How To Activate Walmart Gift Cards (+ Other Common FAQs)

Gift cards are the perfect way to give a great present to anyone on your shopping list. So, if you’re thinking about giving someone a Walmart gift card this year, it’s important that you know if it needs activation before giving it.

A Walmart gift card is perfect for anyone on your list, but it can be confusing to understand how or when to activate a Walmart gift card. Luckily, this article walks you through all the steps necessary to start your Walmart gift card.

How To Activate Walmart Gift Cards

Walmart gift card activation depends on the value of the card and the card type. That said, Walmart gift cards valued under $250 don’t require activation. Walmart’s secure Customer Account system allows for easy retrieval of misplaced eGift cards and storing multiple gift card information for future use.

Keep reading to see which Walmart cards need activation, how you can activate a card, and other useful Walmart gift card facts!

Do You Have To Activate a Walmart Gift Card?

No, any card that’s valued under $250 does not require activation at Walmart.

What Walmart Gift Cards Need To Be Activated?

Since Walmart wants to ensure that customers are protected, it requires any bulk gift card orders of more than 25 cards or gift cards valued at more than $250 to be activated before use.

To activate your Walmart gift card, you need to collect a password from an email sent at the time of purchase.

However, don’t worry if you lose the email, as a quick chat with Walmart Customer Care can help you get set up!

How Do You Activate Walmart Visa Gift Cards?

Before you can use your Walmart Visa Gift Card, you must register your card online or at a register.

Furthermore, registration requires you to provide the gift card number, three-digit security code, and expiration date.

How Do You Activate a Walmart Gift Card In Canada?

Available in denominations from $5-$250, in Canada, you can purchase either Vanilla prepaid Mastercard, Visa cards, or Walmart gift cards at Walmart locations.

How To Activate Walmart Canada Gift Cards and eGift Cards

Since Walmart gift cards are only available in denominations of $250 or less, no PIN and no activation are required.

However, the drawback is that you can only use Walmart gift cards at Walmart locations in Canada and on the Canadian Walmart website.

How To Active the Vanilla Walmart Mastercard Or Visa Gift Card

How To Active The Vanilla Walmart Mastercard Or Visa Gift Card

When you grab that Vanilla gift card off the shelf at Walmart, it has absolutely no value. Instead, you activate the card at the register.

Additionally, you can activate your Vanilla gift card by visiting the MyVanilla Card website.

Where Is the Gift Card Number On My Walmart Gift Card?

Walmart gift cards are unlike traditional debit or credit cards. Further, you can find the 16-digit card number printed right on the back of the card.

How Do I Find the PIN Number For My Walmart Gift Card?

You may not know this, but your Walmart gift card PIN is under the silver scratch-off section in the bottom right-hand corner of your card.

However, if you happen to scratch off too much and can’t read your PIN, you’ll only be able to use your card at Walmart stores!

For your security, you must enter the PIN before making online purchases. However, you can trade cards without PINs at Walmart and Sam’s Club locations.

How Do I Store a Gift Card in My Walmart Account?

Once you have activated your gift card, you can store its information in your Walmart account on the app for future use.

For your convenience, customers can save up to five Walmart gift cards and eGift cards to their account at once.

With that, to save a gift card to your Walmart account, simply follow these steps:

  1. Sign in to your Walmart account
  2. In the lower right-hand corner, click on “Account”
  3. Under “Account,” select “Add New Payment Method”
  4. Select “Gift Card”
  5. Enter the 16-digit card number and the PIN from the back of the card
  6. Assign a nickname for the card, which is convenient when you have multiple cards in your account (this step is optional)
  7. Click on “Save Card”

After these steps, the information is secure in your account, and you can apply your gift card to future purchases without re-entering the PIN.

How Can You Recover a Missing, Lost, Or Stolen Walmart eGift Card Email?

Now that online shopping is so popular, eGift cards have become a popular option when buying gift cards.

If you’re like me, you might lose track of your eGift card email, or it can wind up in the spam folder.

Don’t worry! These steps can help you find a Walmart eGift card email that is lost, missing, or stolen:

  • Check your spam folders. Certain email providers have stringent guidelines to place any unknown email address in the spam or junk folder.
  • When Walmart sends you an eGift card, it will go to the email associated with your Walmart.com account, so before purchasing, you should verify that your account has your current email address.
  • You will receive your Walmart eGift cards in your email 48 hours after purchase.

If you cannot find the email in your spam folder or it has been more than 48 since the purchase, you need to resend the eGift card from your account by accessing your purchase history.

At Walmart, you can also buy specialty gift cards for iTunes, Hulu, Chili, and other restaurant and entertainment options.

Additionally, if you lose one of these eGift card emails, you can find it by accessing the Walmart Digital Delivery Center.

Next, you can continue with the process by following these steps:

  1. Enter the email address you gave when purchasing the card.
  2. Enter the billing zip code for the card you used for payment.
  3. Enter the 13-digit Walmart Order number beginning with 2677 associated with your purchase.
  4. A replacement email can then be released to the email address associated with your order.

Does Walmart Replace Lost Or Stolen eGift Cards?

Unfortunately, Walmart doesn’t replace lost or stolen gift cards. Since Walmart will not be liable, make sure you take care of your email and Walmart.com passwords.

To learn more about Walmart gift cards, you can also see our posts on lost Walmart gift cards, whether Walmart gift cards are reloadable, and where can Walmart gift cards be used.

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Marques Thomas

Marques Thomas graduated with a MBA in 2011. Since then, Marques has worked in the retail and consumer service industry as a manager, advisor, and marketer. Marques is also the head writer and founder of QuerySprout.com.

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