How to Use Up a Love2shop Gift Card Balance

Got money left on a Love2shop Gift Card that you're struggling to spend?

There's a handy workaround we've tested that can make a physical Love2shop Gift Card much easier to use.

You can use a physical Love2shop Gift Card on the Argos website and, importantly, we've successfully used one to buy another retailer's gift card through Argos.

For example, we've used a Love2shop Gift Card to purchase a Sainsbury's gift card from Argos.

This is particularly useful if you're trying to completely clear your Love2shop balance, as retailer gift cards can be much easier to spend down to £0.

Here's how it works.

Why can Love2shop balances be difficult to use up?

One of the problems with prepaid cards is what happens when the thing you're buying costs more than the balance remaining on your card.

Let's say you have:

£50 left on your Love2shop card

and you're trying to make a:

£54 purchase

If your Love2shop card is being processed like a prepaid payment card, you can't necessarily just charge £50 to it and automatically pay the remaining £4 using another debit card.

If the retailer attempts to charge the full £54 to a card containing £50, the transaction can simply be declined.

This becomes even more annoying when you're left with a small balance.

You might have £7.82 sitting on a card but struggle to find something costing exactly £7.82 or less that you actually want.

There is, however, another way to use it.

The Love2shop to Argos gift card trick

If you have a physical Love2shop Gift Card, you can use it as a payment method on Argos.co.uk.

Argos also sells gift cards for other retailers.

We've tested this ourselves and successfully used a physical Love2shop Gift Card to purchase a Sainsbury's gift card through the Argos website.

So, instead of being restricted by the Love2shop balance, you can potentially do this:

Love2shop Gift Card → Argos.co.uk → Sainsbury's Gift Card

You now have a standard Sainsbury's gift card rather than the original prepaid Love2shop balance.

And that's useful for one important reason.

You can use the new gift card for part-payment

Let's go back to our £50 example.

You've got £50 on your physical Love2shop Gift Card, but you regularly shop at Sainsbury's.

You use the £50 Love2shop balance to buy a £50 Sainsbury's gift card through Argos.

You then spend £54 at Sainsbury's.

Instead of needing £54 available on one prepaid card, you can use:

£50 Sainsbury's gift card

£4 from your normal payment method

Your £50 gift card has now been completely used.

That's much more convenient than trying to find a purchase that exactly matches the balance remaining on a prepaid card.

How to do it

Here's the method we've successfully used:

1. Check the balance on your physical Love2shop Gift Card.
2. Go to Argos.co.uk.
3. Search the Argos gift card section for a retailer you actually use.
4. Choose an appropriate gift card value.
5. Add the gift card to your basket.
6. At checkout, select the Love2shop/Flexecash payment option.
7. Enter the details from your physical Love2shop Gift Card.
8. Complete the purchase.
9. You'll then have a retailer-specific gift card that may be easier to spend.

We've personally tested this using a physical Love2shop Gift Card to buy a Sainsbury's gift card through Argos.

Availability and payment restrictions can change, so we wouldn't assume that every gift card sold by Argos will necessarily work.

Physical vs digital Love2shop Gift Cards – there's an important difference

Before trying this, check which type of Love2shop product you've actually got.

The physical Love2shop Gift Card and Love2shop Digital Gift Card aren't necessarily interchangeable.

They have different retailer lists and different restrictions.

The method in this guide was tested using a:

Physical Love2shop Gift Card

We wouldn't assume that the same method works with a Love2shop Digital Gift Card.

If you're trying it yourself, check the front of your card and the relevant Love2shop terms first.

Why not just convert Love2shop directly?

Depending on your particular Love2shop product, there may already be options to exchange your balance for other gift cards or spending options.

These are worth checking first.

However, some prepaid gift card products and conversion methods can come with restrictions or fees.

That's why it's worth knowing about the Argos method.

If you've got a physical Love2shop Gift Card and Argos sells a gift card for somewhere you regularly shop, converting it that way can give you a much more useful balance without buying something you don't actually need.

Which gift cards can you buy?

Argos sells gift cards for a range of other brands.

We've specifically tested the method with a Sainsbury's gift card, so that's the one we're comfortable confirming works based on our own experience.

You may find gift cards for various other retailers on Argos too.

However, restrictions can change and some products may be excluded from particular payment methods.

We'd therefore recommend checking what's currently available and starting with a retailer you'll definitely use.

Don't convert £50 into a gift card for somewhere you rarely shop just for the sake of clearing the Love2shop card.

The whole point is to make your balance more useful, not less.

What if I only have a small Love2shop balance left?

This method is most useful when the remaining balance matches one of the gift card denominations available through Argos.

For example, if you've got £10, £20 or £50 remaining and can purchase a gift card for that exact amount, you could potentially move the entire balance across.

If you've got an awkward amount such as £13.72, you'll need to check the available gift card denominations.

You could potentially convert £10 and then find another way to spend the remaining £3.72.

The key is to avoid forgetting about the remaining money altogether.

Can I use a Love2shop Gift Card on Argos online?

Yes, physical Love2shop Gift Cards can be used as a payment method on Argos.co.uk, subject to the applicable restrictions.

We've also personally tested using a physical Love2shop Gift Card to purchase a Sainsbury's gift card through the Argos website.

That's different from simply using your Love2shop card to buy an ordinary product from Argos.

Can I buy a Sainsbury's gift card with Love2shop?

We've successfully done exactly that using this method:

Physical Love2shop Gift Card → Argos.co.uk → Sainsbury's gift card.

This gives you a Sainsbury's gift card that can be much easier to use for normal shopping, particularly if you're trying to completely use up the value you've been given.

Bear in mind that payment rules and available gift cards can change, so a method that works today isn't guaranteed to remain available permanently.

Can I get cash from a Love2shop Gift Card?

A Love2shop Gift Card isn't designed as a way to withdraw cash.

Instead, the aim should be to find somewhere useful to spend the balance or, where permitted, exchange it for a gift card you'll actually use.

If you've got £50 sitting on Love2shop and you know you're going to spend £50 at Sainsbury's anyway, moving the balance into a Sainsbury's gift card can effectively solve the problem without buying anything unnecessary.

Don't let small gift card balances go to waste

Unused gift card balances are easy to forget about.

And that's particularly frustrating when the reason you haven't spent the money isn't because you don't want it — it's simply because the remaining balance is awkward to use.

If you've got a physical Love2shop Gift Card, it's worth remembering that Argos accepts it online.

And, based on our own test, it's possible to use that physical Love2shop card to buy a Sainsbury's gift card through Argos.

That can turn an awkward prepaid balance into a gift card that's much easier to completely use up.

Our tested route:

Physical Love2shop Gift Card → Argos → Sainsbury's Gift Card → use as full or part-payment

Just make sure you check the latest Love2shop and Argos terms before purchasing, as participating retailers, available gift cards and payment restrictions can change.