• CardPool

CardPool

Write a Review

Overview

CardPool has a rating of 1.9 stars from 761 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers complaining about CardPool most frequently mention gift cards, customer service, and phone number problems. CardPool ranks 123rd among Gift Cards sites.

  • Service
    75
  • Value
    71
  • Shipping
    62
  • Returns
    44
  • Quality
    63
30
See all photos
How would you rate CardPool?
Top Positive Review

“CardPool Worked Fine For Me! These Other Reviews Are Probably Stupid lol”

John C.
2/13/18

I'm not sure why this site has so many bad reviews. As a person who used to own a survey site, it's probably from people not following directions, or trying to use the card after they sold it. It worked perfectly for me, I sold two cards, a Macy's card that I got from swagbucks and a Victoria Secret card that I gave to a Tinder chick and took it back from her after I found out she got some more side dudes without asking me first. Got my check in about 5 biz days.

Top Critical Review

“Scam! They take your money and take forever IF they send you your gift card!”

Megan P.
4/1/19

I bought gift cards for one merchant and they were electronic but took too long to get to me through e-mail (which should be almost instant)... the item I was trying to purchase went out of stock and then back off sale back to its original price which was double the amount. $300 instead of on sale for $150 when I bought the gift cards. I've been e-mailing for a month now and NO responses, not a single one! Then I purchased a gift card last week and still have not received it. Other sites I've used I get the gift card within 15 mins... this one I'm lucky if I get it at all and definitely no refunds whatsoever... don't waste your money even if they price for a bigger discount it's not worth losing a couple of hundred dollars or more. The screenshot shows their one automated response saying they will get back to me... but when? In a few years?

Reviews (761)

Rating

Timeframe

Other

Reviews that mention popular keywords

gift card (481) customer service (161) gift cards (481) phone number (54) business day (81) credit card (76)
Thumbnail of user meganp69
1 review
3 helpful votes
  • Send Message
April 1st, 2019

I bought gift cards for one merchant and they were electronic but took too long to get to me through e-mail (which should be almost instant)... the item I was trying to purchase went out of stock and then back off sale back to its original price which was double the amount. $300 instead of on sale for $150 when I bought the gift cards. I've been e-mailing for a month now and NO responses, not a single one!
Then I purchased a gift card last week and still have not received it. Other sites I've used I get the gift card within 15 mins... this one I'm lucky if I get it at all and definitely no refunds whatsoever... don't waste your money even if they price for a bigger discount it's not worth losing a couple of hundred dollars or more.

The screenshot shows their one automated response saying they will get back to me... but when? In a few years?

Thumbnail of user qiangt
1 review
2 helpful votes
  • Send Message
August 25th, 2019

I had about half dozen purchases for over a year without an issue. Then I purchased 2 Starbucks cards in June and one of which was not a valid card. As you know, there is no phone support and email takes a few days for them to respond (if you're lucky). I told them about this issue and received an auto reply email that they would get back to me. Three weeks past and I still didn't hear a thing. I sent the second email, then the third one... I gave up and regretted I told a few friends to sign up!

Be careful and good luck if you're still using their service.

Thumbnail of user zachw37
1 review
3 helpful votes
  • Send Message
April 21st, 2019

I mailed them physical cards to a restaurant and they've kept them without paying me. They absolutely will not respond to emails no matter how times or addresses i send from. They have no phone support. My cards have been in review for over 3 weeks.

Tip for consumers:
Do not mail them cards. They just steal them.

Products used:
Gift card sale

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user davidl1234
1 review
5 helpful votes
  • Send Message
May 9th, 2019

I used to have such great experiences with this company - rarely an issue - until my last purchase... From what I'm hearing Cardpool either closed up shop or transferred ownership.
I was out $409.50 and had to have my cc company go after them.
Their formerly great customer service just literally disappeared - all you get now is auto responses

Thumbnail of user mikea346
1 review
1 helpful vote
  • Send Message
June 21st, 2018

Tried a $50 Barnes & Noble card. Offered $30.00 (60%). The kiosk swipe did not work so I had to manually enter the number. Scanner would not scan my driver's license; multiple attempts. Went home and bought two magazine subscriptions for my wife.

Thumbnail of user zn11
1 review
3 helpful votes
  • Send Message
February 16th, 2018

Stole my $50 giftcard without paying me, said they never got it. This would be the first time USPS has ever lost a package of mine or someone stole one after a long history of sending and receiving goods via post, so I don't doubt that CardPool received my gift card. Don't do business with them, you've been warned. They are con artists and will steal your money. Fact.

Thumbnail of user garenc
1 review
5 helpful votes
  • Send Message
November 11th, 2014

Sadly, after a couple of perfectly fine experiences, I had two epic fails. Orders were not fulfilled, customer service took a week to respond, and then the answers back are simply nonsensical. Sad, because the concept is great, but these folks seem to be processing orders on index cards, or have no internal inventory or system controls. I suggest staying away, and I seldom leave negative reviews.

Service
Value
Quality
Thumbnail of user micahr9
1 review
11 helpful votes
  • Send Message
July 4th, 2017
• Updated review

Listen, let me tell you that NONE of the positive reviews here are real. This site is a complete scam. I have filed a brief with the CA Attorney's General to hopefully get my money back. Be forewarned folks!

Thieves! Please stay away!
April 5th, 2017
• Previous review

Pdated by cardpoolsux, Apr 04,2017
These guys are total crooks. I am STILL WAITING to be paid for 2 gift cards I've sold to them. Transaction # *******, in fact.

Cardpool, you better pay up! Buyers out there... BEWARE! Dont sell or buy from these scam artists. I would like a full payment as agreed to asap.

Updated by cardpoolsux, Apr 05,2017
So now that they have my gift card info, they have sold it or given it to someone else, and now are not going to pay me! This is INSANE!

SEE BELOW. Gift cards have no value now and now they have will not pay me for them? What in the world?

Cardpool Support, Apr 5:

Hi CUSTOMER,

We've recently discovered that both the Best Buy gift card codes that you sold to us lost value. Unfortunately, we're no longer able to accept the gift card codes in your transaction. According to the terms of service published on Cardpool.com, we cannot issue payment for gift cards that have been used or lose value after they have been sold and may cancel outstanding payment for the gift card or charge the credit card that you submitted in order to recover the amount that was paid for the gift card.

We are writing to let you know that we have canceled checks #******* and #******* to recover our costs for this transaction. We recommend that you destroy this check when you receive it as it has been voided.

Regards,
Jasmine
Cardpool.com

SOMEONE NEEDS TO STOP THESE CRIMINALS!

Thumbnail of user enigmok
1 review
2 helpful votes
  • Send Message
July 18th, 2013

Something is real shady about this "company." Be warned. They cancel your offers without explanation. They call asking strange questions about a $50 gift card, then still cancel the order after you satisfy their idiotic curiosities. I'm thinking they're a front for something else, interested primarily in acquiring information than actually buying legitimate gift cards. Who, what and why, no idea. But something is very wrong with cardpool.

Thumbnail of user sierram2
1 review
0 helpful votes
  • Send Message
June 12th, 2014

Purchased an e gift card online, Cardpool said it would take 1 business day to send code to email, but I did not receive it until two and a half days later. Customer service reps are rude, very unfriendly and impersonal.

Thumbnail of user dmitryy1
1 review
4 helpful votes
  • Send Message
February 10th, 2018

Horrible experience! Ordered several Lowes e-gift cards. Cardpool's website claims most orders will be processed within "several minutes". Once you place the order, the disclosure changes to "most order processed within 24 hours". Mine is still processing (4 days after placing the order). I called their customer service number 12 times - every time got a voice mail. A also sent them several emails with the request to cancel the order as it did not meet processing deadlines stated on THEIR own company's website. Four days later received email from them asking to call them again to verify some information - this is in response to my request to cancel the order! They either need to get out of business or allocate proper resources to their customer service department. Currently, they are the best joke around in San Francisco! And they seem not to care!

Thumbnail of user yogik2
1 review
1 helpful vote
  • Send Message
October 13th, 2017

I bought $200 worth electronic american Airlines GC, it has been more than 1 day and my order is not delivered yet. I wonder what makes them take days to deliver electronic giftcard. I used other services like raise and cardkangaroo before they are extremely fast and reliable. This is by far the worst service I have ever seen. If you want to save time and money stay away from this.

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user sarahy17
7 reviews
32 helpful votes
  • Send Message
March 31st, 2015

I've used several of these discounted online giftcard sites and this is the worst. All other sites send the e-card within hours, so far it's been a day and nothing. Raise.com also offers $5 discounts on cards, use them instead.

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user keitht59
2 reviews
3 helpful votes
  • Send Message
January 14th, 2018

Wish I'd read these reviews before wasting a week of my life with Cardpool. No response to initial sale or e mails, then a week later "sorry, taking longer due to high demand" and "will be complete shortly". So already WAY beyond times quoted on their web site, no proactive communication and then a huffy response about security and validity. Stay away - abysmal Customer "Service"

Thumbnail of user krisp29
1 review
4 helpful votes
  • Send Message
September 29th, 2015

Ordered a $200 gift card. 3 days later it was cancelled. Email was very vague and poorly worded with no reason for the cancellation. I'm questioning the legitimacy of this site, that now has my credit card info!

Thumbnail of user tonif8
1 review
3 helpful votes
  • Send Message
April 4th, 2016

I put in a large order because we need to do a lot of home repairs prior to selling our house. They waited 2 days and cancelled for NO reason without even trying to contact me. Now it's too late to use another site.

Thumbnail of user heatherm234
2 reviews
3 helpful votes
  • Send Message
April 2nd, 2018

I have placed 2 orders two days apart and BOTH transactions have been cancelled by Cardpool without explanation. Just stated in an email that the risk assessment team determined that they could not process the order at this time. I called *******787 and he was just a "confirmation assist" and had no explanation. Waiting for email replies... still. Makes me leery of doing any business here.

Thumbnail of user deneens
1 review
0 helpful votes
  • Send Message
January 26th, 2014

Ordered a $90. Victoria Secrets gift card. Their e-mails said it could take up to 3 weeks, UPS first class. Not from San Francisco to Walnut Creek CA. I had to wait 3 weeks then never received it. Their e-mails said I could get my money back. Now they just ignore me. Liars and scam artists. I can dispute the charge with my CC company but these poor people that have sent them their gift cards are out of luck.

Thumbnail of user mitchs39
1 review
4 helpful votes
  • Send Message
August 8th, 2018

I had two $500 dollar Best Buy gift cards. I read some some false 5 star rating reviews. So, I gave them my cards information. It's now been a whole year of no reply from email, for my checks. This type of behavior that cannot be tolerated and they should be sued and shut down completely. This is a crime. I feel the problem is no one wants to waste their money and time trying to sue this bs company probably run by foreigners over seas.

Thumbnail of user eileenl14
1 review
6 helpful votes
  • Send Message
August 2nd, 2016

Well, I should have read these reviews before doing an exchange with Cardpool.

I sent in a restaurant gift card two weeks ago using Cardpool's own pre-printed mailing label. I included the packing slip I printed from their site which had my name, address, and transaction number.

I wrote them asking where my Amazon gift card was and, surprise, surprise, they supposedly have somehow never received my gift card. How do you prove you mailed something? You can't. So, I'm sol.

They discovered a great way to scam people. Stay far, far, far away!

Thumbnail of user chrisb80
2 reviews
3 helpful votes
  • Send Message
February 24th, 2013

No problems with selling.
Iv sold 6 gift cards for $200 since 2011.
Iv never mailed them anything. Always used the sell for amazon gift card.
It says you will receive payment within 24 hours but usually takes 3 days.
Overall it's a great website. Iv gotten paid for random gift cards I don't want to use.

Thumbnail of user briann62
1 review
1 helpful vote
  • Send Message
February 22nd, 2014

Terrible, terrible. Company. They say you get electronic cards within 24 hours. Still waiting over 2 days later. Nobody answers the phone. Emails just get answered with generic responses. The online verification didn't work and it took a while to talk to someone -- still hasn't helped. Have received several emails that need to verify. Utter disaster.

Thumbnail of user tp45
2 reviews
7 helpful votes
  • Send Message
February 26th, 2017

Terrible!
Just want to share my experience so others don't expect much from this site.
I buy gift cards for upcoming purchases from several sites that are usually great!
I buy a small one for about $10 or $20 first just to try them out, and, after 5 days, I still have not received my VIRTUAL E-CARD from this site that they claim is typically delivered within 24 hours. I even emailed them several days later, and got a reply that said my "order has been put on verification call and we shall have one of our verification specialist to call you shortly." That was 3 days ago. Still nothing.
Will never buy from them again.
Every other place has been GREAT! My favorite is raise, also just tried cookie and cash. Both sent my gift cards immediately.

Tip for consumers:
Don't buy from them.

Service
Thumbnail of user johnt383
1 review
3 helpful votes
  • Send Message
March 27th, 2017

My initial purchase through Cardpool was successful, even though it took too long to finally receive my electronic card in my email. The last 2 were cancelled by their "risk management team". No reason was given. This company is a joke. I will use raise or some other company. CardPool is terrible!

Thumbnail of user colbit
1 review
1 helpful vote
  • Send Message
March 30th, 2018

There is absolutely no way to get in contact with the company, but I was able to sell my gift card successfully. Submitted all of the information online to sell it on a Friday, got an email confirmation that a check was being sent out 14 minutes later, and the check arrived for the correct amount the following Friday (one week to the day). Dont know what I would have done if the check never came as you will NEVER get someone on the phone... but it worked out.

Sitejabber for Business

Gain trust and grow your business with customer reviews.

From the business

Buy discount gift cards up to 35% off. Sell gift cards for cash at Cardpool - the most trusted and popular gift card exchange. FREE USPS Shipping.

Company Representative

Thumbnail of user candiceb
Candice B.

How do I know I can trust these reviews about CardPool?

  • Sitejabber’s mission is to increase online transparency for buyers and businesses
  • Sitejabber has helped over 200M buyers make better purchasing decisions online
  • Suspicious reviews are flagged by our algorithms, moderators, and community members
Have a question about CardPool?