You’re standing there with a plastic card in your hand or a 14-digit code in your inbox, and you just want to know if it's worth $5 or $500. You don't want to buy anything yet. You definitely don't want to "lock" that money to your specific account because maybe you're planning to regift it or sell it on a secondary market.
Can you do it?
The short answer is: Sorta, but Amazon makes it incredibly difficult on purpose.
Usually, the second you type that claim code into the "Redeem a Gift Card" box, the balance hits your account for good. There is no "undo" button. There is no "just checking" mode in the standard interface. Most people find this out the hard way. They click "Apply to your balance" thinking they'll see the number first, and—poof—the card is dead, and their account balance is higher.
But if you’re trying to view amazon gift card balance without redeeming it, there are a few technical workarounds and specific scenarios where you can actually see the value without burning the code. It requires a bit of patience and knowing exactly where to look.
The "Add to Cart" trick that sometimes works
This is the "old reliable" method for many resellers, though it's gotten a bit finicky lately.
Basically, you go through the motions of buying something expensive—much more expensive than you think the gift card is worth. Let’s say you have a card you think is $25. Put a $500 laptop in your cart. Go to the checkout screen. When it asks for your payment method, enter the gift card claim code there.
Now, here is the vital part: Do not click the final "Place your order" button. Often, the checkout summary on the right-hand side (or the bottom on mobile) will show a breakdown of the costs. It might say "Gift Card: -$25.00" and then show the remaining balance you owe via credit card. If you see that "Gift Card" deduction, you’ve successfully seen the balance.
Then you just back out. Close the tab. Delete the item from your cart.
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The risk? If the gift card balance actually covers the entire cost of the item, some versions of the Amazon checkout might auto-complete or move the balance to your account immediately. That’s why you pick something expensive. Also, honestly, Amazon’s UI updates constantly. In some regions, entering the code at checkout is redeeming it. Use this with caution.
Check the original receipt or the physical packaging
People forget the obvious.
If you bought the card at a grocery store like Kroger or a pharmacy like CVS, the value is almost always printed on the activation receipt. Not the card itself—the paper receipt the cashier handed you. If this was a gift, the "gift receipt" usually won't show the value, but the original purchaser’s digital confirmation or physical slip will.
Digital cards (E-gift cards) are even easier. If you received the card via email, the value is usually displayed right there in the body of the email or on the "Claim Your Gift" landing page before you actually log in and hit the redeem button.
If you're looking at a physical card you found in a drawer, look at the back. Some older cards have the value printed in the top right corner. Most newer ones don't, because stores prefer "variable load" cards where you choose the amount at the register.
Using Amazon Customer Service (The safest bet)
If you really need to verify a code without attaching it to your email address, you can talk to a human.
Log into your account, go to the "Help" section, and start a live chat. Tell them something like: "I found this physical gift card, and I'm not sure if it has been used or what the value is. I want to give it to my nephew, so I don't want to redeem it on my account. Can you verify the status?"
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The representative can see the "status" of the code in their backend. They can tell you if it's active and what the denomination is. They won't ask you to "apply" it to get that info. It’s a bit of a hassle to wait in a chat queue, but it’s the only way to get a 100% factual answer without risking the "auto-redeem" trap.
Why Amazon makes this so hard
It’s all about fraud and "card draining."
If it were easy to check balances anonymously, scammers would use automated bots to cycle through millions of number combinations to find active cards. By forcing a login or a redemption to see the value, Amazon creates a digital paper trail.
Also, they want the money in their ecosystem. Once you redeem a card, that money is effectively a 0% interest loan you've given to Amazon until you spend it. They have every incentive to get you to click that "Redeem" button as fast as possible.
Misconceptions about third-party "Balance Checker" websites
Listen closely: Never, ever use a third-party website that claims to check your Amazon balance.
If you Google "Amazon balance checker," you'll find sketchy sites that ask you to input your claim code. These are 100% scams. They are literally just "harvesting" your code. The moment you hit "Check Balance" on their site, a script on their end redeems the card to their own account. You'll get an error message saying "Balance could not be determined," but your money is already gone.
Only check the balance through the official Amazon app, the official website, or the physical receipt.
What to do if you accidentally redeemed it
If you were trying to view amazon gift card balance without redeeming it and you accidentally clicked too far, you're usually stuck.
Amazon gift card balances are non-transferable. You can't send that balance to another account once it's linked. However, there's a "workaround" if you were planning to give the money to someone else:
- Use your balance to buy a "Gift of Prime" (if they need a membership).
- Buy a physical product and ship it to them.
- Use the balance to buy a different "brand" gift card (like Starbucks or Google Play) if Amazon allows it in your region—though they've been cracking down on using Amazon credit to buy other gift cards lately.
Summary of Actionable Steps
- Check the email or receipt first. It’s the only way to be 100% sure without touching the Amazon interface.
- The High-Value Cart Method: Add a $2,000 TV to your cart, go to checkout, enter the code, and look for the deduction in the "Order Summary" before you finalize anything.
- Chat with Support: If it’s a high-value card and you can't risk it, let a customer service rep check the status for you.
- Avoid the Scams: Never type your code into any site that isn't
amazon.com.
If the code is already scratched off and you don't have the receipt, the Chat Support option is truly your best friend. It avoids the risk of the "Add to Cart" glitch and keeps the card "clean" so you can still give it away or sell it later. Just be clear with the rep that you do not want the card applied to your account during the verification process.
Once you have that number, you can decide whether to keep it for your next splurge or pass it along to someone else. Just remember that codes do sometimes have expiration dates in certain jurisdictions (though not usually in the US), so don't let it sit in a drawer for five years. Even if the balance is still there, getting a crusty old code to work in 2030 might be a whole different headache.