CardCash website.
2. Enter the merchant’s name, your gift card balance and select “Get Offer.” You’ll get an offer to buy your gift card for money to send to your PayPal account.
3. Accept the amount by selecting “Get $X Cash.”
4. Choose PayPal Express as the payment method.
5. Connect your PayPal account with your gift card number and PIN code.
6. Confirm by selecting “Get my PayPal Balance.”
7. You can transfer the money to your bank account when the money hits your PayPal Wallet.
8. Add the discounted gift card money to Cash App after your bank account receives the money from PayPal Wallet.

Although transferring money from a gift card to Cash App takes multiple steps, it will be a more straightforward process after you do it a few times.

Learn how to transfer money from an EDD card to a bank account.

Can You Add a Visa Gift Card to Cash App?

No, you cannot add a Visa gift card to Cash App.

A Visa gift card is a prepaid Visa card to make purchases at stores worldwide that accept Visa debit cards. We suggest using your Visa gift card to pay for bills, make purchases online and in-store, or pay for services since you cannot transfer the balance to your Cash App account.

See our guide on stores to load my Cash App card.

How To Transfer Money from Visa Gift Card to Cash App?

Transferring money from a Visa gift card to your Cash App account cannot be done directly. So, we have an alternative method that requires a PayPal account to complete the process.

You can link and transfer money from a Visa Gift Card to your PayPal wallet and then to your Cash App.

Steps to link a gift card to a PayPal account:

1. Log in PayPal account. 
2. Select “PayPal Balance,” which enters your wallet balance.
3. Choose “Link a Card.” 
4. Enter your gift card details such as the card number, card type, expiration date, security code, and billing address, then select “Link Card.”

Once you have the Visa Gift Card linked to your PayPal account, you can transfer the Paypal balance to your Cash App account.

Steps to transfer gift card cash from PayPal to Cash App:

1. In the PayPal app, select “Transfer Money.”
2. Choose “Transfer to Your Bank.”
3. You can now link your Cash App debit card if you haven’t already.
4. Choose the cash amount to transfer from PayPal to Cash App. Then review the transaction details and confirm by selecting “Transfer.”

See our guide on why Cash App says it can’t link card at this time.

Can I Add a Prepaid Card to Cash App?

No, you cannot add a prepaid card to Cash App. Your Cash App account can only be linked to a bank account, debit card, or credit card. Instead, link prepaid cards to mobile payment apps such as PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.

However, Cash App does support government-issued prepaid cards. Therefore, gift cards and prepaid cards purchased online and in-store are not compatible with Cash App. 

You can buy gift cards at Lowe’s, Food Lion, Sheetz, Publix, Target, Walgreens, Safeway, and CVS.

Add a Gift Card to Cash App Summary

Cash App does not support gift cards because it’s not compatible with gift-based cards. Instead, it only supports linked bank accounts, credit cards, or debit cards from Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover.

However, there are ways to add a gift card to Cash App by linking a PayPal account.

See our ways to fix Cash App unable to sign in on this device error guide.