topic Re: gift card values in Redemption

gift card values

DonnaPhotoArt — Fri, 01 May 2026 11:35:02 GMT

There is a JCPenney $5 gift card available to anyone for 12,000 points, and an extra credit JCPenney $5 card available for 13,000 points. What's the reason/logic behind the same retailer being valued differently?

Re: gift card values

ch12713064 — Fri, 01 May 2026 12:37:02 GMT

I think you could redeem for both if you really liked JCPenneys. But you're right the extra credit one should be a cheaper value.

Re: gift card values

SummerOnTheWay1 — Fri, 01 May 2026 14:37:25 GMT

[Friday 5/1/26 10:35am ET]

@ch12713064 , that is a whole 1,000 points difference. I agree with Donna @DonnaPhotoArt - they should be the same. Maybe it is a "typo" - hopefully they will fix it and make BOTH 12,000 points. 🤞

➡️[*** @ch12713064 wrote:
I think you could redeem for both if you really liked JCPenneys. But you're right the extra credit one should be a cheaper value.

Re: gift card values

RenateW69623 — Fri, 01 May 2026 18:29:32 GMT

No, this isn't a typo. They have been doing this for years, where they offer the same value gift card for different points. It doesn't make sense, but just one more odd thing about the way this rewards program is run.

Re: gift card values

MarkD524822 — Fri, 01 May 2026 18:35:58 GMT

IDK @ch12713064

you know AARP sets up all kinds of roadblocks. You redeem for the 12000 pts one then when you try for the 13000 pts one you get hit with only one redemption per vendor allowed 🤔 😫 😤 but AARP not fair, you put two gift cards for that vendor in the catalog at the same time

Disclosure

*You may only redeem Rewards Points for this item one time !!!

Re: gift card values

RenateW69623 — Fri, 01 May 2026 18:34:04 GMT

In the past, I have been able to get two gift cards from the same vendor, as long as they are offered as separate gift cards. I know if you try to redeem the same gift card more than once, you get the message about only one redemption allowed. But I have never seen the message about only one redemption per vendor allowed.

Re: gift card values

SummerOnTheWay1 — Fri, 01 May 2026 18:49:27 GMT

[Friday 5/1/26 2:47pm ET

Renate @RenateW69623 , I just DONOT understand WHY? Lol, I guess they "think" we too OLD to "notice".😅

HAPPY Friday All,

Nicole 🤗💛

➡️[*** RENATE @RenateW69623 wrote:
No, this isn't a typo. They have been doing this for years, where they offer the same value gift card for different points. It doesn't make sense, but just one more odd thing about the way this rewards program is run.

Re: gift card values

WebWiseWoman — Fri, 01 May 2026 19:07:27 GMT

SSDM Donna; this happens every month; the supposed "extra credit" bonus is actually MINUS 😉

Obviously if "extra credit" it should be the lesser point redemption, but this is AARP so guess they figure we're too senile to figure it out...

Re: gift card values

RenateW69623 — Fri, 01 May 2026 19:08:19 GMT

I don't think they care if we notice or not. They probably have some formula that determines how many points to ask for a points-only gift card, but they won't tell you how they do it. I used to do the feedback forms and asked for changes to the things that I don't like about the rewards program, but nothing changed, so I don't bother doing that any more.

Re: gift card values

rednexsrus — Fri, 01 May 2026 19:09:03 GMT

@RenateW69623

my senior moment, how can you have 2 Home Depot gift cards but yet they are different vendors.

the way i understand it you redeem for a Home Depot card on say 4/4/26 then on 4/29/26 another Home Depot card shows up in the catalog and you try to redeem and you get hit with “only one redemption allowed”

I know this has happened to me many times, in fact just this month.

usually under terms and conditions it will say

only one redemption allowed

but it never says when you will be able to redeem another gift card for this vendor/merchant

my 2 cents

Re: gift card values

RenateW69623 — Fri, 01 May 2026 19:32:01 GMT

I was able to get 2 Home Depot gift cards last month. And last year, I got Lowe's and Barnes & Noble gift cards in November, and then got both of them again in December. These were all different gift card offers. That sucks if you are having problems doing this. Have you tried contacting customer service? This is not exactly the same thing, but a couple years ago, I had issues where I would try to redeem a gift card and it said I had already redeemed it, even though I didn't. This was also happening to other people, but not to everyone, based on comments in the community chat. I think maybe enough people complained about this, because eventually it stopped happening, but I know other people have issues that never get fixed, so don't know if it is worth trying to get your issue fixed.

Re: gift card values

rednexsrus — Sat, 02 May 2026 09:21:40 GMT

@RenateW69623 I always have trouble trying to Show a quote

YOU SAID “In the past, I have been able to get two gift cards from the same vendor, as long as they are offered as separate gift cards. I know if you try to redeem the same gift card more than once, you get the message about only one redemption allowed. But I have never seen the message about only one redemption per vendor allowed.

really I am trying to understand what constitutes a separate gift card.

Here is my example:

IS THIS 2 separate gift cards ??

Redemption limited to ONE

(Two) Omaha Cards, (Two) different cards with different points required but yet you are limited to redeem/purchase ONLY ONCE.

Confusing YES, Roadblocks YES, FUN, not anymore 😫

Re: gift card values

a170938b — Sat, 02 May 2026 14:26:39 GMT

It is not usually a problem. Last month I was able to redeem 2 different Petsmart gift cards for instance. However I encountered a curious thing a couple of years ago when AARPRewards had offered a new for points only Kroger gift card; I could not redeem it and the message was that I had redeemed it before. Consulting Customer Care it appeared that that particular card could be redeemed only once even if it was offered multiple times over time; in my case I had in fact redeemed it as another offering of course a good year before!

Re: gift card values

RenateW69623 — Sat, 02 May 2026 19:24:42 GMT

@rednexsrus In your example, the two Omaha gift cards are separate gift cards (I consider separate gift cards as ones that have different tiles to click on, even if they have the same points). But it appears there are different rules for different vendors (based on the post from @a170938b ), and the rewards program does not allow you to get two gift cards from the same vendor, but only for certain vendors. I have never run into this with the gift cards I have gotten for points, so this is the first I have heard about this. But did you say you couldn't get 2 Home Depot gift cards last month? That is odd, since it worked for me, and it isn't fair if this doesn't work for everyone.

Re: gift card values

rednexsrus — Sun, 03 May 2026 09:16:07 GMT

@RenateW69623

Not only did they do the Home Depot thing to me but the very ones in my example with Omaha Steaks they did it.

Two different GC tiles, Two different points required, yet I was not allowed to redeem for the other gift card (purchases are limited to one) despite no mention of this in the GC terms

This just goes to show that some members are treated differently than others, some receive offers & perks that other members don’t get.

It’s a real shame when they refuse to let you redeem for more than one merchants gift cards when the dollar value is only $5.00 & the merchant doesn’t prohibit the redemption.

Oh well, ENOUGH, trying to navigate through all the traps and roadblocks.

it is what it is, and there is no chance of change