Gift Cards at CVS: The Complete List of Brands, Fees & Where to Buy (2026)

CVS gets treated like a pharmacy-first, everything-else-second kind of store, so it surprises a lot of people how deep the gift card selection actually goes. Walk up to the rack near the registers at almost any CVS and you'll find a wall of cards for retailers, restaurants, streaming services, game platforms, and prepaid debit cards — usually more variety than you'd expect from a drugstore.

That said, "CVS has a lot of gift cards" isn't the same as "CVS has the specific one you want, in stock, at the store you're standing in right now." Selection swings by location, by season, and by what's moving off the shelf that week. This guide breaks down exactly what CVS carries by category, what it typically costs (including the fees most guides gloss over), how denominations work, what CVS flatly doesn't sell, and the questions people actually ask before they make the trip.

Gift Card Denominations at CVS

Most of what's on the CVS gift card rack falls into one of two pricing structures, and knowing which one you're looking at saves you a wasted trip if you need an odd amount.

Fixed-value cards are the most common type — think Starbucks, Target, Amazon, Apple. These come pre-loaded at set amounts, typically $10, $15, $25, $50, and $100, and you can't ask the cashier to load a custom figure onto one. If you need exactly $37 on a card, you're buying a $50 one and eating the difference, or stacking a $25 and a $10 and pocketing $2 in cash instead.

Variable-load (open-value) cards let you pick your own amount within a range, generally $20 to $500. This is how the prepaid Visa, Mastercard, and American Express cards work, and it's also how CVS's own store-brand gift card works — CVS-brand cards typically range from $5 to $500 and can be loaded with any amount in between.

Exact denominations and which amounts are in stock can vary store to store, so if you need a specific figure for a specific card, it's worth a quick call to your local CVS before you drive over.

Are There Fees for Gift Cards at CVS?

This is the part most gift card guides either skip entirely or get vague about, so here's the actual breakdown.

Brand-specific gift cards — no fee, full stop. If you buy a $50 Starbucks card, a $25 Amazon card, or a $100 Home Depot card, you pay exactly that amount at the register. No activation charge, no service fee. This covers essentially every retail, restaurant, gaming, and streaming gift card on the rack.

Prepaid debit-style cards carry an activation fee, charged on top of whatever balance you're loading. This applies to open-loop cards — Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and reloadable prepaid cards like Green Dot. The fee is printed right on the card packaging, so you'll see it before you get to the register, but as a general guide:

Fees on prepaid cards typically scale a little with the card's max load value — a card that tops out at $500 tends to sit at the higher end of its range, a smaller-value card at the lower end. Always check the number printed on the packaging before you buy; CVS doesn't post a universal fee schedule, and it does shift over time.

Retail & Department Store Gift Cards

This is the biggest single category on the rack, and it's where CVS earns its "surprisingly deep selection" reputation.

• Amazon
• Walmart
• Target
• Best Buy
• Home Depot
• Lowe's
• Macy's
• Nordstrom
• Kohl's
• JCPenney
• TJ Maxx / Marshalls / HomeGoods
• Foot Locker
• American Eagle
• Hollister
• Gap / Old Navy / Banana Republic
• DSW
• Barnes & Noble
• Sephora
• Bath & Body Works
• Ulta
• Lululemon (rotates in and out by location)

CVS Pharmacy® Gift Card itself is also on the rack — usable for prescriptions, beauty products, groceries, and household essentials at any CVS Pharmacy, in denominations from $5 to $500.

Restaurant & Food Gift Cards

CVS carries a solid lineup of dining cards, though this is one of the categories most likely to vary by region — a chain that's everywhere in the Midwest might be a rare find on the East Coast.

• Starbucks
• Dunkin'
• Applebee's
• Chipotle
• Olive Garden
• Red Lobster
• Chili's
• TGI Fridays
• Buffalo Wild Wings
• Panera Bread
• Subway
• McDonald's
• The Cheesecake Factory
• Texas Roadhouse
• Cracker Barrel
• Panda Express

Restaurant cards at CVS are almost always fee-free fixed-denomination cards, typically $10–$100.

Gaming, Streaming & Entertainment Gift Cards

If you're shopping for a gamer or a streamer, this is genuinely one of CVS's stronger categories — most drugstores don't bother stocking this many console and platform cards.

Gaming

• Xbox
• PlayStation Store
• Nintendo eShop
• Roblox
• GameStop
• Steam (availability has thinned recently — call ahead if this is the one you need)

Streaming & Music

• Netflix
• Hulu
• Disney+
• HBO Max
• Spotify
• Apple Music

Movies & Tickets

• AMC Theatres
• Regal Cinemas
• Cinemark
• Fandango

App Stores & Digital

• Apple App Store / iTunes
• Google Play

Travel, Delivery & Services Gift Cards

• Airbnb
• Uber
• Lyft
• Southwest Airlines
• Delta Air Lines
• DoorDash
• Uber Eats
• Instacart

These skew toward higher, more flexible amounts — Airbnb and Delta cards, for example, are typically available from $25 up to $500.

Prepaid & Multi-Brand Gift Cards

If you genuinely don't know what someone would want, this is the category that solves it — cards that spend like cash almost anywhere.

• Visa Gift Card — usable anywhere Visa is accepted, $10–$500 range, activation fee applies
• Mastercard Prepaid Card — same idea, same fee structure
• American Express Prepaid
• Vanilla Visa / Vanilla Mastercard
• Green Dot Prepaid Visa / Mastercard
• NetSpend Prepaid Visa
• PayPal MyCash / MoneyPak

One rule worth knowing before you're standing at the register: you cannot use one gift card to buy another gift card. A Visa gift card or CVS gift card can't be used to purchase an Amazon or Starbucks card — CVS gift card purchases have to go on a normal payment method.

Gift Card Multi-Packs

One thing a lot of gift-card guides miss entirely: CVS periodically sells gift cards in bundled multi-packs — several smaller cards for the same brand sold together, priced the same as buying them individually. These are genuinely useful if you're buying for a group (a team, a class, a small office) and want to hand out identical, easy-to-wrap gifts without ringing up five separate transactions.

Availability rotates by season and location, but the packs that show up most often include three-packs of popular restaurant brands — think a trio of $10 or $15 cards for the same coffee shop or casual-dining chain, bundled on one card. If you're buying in bulk for a business or organization, it's also worth asking a store associate about CVS's corporate bulk-order program for larger gift card orders.

Where to Buy Gift Cards at CVS (In-Store vs. Online)

This is the single most important practical fact in this whole guide, and it's easy to miss: CVS.com only sells CVS-brand gift cards and eGift cards online. Every third-party brand listed above — Amazon, Starbucks, Target, Visa, all of it — is in-store only. You cannot order an Amazon gift card through the CVS website; you have to physically go to a CVS Pharmacy location and pick one off the rack.

In-store, most gift cards live on a rack or wall display near the front registers. Some prepaid or higher-value cards may be kept behind the counter for security — don't hesitate to ask a store associate if you don't see what you're after out on the floor.

Using ExtraCare Rewards on Gift Card Purchases

CVS's free loyalty program, ExtraCare, is worth signing up for before you buy a stack of gift cards, not after. Members earn ExtraBucks Rewards on regular purchases through weekly sales, personalized coupons, and app-based offers, and CVS will occasionally run promotions specifically on gift card purchases — a period where buying a $50 gift card earns you a few dollars in ExtraBucks you can spend on a future visit.

Joining is free and takes a couple of minutes online, through the CVS app, or at the register before you check out — you'll need your name, ZIP code, and phone number. If you're planning to buy gift cards at CVS regularly (say, for recurring employee or client gifts), it's free money left on the table not to be enrolled. CVS also offers a separate corporate bulk-purchase discount program for orders of $500 or more, which is worth asking about directly if you're buying at real volume.

Gift Cards CVS Does NOT Sell

Knowing what CVS doesn't carry can save you a wasted trip. As a general rule, CVS avoids stocking gift cards for its own direct competitors and for a handful of specific big-name holdouts:

• Direct competitors — you won't find Walgreens or Rite Aid gift cards at CVS, for the same reason Walgreens doesn't sell CVS cards.
• Walmart's direct rival positioning aside, most major supermarket chains — Kroger, Publix, Whole Foods, and Safeway gift cards are generally not stocked.
• Costco — Costco Shop Cards are sold only at Costco locations and Costco.com, membership required.
• Small, local, or niche retailers — CVS sticks to major national and large regional brands; you won't find gift cards for local businesses or small online-only stores.

If a brand you need isn't at CVS, it's often still worth checking our full balance-check directory to see whether we've covered a purchase or balance guide for it elsewhere.

CVS Gift Card Policies: Returns, Expiration & Fine Print

• No returns or exchanges. All gift card sales at CVS are final — once you buy it, you own it, so double-check the brand and amount before you pay.
• Most retail and restaurant gift cards don't expire. Federal law generally protects most gift cards from short expiration windows.
• Prepaid cards can be the exception. Open-loop prepaid cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex) may carry expiration dates or inactivity fees after a period of non-use — check the terms printed on the card itself.
• Gift cards can't buy other gift cards or certain restricted items — lottery tickets and a handful of other categories are typically excluded from what a gift card balance can cover.
• CVS doesn't buy back gift cards for cash. If you want to offload an unwanted card, a third-party gift card exchange marketplace is your best bet, not CVS itself.

Tips for Buying Gift Cards at CVS

• Check the packaging for fees before you get to the register — retail and restaurant cards are free, but prepaid Visa/Mastercard/Amex cards aren't, and the fee is printed right on the card.
• Join ExtraCare before you buy, not after — it's free, and occasional gift card promotions only apply to members.
• Call ahead for a specific brand if you're making a special trip — stock varies enough by location that a five-minute phone call beats a wasted drive.
• Don't assume online availability — remember, CVS.com only sells CVS's own gift cards, not the third-party brands on the in-store rack.
• Keep your receipt until the recipient confirms the card works — CVS won't reissue a lost or stolen card, and a receipt is your only proof of purchase if something goes wrong.
• For last-minute digital gifting, check CVS.com's eGift option for CVS-brand cards specifically — it's the one instant, email-delivered option CVS offers directly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does CVS sell Amazon gift cards?
Yes. Amazon gift cards are one of the most commonly stocked cards at CVS, usually found on the main gift card rack near the registers. Like every third-party brand, they're in-store only — CVS.com doesn't sell them online.

Does CVS sell Visa gift cards?
Yes, CVS sells prepaid Visa gift cards, typically in the $10–$500 range with an activation fee that's printed on the card packaging, usually in the $3.95–$7.95 range depending on the card's max value.

Can I buy a CVS gift card online?
Yes — CVS.com sells both physical and digital (eGift) CVS-brand gift cards. This is the one card on this entire list you can actually order without walking into a store.

Does CVS sell Steam gift cards?
Availability has become inconsistent — some locations still carry them, others have pulled them from the gaming section entirely. Call your local store before making a special trip for one specifically.

Can I buy gift cards at CVS in bulk?
Yes. CVS allows bulk gift card purchases for individuals and businesses, and offers a separate corporate discount program for orders of $500 or more — ask a store associate or check with CVS directly for details.

Are there fees for buying gift cards at CVS?
Only on prepaid, open-loop cards — Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and similar reloadable cards. Brand-specific retail and restaurant cards (Starbucks, Target, Amazon, etc.) have no purchase fee.

Does CVS sell gift cards for other pharmacies, like Walgreens?
No. CVS doesn't stock gift cards for direct competitors, including Walgreens and Rite Aid.

What's the difference between a CVS gift card and a CVS eGift card?
They hold the same value and work the same way at checkout — the difference is just physical (a plastic card) vs. digital (a code delivered by email). Both are sold on CVS.com; only the physical card is guaranteed in-store.

Can I use a Visa or Mastercard gift card to buy another gift card at CVS?
No. Gift cards generally can't be used to purchase other gift cards at CVS, regardless of card type.

Do CVS gift cards expire?
Most retail and restaurant gift cards sold at CVS don't expire. Prepaid debit-style cards can carry expiration dates or inactivity fees — check the terms on the specific card.

Can I return a gift card I bought at CVS?
No. All gift card purchases at CVS are final — no returns, refunds, or exchanges once the transaction is complete.

How do I check the balance on a gift card I bought at CVS?
That depends on the brand, not on CVS — check the balance directly with the card's issuer. If it's a brand we cover, our balance-check directory has direct links and phone numbers for dozens of popular cards.

Final Thoughts

CVS's gift card selection is bigger and more varied than most people expect from a drugstore chain — well over 100 brands across retail, restaurants, gaming, streaming, and prepaid cards, most of them fee-free. The two things worth remembering before you go: stock genuinely varies by location and season, so call ahead for anything specific, and CVS.com's online store is CVS-brand-only — every third-party card on this list means an actual trip to a physical CVS.

Once you've got the card in hand, checking its balance is a separate step from buying it — for cards like Amazon, Starbucks, Visa, or Target, we've got direct balance-check guides with official links and phone numbers so you don't have to go hunting.