Checking the balance of an Amazon gift card should be simple. For most gift cards from other retailers, you visit a website, enter a number, and the balance appears. Amazon used to work the same way. It no longer does.
Amazon removed its public online balance checker to combat widespread gift card fraud and automated bot attacks that drained card funds before recipients could use them. The result is that entering your claim code anywhere on Amazon's website now redeems it immediately to your account without any confirmation prompt. There is no preview or check balance step before the funds are applied.
This creates a genuine problem when you want to verify a card's balance before redeeming it, check a card you plan to re-gift, or confirm that a card purchased from a retail display rack was loaded correctly.
Here is what actually works in 2026.
Why You Cannot Use the Claim Code to Check the Balance
Before looking at solutions, it is worth understanding why the obvious approach does not work.
The claim code is the alphanumeric code printed on the back of a physical card or included in a digital gift card email. It typically has 14 to 15 characters. When you enter this code on Amazon's redemption page, the full balance is instantly applied to your account. There is no review screen. No confirmation. The money moves the moment you submit the code.
Amazon made this change deliberately. The old public balance checker was exploited by automated systems that would test large numbers of codes, discover which cards had value, and drain the funds. Removing the public checker and eliminating the confirmation step were both part of Amazon's response to this fraud problem.
This means that any third-party website claiming to let you check an Amazon gift card balance without redeeming it is at best useless and at worst a scam designed to steal your code. Do not enter your claim code anywhere except Amazon's official website when you are ready to redeem it.
Method 1: Check the Balance on a Redeemed Card Through Your Account
If you have already redeemed the card to your Amazon account, checking the remaining balance is straightforward.
On a Computer
Go to amazon.com and sign in to your account. Hover over Account and Lists in the top right corner of the page. Click Your Account in the dropdown menu. Under the Account section, find Gift cards and click it.
Your current gift card balance appears at the top of the page. Below it is a full transaction history showing when funds were added and how much has been spent. This view covers all gift cards ever redeemed to your account, not just the most recent one.
On the Amazon App
Open the Amazon app on your phone and sign in. Tap the person icon at the bottom of the screen to go to your account. Tap Gift cards. Your current balance and transaction history appear the same way they do on the website.
This method is the simplest but only works for cards that have already been applied to your account. If you want to check a card before deciding whether to redeem it, the next method is the one you need.
Method 2: Use the Serial Number Through Amazon Customer Service
This is the official method Amazon provides for checking the balance of an unredeemed gift card without applying it to your account. The key detail is that you use the serial number, not the claim code.
Find the Serial Number
The serial number is different from the claim code. On a physical Amazon gift card, the serial number is a shorter number printed on the front or back of the card, sometimes in smaller text above or below the scratch-off area. It is not the long claim code hidden under the scratch surface. Do not scratch the card to find the serial number. It is already visible without scratching.
On a digital gift card received by email, the serial number is typically listed alongside the claim code in the email. Look for a label that says Serial Number or Card Number rather than Claim Code or Gift Card Code.
Contact Amazon Customer Service
Go to amazon.com and sign in to any Amazon account. Click Help in the top right corner of the page, then Contact Us.
Select Something else from the options, then I need more help. Choose the option to chat with a representative rather than using automated responses.
When connected to a human agent, say clearly that you want to check the balance of an unredeemed gift card without redeeming it, and that you will provide the serial number. Give the agent the serial number only.
The agent looks up the card in Amazon's internal system using the serial number and tells you the current balance. The funds are not moved and the card is not redeemed. You can end the chat with your card untouched and your question answered.
Providing the serial number rather than the claim code is essential here. If you accidentally give the agent the claim code, they may redeem it to your account. The serial number gives Amazon enough information to look up the card without being able to apply it anywhere.
Calling Amazon Customer Service
If you prefer a phone call over live chat, you can reach Amazon customer service at 1-888-280-4331 in the United States. Ask the phone agent to check the balance of an unredeemed gift card using the serial number. The process is identical to the chat method.
Method 3: Make a Small Test Purchase
This method is less elegant but works if you have already decided you want to use the card yourself and are comfortable redeeming it to your account.
Redeem the card to your Amazon account through the standard redemption page at amazon.com/gc/redeem. The full balance is applied to your account immediately. Add a small inexpensive item to your cart and proceed to checkout. During checkout, your gift card balance appears as a payment option showing the exact amount available. Remove the item from your cart without completing the purchase.
This tells you the balance without actually spending anything, but it does require redeeming the card to your account first. It is not suitable if you are planning to re-gift the card or sell it, since the funds are now permanently attached to your Amazon account.
What to Do if the Card Appears to Have No Balance
If you check with customer service and find an unredeemed card shows zero balance, a few explanations are possible.
The card may have been drained by fraud before you received it. This most commonly happens with physical cards purchased from retail display racks, where fraudsters scan card numbers in stores, wait for them to be activated at purchase, and drain the funds immediately. If this happened, contact Amazon customer service with your purchase receipt. Amazon can sometimes reimburse the value if you can prove you purchased the card legitimately and the funds were stolen fraudulently.
The card may have already been redeemed by someone else. If it was a gift that passed through multiple hands, it is possible it was accidentally or intentionally redeemed before reaching you.
The card may be from a region incompatible with your account. Amazon gift cards are generally region-locked. A UK Amazon gift card cannot be redeemed on a US Amazon account. If the card and your account are from different regions, the card may show as unusable rather than empty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Amazon remove the public gift card balance checker?
Amazon removed the public checker to combat automated fraud. Criminal operations were using bots to systematically test millions of gift card codes, identify those with value, and drain the funds before recipients could use them. Removing the public checker was one of several measures Amazon took to protect gift card users. The trade-off is reduced convenience for legitimate users who want to check a balance before redeeming.
Is it safe to give the serial number to Amazon customer service?
Yes. Customer service agents can use the serial number to look up a card's balance in Amazon's internal system but cannot redeem or transfer the funds using only that number. The claim code is what controls access to the value. Keep the claim code private and scratch-off area intact until you are ready to redeem the card yourself.
Can I check an Amazon gift card balance without an Amazon account?
Not easily. The customer service method requires signing into an Amazon account to initiate a chat or call. If you do not have an account, you would need to create a free one to contact support. The account does not need to be associated with the card in any way. You are simply using it to reach a customer service agent.
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