You’re standing in the aisle at Advance Auto Parts. You’ve got a bottle of 5W-30 in one hand and a slightly scuffed plastic gift card in the other. Is there $5 on it? Or $50? Honestly, there is nothing more annoying than getting to the register and realizing your "payment" is basically a decorative piece of plastic with a zero balance.
Checking your advance auto gift card balance should be simple. It really should. But between the physical cards, the e-gift cards, and the older ones that might have been sitting in a junk drawer since the Ford administration, things get murky. People assume they can just tap their phone and see the number. Sometimes you can. Other times, you’re stuck looking for a tiny 10-digit PIN that’s been scratched off by a set of house keys.
I’ve seen folks walk away from a great deal on a DieHard battery just because they couldn't verify their funds on the spot. Don't be that guy. Checking the balance is a straightforward process if you know which "hoop" to jump through first.
How to actually see your Advance Auto gift card balance
Most people head straight to the website. That’s usually the smart play. Advance Auto Parts has a dedicated portal for this. You’ll need the card number—usually a long string of digits on the back—and the PIN. If you have an e-gift card, this info is buried in that email you probably archived three months ago. Search your inbox for "Advance Auto" or "Store Credit" before you give up.
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But what if the PIN is unreadable?
It happens. Grease, keys, and general pocket wear-and-tear destroy those silver scratch-off coatings. If you can’t read the PIN, the website is useless to you. In that case, you have to go the old-school route: the phone. You can call their customer service line at 1-877-238-2623. You’ll deal with an automated system, which is a bit of a headache, but they can usually pull the balance using just the main card number if the PIN is toast.
Then there’s the third option. Just walk into the store. Any cashier can swipe the card at the POS terminal and tell you exactly what’s left. If you’re already planning to buy some brake pads or a new air filter, this is the easiest way. No typing, no squinting at tiny numbers, no listening to "on-hold" music from 2012.
Why your balance might look wrong
Sometimes you check the balance and it's lower than you expected. This isn't always a mistake. If you recently used the card for an online order that you later canceled, the funds might be "stuck" in a pending state.
Advance Auto’s system, like many large retailers, places a temporary hold on the gift card funds when you click "place order." If the order doesn't go through or you cancel it five minutes later, those funds don't always snap back instantly. It can take 3 to 5 business days for the advance auto gift card balance to reflect the refund. It’s frustrating. It feels like your money vanished into the ether, but it’s usually just a banking lag.
Another thing to watch for is the difference between a "Gift Card" and "Store Credit." They look similar, but store credit issued from a return without a receipt sometimes has different rules. Check the fine print on the back. While standard gift cards don't expire under federal law (thanks to the CARD Act of 2009), certain types of promotional cards or "bonus" cards earned during sales events do have expiration dates.
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The "In-Store Only" headache
Here is a nuance most people miss. Occasionally, Advance Auto issues "Merchandise Credits." These are not technically gift cards. If you returned a core—like an old alternator or battery—and they put the credit on a card, it might be locked to in-store use only.
You try to use it online to buy a shiny new torque wrench, and the website rejects it. You check the balance, and it says $22.00. You try again. Rejected. This is because the backend systems for the website and the physical storefronts are occasionally "siloed." If you have a card that refuses to work online despite having a balance, take it to a physical location. Chances are, it’s a localized credit.
Buying cards from third parties
Listen, we all love a deal. Sites like Raise or CardCash often list Advance Auto cards for 5% or 10% off. It’s tempting. But this is the number one way people get burned on their balance.
You buy a $100 card for $90. You check the advance auto gift card balance immediately, and it’s there. Great. You wait two weeks to buy your parts. You go to checkout, and suddenly the balance is $0. What happened? The original seller used the card numbers before you did, or they reported the card as stolen after selling it to the exchange.
If you buy second-hand, use that balance immediately. Don't let it sit. The protection windows on those resale sites are notoriously short. If you're a DIYer planning a big project like a timing belt replacement, only buy the cards when you are ready to hit "buy" on the parts.
Maximize the value of your remaining balance
Let's say you check your balance and find out you have a random $4.12 left. It’s not enough for a jug of oil. It’s barely enough for a pack of shop towels.
Don't let it sit there. Advance Auto allows for "split payments" online and in-store. You can drain that $4.12 to the very last cent and then pay the rest with your credit card or PayPal. This is the best way to ensure you aren't leaving free money on the table. Over time, those little "dust" balances on various gift cards add up to a lot of wasted cash.
Also, keep in mind that Advance Auto Parts is part of a larger ecosystem. While you generally use these cards at Advance, they are often compatible with Carquest locations as well, since Advance acquired them years ago. If there isn't an Advance nearby, check the Carquest down the street; they can usually process the same gift card.
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Actionable steps to manage your cards
Stop losing money to forgotten balances or scratched-off PINs.
First, take a photo of the back of any gift card the moment you get it. If you lose the physical card, having the number and PIN saved in your "Auto" folder on your phone is a lifesaver. Customer support is much more likely to help you if you have a photo of the card's identifying marks.
Second, if you’re a Speed Perks member (their loyalty program), try to link your purchases. While the gift card itself doesn't always "link" to your account profile in a way that stores the balance, keeping your receipts in the Speed Perks digital locker helps if you ever need to prove you own a specific card.
Finally, if you find a card with a balance and you have no intention of fixing your car yourself, don't let it rot. Advance Auto gift cards are high-demand items. You can often trade them for grocery or gas cards through various kiosks, though you'll take a haircut on the total value. It's better than $0.00.
Check that balance today. Go to the official Advance Auto Parts website, scroll to the bottom, and click "Gift Cards." Punch in those numbers. If it works, great. If not, call the 877 number and get a human to verify it. Knowing exactly what you have before you start a weekend repair job is the difference between a finished car and a car on jack stands for three extra days.