You can load a gift card without paying, you need a loading account with a 100% discount and apply it to the card. If it is a stolen gift card, you want to lie to the cashier to load and activate the gift card.

There are many reasons you would want to load a gift card without making payment. It could be that you have a stolen gift card, or you want free-loaded gift cards to give away to people as a promotion.

You can load gift cards without buying as a business or as a customer. As a business, you will apply any available discount to the gift card for promo or any reason. As a customer, you need to be able to read the hidden codes behind the silver overlay covering the activation code.

A gift card can be loaded with cash, credit card, or promo. In the case of loading without paying, this means you get the cashier to load the card while you go away with it.

For credit card payment, the cashier uses the Virtual Terminal, for cash payment the cashier uses to receives cash from you. But you do not want to pay the cash to load the gift card in your case.

For promo, a business will load your gift card without collecting money. This is typically done for charity.

You can easily load a gift card but not so easily if you want to get away without paying for it.

Meanwhile, a cashier is unable to load any gift cards not issued by Squareup using the POS. nonetheless, the payment can be recorded in the POS. the cashier only has to create the gift card and apply a 100% discount so that they pay no money for loading.

After the cashier loads the card for free, you will redeem it just like any normal gift card that is paid for. But this time you are not paying for it since the gift card was earlier loaded at a 100% discount.

1. Ask the cashier to apply discount

I have explained how this works already above. Some stores load gift cards to do promotional giveaways. So, you can take advantage of these giveaways to get a loaded gift card without paying.

The loaded amount is typically significant, like $50, it can be more. The cashier needs to create an account with a 100% discount such as Squareup.com.

The next thing is that the cashier loads the gift card like any other gift card on their systems and applies the 100% discount. The 100% discount means they are not charged for loading the card. Finally, they checkout for $0 but the gift card maintains the amount of money loaded into it.

2. Create multiple barcodes

You can create a duplicate of a gift card that is already loaded with cash. Only that the barcodes must be identical.

So, when you possess a gift card with identical barcodes, you can add money to any gift card using the barcode before the owner does.

This is not a walk in the park, thus, the reason it is hard to manipulate a loadable gift card.

3. Use a preactivated gift card

You can save yourself the stress and get a gift card that is already activated. Unfortunately, you have to engage in stealing or shoplift it. This is also difficult because you want to keep your eyes out for someone who just loaded their card. You can pickpocket it like a watch or as if you are shoplifting an expensive item.

A gift card that is preactivated mostly has funds loaded in it. You only have to use the gift card quickly before the owner does.

4. Force the cashier to load it

You also have the option to force it on the cashier. This is theft and perfectly punishable. You could be charged with a lot, including injuries due to trauma, or in the case where the cashier physically struggles with you.

Unlike getting out of a shoplifting charge, getting out of this one may not come so easy.

You cannot use a gift card if it is not loaded. A gift card needs to be loaded with funds and activated after payment before it works. Otherwise, you are only with a useless piece of plastic. An activated gift card has a value. If not loaded, it has zero balance, will not work on anything.

Meanwhile, if you steal a gift card that is not loaded with credit, you could still be charged. Of course, it costs the company to make the plastic used for the gift card.

Can you get away with stealing a loaded gift card?

You can get away with stealing a loaded gift card. The hard part is getting an actual gift card that has been loaded and is not traceable. Gift cards such as Visa and MasterCard are traceable, you do not want to use those illegally. Go after the store gift cards, those work like the normal $20 bill you pick on the ground.

If an untraceable gift card is stolen, the owner cannot find you. Just use it before they do if it is loaded.