Can Best Buy Rewards Be Used For Gift Cards? | Gift Card Use

Yes, you can turn points into select e-gift cards, but reward certificates won’t apply to gift card purchases at checkout.

You’ve got rewards sitting in your account, you spot a gift card you’d rather buy, and you think: “Easy. I’ll pay with rewards.” Then checkout shuts it down. That moment is common, and it usually comes from mixing up two different things Best Buy calls “rewards.”

This article clears up the wording, the rules, and the checkout behavior you’ll actually see. You’ll leave knowing which rewards can become gift cards, which ones can’t, and the cleanest way to use your rewards without wasting time.

Can Best Buy Rewards Be Used For Gift Cards? Rules That Apply

It depends on what kind of reward you mean:

• Reward certificates: These act like coupons taken off an order total. Best Buy’s program terms list gift card purchases as excluded from reward certificate redemption, and online orders that include a Best Buy gift card can be excluded from reward certificate redemption as well. That’s why checkout blocks it. You can review the details in the My Best Buy Membership Program Rules.
• Reward points (credit card points): If you’re eligible, points can be redeemed for gift cards through Best Buy’s redemption channel rather than used as a coupon on a normal cart checkout. Best Buy’s membership FAQs point to this option here: redeeming points for gift cards.

So, if your plan is “add a gift card to cart and apply a certificate,” that’s the path that gets rejected. If your plan is “redeem points for an e-gift card through the rewards portal,” that’s a different path and it can work when your account is eligible.

What Best Buy Calls “Rewards” In Plain English

Best Buy uses a few similar-sounding terms, and they don’t behave the same way. Getting these straight saves a lot of checkout frustration.

Reward Points

Points are the balance that accumulates on qualifying purchases when you’re in a points-earning setup. Points are not a checkout payment method by themselves. Think of points as “stored value” that can be exchanged into something else.

In the Best Buy ecosystem, the most common exchange is turning points into a reward certificate. For some eligible members, points can also be redeemed into gift cards through the redemption channel referenced in the membership FAQs. You can see Best Buy’s current wording in the My Best Buy Memberships FAQs.

Reward Certificates

A reward certificate is a coupon-like discount you apply at checkout. It reduces the taxable purchase amount because it’s treated like a discount on eligible items, not like a gift card payment. That’s why Best Buy requires the eligible merchandise subtotal (before tax) to be at least the certificate amount.

Certificates can feel like cash because they reduce what you pay, but they’re still a discount tool with strict exclusions. Gift cards land inside those exclusions in the program terms, so a certificate won’t attach to a cart with gift cards the way it will attach to a cart with headphones, a cable, or a service.

Promotional Certificates

Best Buy also issues promotional certificates during promos. They behave like certificates: discount-style, one-time, expiration date, and exclusions controlled by the certificate terms. If you’re holding a promo certificate, expect gift cards to be blocked in the same way as reward certificates.

Why Checkout Blocks Reward Certificates On Gift Cards

From Best Buy’s side, letting a coupon-style certificate buy a gift card creates a loophole. A certificate is meant to discount products and services, not to turn into a cash-like stored-value card that can be used later.

The program rules spell this out in the exclusions for redemptions: purchases of Best Buy gift cards are excluded, and online transactions that contain the purchase of a Best Buy gift card can be excluded as well. In real life, that shows up as one of these outcomes:

• The certificate box is missing or grayed out.
• You can enter the certificate code, but it won’t apply.
• You get an error saying the certificate exceeds eligible items, because the gift card line is treated as ineligible.

That last one is sneaky. If your cart has a $25 gift card and a $4 cable, and you apply a $10 certificate, the system only “sees” $4 of eligible merchandise. The certificate can’t cover more than eligible items, so it fails even though your cart total is higher.

What You Can Do Instead When You Want Gift Cards

If your real goal is to turn rewards into a card you can spend later, there are cleaner options than fighting checkout.

Option 1: Redeem Points For Gift Cards Through The Rewards Channel

Some eligible members can redeem points for e-gift cards through Best Buy’s redemption flow rather than by adding a gift card to a regular cart. Best Buy references this directly in its membership FAQs, linking to the redemption channel for gift cards. Start at the gift card redemption site and follow the prompts tied to your account.

This route is not “apply certificate at checkout.” It’s “convert points into a gift card offer.” The portal lists available brands and the points required per card. Availability can change, and the catalog can differ by account type.

Option 2: Use The Certificate On Stuff You’d Buy Anyway

If you’re blocked from using a certificate on gift cards, the simple play is to use it on normal purchases you already planned: household batteries, a charger, a streaming stick, a case, screen protectors, cables, cleaning kits, or a small service add-on.

If your certificate is larger than your cart, add one more eligible item until the eligible merchandise subtotal is above the certificate amount. Keep the cart clean: don’t mix in gift cards or other excluded items.

Option 3: Split Your Purchase Into Two Transactions

If you want a gift card and you also want to use a certificate on merchandise, run two separate purchases:

1. Transaction one: eligible merchandise only, apply the certificate.
2. Transaction two: gift card purchase, pay with a standard payment method.

This avoids the “ineligible line item” issue that breaks certificates in mixed carts.

How To Tell What You Have In Your Account Before You Shop

A fast check upfront saves the back-and-forth at checkout.

Check If You Have Points Or A Certificate

If you see a dollar-amount coupon with an expiration date, that’s a certificate. If you see a points balance waiting to be issued or redeemed, that’s points. The Best Buy FAQs explain how certificates are issued from points and how point banking works for eligible accounts. The same FAQ page also links out to gift card redemption for points. See: Using points and certificates.

Watch For Expiration Dates

Certificates often expire. If you’re trying to “park” value by buying a gift card, a certificate block can feel extra annoying. If you’re eligible for point-to-gift-card redemption, that can act as a workaround. If you’re not, it’s usually smarter to spend the certificate on eligible merchandise before it expires than to let it die unused.

Common Checkout Scenarios And What Usually Happens

People hit this issue in repeatable ways. Here’s a practical map of what the system tends to do.

Buying A Best Buy Gift Card With A Reward Certificate

This is the classic “no.” The program rules list gift cards as excluded from certificate redemption. Checkout typically blocks applying the certificate.

Buying Third-Party Gift Cards With A Reward Certificate

Third-party gift cards are treated like stored-value products too. Expect the same block. If a gift card product page is fulfilled as a third-party card, treat it as ineligible for certificate discount.

Buying Merchandise And A Gift Card In One Cart

The certificate may apply only to the eligible merchandise portion, or it may fail entirely if the certificate amount is higher than eligible items. When it fails, the message often mentions the certificate exceeding eligible value.

Buying Only Merchandise

This is where certificates shine. Keep your cart free of excluded items, keep the eligible subtotal above the certificate amount, and checkout is smooth.

Rewards And Gift Cards At A Glance

Reward Or Payment Type	Can It Be Used To Buy Gift Cards?	What To Know
Reward certificate	No	Gift card purchases are listed as excluded from certificate redemption in program terms.
Promotional certificate	No	Usually follows certificate-style exclusions and won’t apply to stored-value items.
Points eligible for gift card redemption	Yes	Redeem points through the gift card redemption channel instead of cart checkout.
Best Buy gift card (as payment)	No	Best Buy gift cards can’t be used to buy other gift cards per Best Buy gift card FAQs.
Store credit (returns/exchanges)	Often no	Rules vary by credit type; stored-value items are commonly excluded.
Best Buy credit card	Yes	A standard payment method can buy gift cards, subject to fraud checks and limits.
Debit card / bank card	Yes	Standard payment method; digital gift cards can trigger extra verification.
PayPal / digital wallet	Yes	Allowed payment option in many cases, with the same stored-value restrictions for coupons.

If you want the rule in one line: certificates discount eligible products, while gift cards are stored value. Best Buy draws a hard line between those categories in its program terms.

Gift Card Rules That Trip People Up

Even once you accept that certificates won’t buy gift cards, there are two more gift card rules that surprise shoppers.

You Usually Can’t Use A Gift Card To Buy Another Gift Card

Best Buy’s gift card FAQ states that a Best Buy gift card can’t be used to purchase another Best Buy gift card. That stops the “stacking” loop where stored value turns into more stored value. See the Gift Cards FAQ for that rule.

Gift Cards Have Their Own Terms And Exclusions

Gift cards are simple to spend on merchandise, but they still come with terms. Best Buy’s gift card terms page lays out basic conditions and also notes that gift cards are not valid to purchase Best Buy or third-party cards. You can read it on the Gift Cards Terms and Conditions page.

What To Do When The Website Says Your Certificate “Exceeds Eligible Items”

This message almost always means your cart includes something the certificate can’t touch. Gift cards are a common trigger. A few other categories can trigger it too, based on the program terms and the specific certificate restrictions.

Try this quick cleanup:

1. Remove all gift cards from the cart, then re-apply the certificate.
2. If it applies, you’ve found the issue. Finish this purchase as a merchandise-only order.
3. Buy the gift card as a separate order using a standard payment method.
4. If it still won’t apply, check whether your certificate amount is higher than the eligible merchandise subtotal before tax.

If you’re close, add a small eligible item to bring the eligible subtotal above the certificate value. Keep it simple: one cart for certificate use, one cart for gift cards.

Fast Decision Checklist For Rewards And Gift Cards

Use this as a quick mental flow before you spend time building a cart.

If You Have A Reward Certificate

• Plan to use it on products or services, not gift cards.
• Keep the cart free of gift cards to avoid checkout blocks.
• Make sure eligible items total more than the certificate value before tax.

If You Have Reward Points And Want Gift Cards

• Check whether your account can redeem points for gift cards through Best Buy’s redemption flow.
• Redeem points there, then use the resulting gift card like a normal gift card.
• Expect brand availability and point requirements to vary by account.

Checkout Fixes That Work More Often Than Not

Problem You See	Likely Cause	Fix
Certificate won’t apply to cart with gift card	Gift cards are excluded from certificate redemption	Remove gift cards, place two separate orders
Error says certificate exceeds eligible items	Eligible subtotal is below certificate value	Add eligible item or lower certificate amount used
Certificate field missing at checkout	Cart contains excluded item types	Remove excluded items, refresh checkout
Trying to buy gift card with Best Buy gift card	Gift cards can’t buy other gift cards	Use a standard payment method for gift card purchases
Points visible, no certificate available	Points not yet issued or banking settings	Check rewards settings, then issue certificate if eligible
Gift card redemption not showing the brand you want	Redemption catalog varies	Pick from available offers or use certificate on merchandise
Order flagged or delayed when buying digital gift cards	Fraud and verification checks	Verify account details, use a consistent payment method

Practical Ways To Get Full Value From Your Rewards

If you’re trying to stretch rewards as far as possible, gift cards aren’t always the best target anyway. Certificates reduce the pre-tax merchandise total, which can feel better than turning points into a card you spend later. The trade-off is the exclusions and the expiration date.

Here are three low-drama ways to spend certificates well:

• Bundle small essentials: Stock up on items you’ll replace anyway so the certificate doesn’t get stranded.
• Pair with planned upgrades: If you already planned to buy a router, earbuds, or a monitor, apply the certificate there instead of forcing it onto a gift card.
• Use pickup to stay in control: Store pickup reduces delivery timing surprises and makes returns easier if you change your mind.

If your real goal is a flexible “spend later” option, check if your points can be redeemed into gift cards through the redemption flow. If not, the cleanest play is usually to buy something you’d buy anyway and use the savings right now.