Frequently Asked Questions
Contact Us
For inquiries on all other branded cards, please contact the number on the digital gift card on the back of the physical gift card.
For any other inquires please contact The Gift Card Shop customer service for assistance at 1-833-942-7467.
General Information & Getting Started
Yes, the Dollar General website sells plastic Gift Cards. Please select ‘mail’ as a delivery type on your choice of card and follow steps to purchase. Please see Cardholder Agreement for details.
Yes, the Dollar General website sells Gift Cards for email delivery. Please select ‘email’ as a delivery type on your choice of card and follow steps to purchase. Once you have purchased, your email Gift Card can be accessed through the corresponding Retailer Virtual Account. Please see Cardholder Agreement for details.
Most Brand Gift Cards do not expire. Please refer to the specific Terms and Conditions found on the Brand Gift Card product page for details.
Your expiration date is nine (9) years from the date of purchase for Vanilla Visa Gift Cards. This expiration date is listed on your account for your reference. Funds do not expire.
You cannot purchase a plastic Vanilla Visa Gift Card in the same order with a brand plastic Gift Card.
Payment
You can purchase Gift Cards using Visa, American Express, Mastercard or Discover credit/debit cards. You can also pay with PayPal or Apple Pay. Regardless of payment method, the billing address must be in the United States.
This site does not accept payment methods with addresses from the state of HI for Gift Cards. It also does not accept payment methods with addresses from the state of NM for orders equal to or greater than $1,000 within a 24-hour period.
A pre-authorization will be placed on your account until the payment has been approved. In most cases, the payment is approved immediately, however, the approval process can take 1-3 days. A confirmation email will be sent when the payment is approved. If the payment is not approved, you will receive a cancellation email with a reference number. If you have questions regarding the cancellation, please provide the order and reference number when you contact us.
No, once your order is complete, it cannot be changed.
You may not return or cancel your gift card after it is purchased.
Lost or Stolen Cards
If you believe that your Card has been lost or stolen, you need to notify us immediately by calling 1-833-942-7467. You will be asked to provide us with the Card number and other identifying information. We cannot provide a replacement unless you provide your Card number and all other requested identifying information.
Usage
Vanilla Visa Gift Cards will have account numbers.
For Vanilla Visa and The Gift Card Shop Gift Cards, your 16-digital Card number and other important details are located on the back of the card.
For all eGift cards, click on the View and Print this Card button in the email confirmation. Once you are logged into your Virtual Account, you’ll be able to see the account number and other card details.
Physical cards will have the 16-digit Card number printed on the card and other important details will be located on the back of the card.
- Be sure to know your balance before you shop. To use your Gift Card along with another form of payment, just tell the cashier how much you want to apply to each payment type. Please note, not all merchants allow split payment transactions, and some transaction types require a hold of up to 20% above the purchase amount. See your Cardholder Agreement for more information.
- Swipe your Card and select Credit on the keypad.
Please note: not all merchants allow split payment transactions, and some transaction types require a hold of up to 20% above the purchase amount. See your Cardholder Agreement for more information.
Vanilla Visa eGift Cards can be added to a digital wallet for in-store use.
- Open the Wallet/App on your device.
- Follow the on-screen instructions, including entering your card number manually or taking a picture of your plastic card.
For Brand Gift Cards, present the gift card at the time of purchase. eGift cards will have redemption instructions located on the digital gift card.
- Make sure the balance of the Gift Card is more than the entire cost of the purchase, including taxes.
- Select ‘Credit’ or ‘Debit’ as the payment method (Do not select ‘Gift Card’).
- In the Payment Method section, enter the card information as you would a credit or debit card.
- In the Billing Address section, please fill in your name and address.
Please note: some transaction types require a hold of up to 20% above the purchase amount. See your Cardholder Agreement for more information.
Vanilla Visa eGift Cards can be added to a digital wallet for in-store use.
- Open the Wallet/App on your device.
- Follow the on-screen instructions, including entering your card number manually or taking a picture of your plastic card.
In most cases, Brand Gift Cards purchased on https://dollargeneral.thegiftcardshop.com are ready to use immediately.
For Vanilla Visa Gift Cards, you must activate your Gift Card at https://balance.vanillagift.com or by calling the toll-free number listed on the back of your Card (1-833-322-6760). You will need to provide your Card number, valid thru date and the security code located on the back of your Card.
We recommend that you sign your name on the back of the Gift card and record the following information in case your Gift Card is ever lost or stolen: Gift Card number, security code and Customer Service phone number.
Most Retailer Gift Cards can be used at the merchant’s retail locations and online at the retailer’s website. However, since every retailer is different, please refer to their specific terms and conditions found on each retailer’s product page prior to purchasing their card.
Vanilla Visa Gift Cards can be used for contactless payment via digital wallets: Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Google Pay.
Vanilla Visa Gift Card
You can use your Vanilla Gift Card virtually anywhere Visa Cards are accepted within the United States and District of Columbia, except the Gift Card may not be used for recurring billing or at ATMs.
The Gift Card Shop Gift Card
The Gift Card Shop Gift Card is only redeemable at TheGiftCardShop.com. Card is not reloadable and not redeemable for cash except as required by law.
You can use Dollar General branded cards at any of our locations for purchases in-store or online if applicable.
When paying at the pump, some merchants can authorize and hold up to $175 or the full value of your card, whichever amount is smaller to ensure you have sufficient funds. So, make sure you always know your balance. To avoid the hold at the pump, give your card to the attendant to prepay for the gas.
Some purchases require a preauthorization wherein the merchant sends in a transaction for a higher amount than the purchase. This most often occurs at the gas pump or at a restaurant. When dining out, restaurants typically add 20% to your total to account for the tip. We are required to approve and hold funds based on the estimated total until the merchant finalizes the transaction. Merchant finalization can take up to 7 business days.
No, we cannot transfer your funds onto a physical gift card.
Gift Cards cannot be used at ATMs nor can you get cash back from any of your purchases.
To check the balance for Visa egift cards, click on the “View and Print this Card” button in the recipient eGift email. Once you are logged into your Virtual Account, you’ll be able to see the available balance on the Gift Card.
To check the balance on all other gift cards, please follow the instructions on the back of the card or within the card Terms and Conditions on the gift card certificate.
Vanilla Gift Card expiration dates can go up to 14 years in the future. Online merchants may not always offer future expiration date options. Please reach out to them if your gift card has a longer expiration date than what is available. If you face this issue and there is a digital wallet payment option, add the gift card to your digital wallet and retry the transaction. You can also try making your purchase on the merchant's app, as the expiration date field on the app's checkout page may accept your expiration date.
Shipping & Delivery
Gift Cards can be delivered to one address, which can be different from the billing address.
We don’t ship Gift Cards to PO Boxes, APO or FPO addresses, or international addresses.
Of course! To do so, enter your own information in the Recipient fields.
Delivery time for physical gift cards depends on the shipping method selected. You can opt for Rush (2-3 business days), Expedited (3-4 business days), or Standard Trackable (3-10 business days). If you selected a shipping method that has a tracking number it will be emailed once the order ships.
Most Approved eGift orders are delivered within 5 minutes but can take up to 24 hours.
If the recipient did not receive the eGift Card email, you can resend the email by going to the Dollar General gift card website. Click Track Order and enter your email address used to order. Once you’ve located the purchase, you can resend the email.
If you and/or the recipient have not received your eGift and you need to resend or change the email address, please click on the Change/Resend email link in your email titled “Your Order Is On Its Way.”
Please note, the email address on file with the order may not be the email address that is most current. Be prepared with the original recipient email address before calling customer service.
For physical orders, after your gift card is shipped, you will receive an email with an order tracking number. If you know your order number, you can visit the Track Order page and enter your order number to access the current shipping or delivery status of your gift card or eGift card.
If you know your order number, you can visit the Track Order page to pull up your order and print your invoice. Please contact The Gift Card Shop customer service for assistance at 1-833-942-7467 to obtain another order confirmation email if you do not know your order number.
For physical orders, gift cards will be placed on an individual card carrier and delivered in a gifting envelope. eGift card orders will be delivered via an email with a link to the eGift card.
All physical gift cards in your order will be received in one shipping package and all eGift cards in your order will be delivered in separate emails per gift card.
Cancel Order
In the interest of processing your order as quickly as possible, once your order has been processed and you receive an order confirmation email, there is only a brief window of time where you will be able to cancel your order after it has been placed. We highly encourage you to review your cart and checkout details before checking out.
Please call Customer Service at 1-833-942-7467 to get details about your canceled order. If your order is not processed at the time of purchase, you will receive a reference number on the site. If your order is cancelled after the purchase has been completed, you will receive a cancellation email with a reference number. Please provide the order and reference number when you contact us.
You may be able to get a refund on your purchase. Terms and conditions apply. See Cardholder Agreement for details or call 1-833-942-7467 to find out how you can get a refund on your purchase.
Once a Brand Gift Card has been purchased, it is non-refundable.
Security & Fees
Most gift cards are not subject to any expiration dates or any issuance, activation, or dormancy fees. You will only be charged the face value of these gift cards plus shipping & handling. Visa cards have an additional fee, which will be clearly stated when you select the card and automatically added to your subtotal at checkout.
Some Gift Card retailers require a brief waiting period before funds are available in order to prevent fraud and ensure your funds are fully and safely loaded. Funds are typically available within twenty-four (24) hours. Please contact your Gift Card retailer for assistance if your funds are not available within twenty-four (24) hours.
Please contact The Gift Card Shop customer service for assistance at 1-833-942-7467
This website is hosted and operated by The Gift Card Shop.com in relationship with Dollar General Gift Card program. Purchases made on this website and the fulfillment of those purchases are provided by The Gift Card Shop.
InComm Payments (the operator of this platform) uses administrative, technical and physical safeguards designed to protect against unauthorized disclosure, use, alteration or destruction of your personal information. However, despite these precautions, you should understand that no data storage system or transmission of data over the internet or any public network can be guaranteed to be 100% secure.