Why Did I Lose a Gift Card Dispute?

Modified on Thu, 17 Aug 2023 at 12:35 PM

Paxful conducts thorough investigations to resolve gift card disputes. Here are several possible reasons why you may lose a dispute:


As a buyer, you could lose your dispute due to any of the following reasons:

  • Not providing valid evidence requested within the time frame given to you
  • Unable to prove that you are the original owner of the gift card. We do not advise selling a card that you did not originally buy. No brokering of gift cards is allowed
  • Selling a used or invalid gift card
  • The evidence provided was insufficient 
  • A violation of the other party’s offer terms and/or trade instructions
  • Failing to provide proof of payment, not responding to the seller or otherwise being inactive in the trade after clicking "Paid" (please note that in these cases, your dispute may be decided in under 12 hours)
  • Other violations of Paxful’s Terms of Service


Supporting the trade of gift cards for cryptocurrencies is complicated. The guidelines we follow are to protect the Paxful community when a gift card trade is disputed.

As a seller, you could lose your dispute due to any of the following reasons:

  • You redeemed a valid gift card and did not release the cryptocurrency
  • A violation of the offer terms and/or trade instructions
  • Suspicious trade activity
  • You provided insufficient, false, or edited evidence
  • Other violations of Paxful’s Terms of Service

Note: Some of these reasons could lead to you being permanently banned from our platform.


What should I do during a gift card dispute?

Paxful conducts thorough investigations to resolve gift card disputes, despite minimal support from gift card services. If you enter into a dispute, you must be prepared to prove that you are the owner of the card. If you are not the original owner of the gift card, proving its validity is very difficult. For this reason, sellers of cryptocurrency are highly favored in such disputes.


What do we ask for in gift card disputes?

  • A photo of the original gift card with your Paxful trade chat clearly visible in the background
  • A complete photo of the original receipt (no cut-offs)
  • For electronic codes (e-codes), an invoice of the original payment and video recording of your bank statement as proof of purchase
  • Proof of conversation with the gift card issuing company’s customer support
  • Any additional evidence as required by Paxful (Example: ID Verification)

Note: Gift card disputes may take up to three weeks to resolve. Following the moderator's instructions and being responsive in the trade chat is important for resolving the dispute in a timely manner. Here’s a detailed article about the dispute process.


As per our Terms of Service, we remind you that Paxful is neither a licensed gift card vendor nor an authorized dealer of any gift card issuer, and brokering or reselling gift cards is strictly prohibited on our platform. Paxful understands that gift card disputes can be quite challenging and we are continuously working towards solutions to make the trading experience safe and secure for all our users.


If you need any assistance from our Support team, do not hesitate to contact us. Check out this article on How to Contact Support.