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How to maximize the 10% off Target gift cards promotion in December 2024

December 1, 2024: We’ve added a screenshot showing the terms and conditions of the promotion, as shown in the Target mobile app and included additional details about the promotion.

Screenshot from the Target Circle app showing the terms and dates of the Target 10% off gift card sale. The sale is held on December 7 through 8 of 2024 and offers a 10% discount on up to $500 of Target gift cards. One discount per member.
The annual Target 10% off gift card sale will be held December 7-8, 2024.

Target has announced its annual 10% off Target gift card sale, which will be live on December 7th and 8th of 2024. The deal can be found in the Target Circle app. We have a screenshot of the deal and deal terms on the right.

If you shop at Target, this is a must-get deal. In this article, we’ll tell you how to maximize it, stack credit card rewards, and avoid the incorrect information you’ll find elsewhere about this deal.

Getting the promotion: You must be a Target Circle member.

In recent years, Target has made becoming a Target Circle member a requirement to get the 10% gift card discount. This is most likely to enforce per-customer limits on gift card purchases. Joining Target Circle is easy and free. Here’s the link to Target’s website where you can sign up.

This year, you’ll get the 10% off Target discount automatically—as long as you are a Target Circle member, you’ll receive the discount on your first eligible purchase on December 7th or 8th.

10% off Target gift card discount available through all channels: Online or in-store

The terms of the 10% off Target gift card discount explicitly state that you can shop in-store, or online for pick-up, drive up, same-day delivery, or for shipping.

While there’s nothing explicitly said about purchases of digital gift cards online, in the past this discount has also applied to digital Target gift cards purchased online and we expect it to apply to these purchases again this year.

Purchase limit: One purchase, up to a $50 discount

The last time Target ran this promotion, the promotion was usable only in one transaction, per guest. This seems to be the same this year, since the terms state “Limit one offer per guest to purchase Target GiftCards online or in store.”

Since this is a Target Circle offer, it should be pretty easy for Target to enforce the one transaction per guest limit.

Additionally, the terms of the promotion mention a $50 maximum discount, so you’ll get a 10% discount on up to $500 of Target gift cards.

Our recommendation: If you’re purchasing multiple gift cards for others, purchase them all in one transaction. If you’re buying for yourself, maximize the promotion’s value by purchasing a single $500 Target gift cad.

Don’t use your Target Circle Card: There’s no 5% discount on Target gift cards

The Target Circle Card’s 5% discount at Target excludes Target gift cards, so you want to be sure you use any other credit card for this purchase.

Unfortunately, we’ve seen several other large sites recommending that their readers to use a Target Circle card for this promotion. Don’t do this. Clearly those recommending using using the Target Circle card to purchase gift cards didn’t read the terms:

Screenshot showing the terms of the 5% Target Circle Card discount, with the exclusion of Target gift cards highlighted.
The Target Circle cards do not receive a 5% discount on purchases of Target GiftCards.

So which credit card should you use for the 10% off Target gift card promotion? We’ve got some recommendations.

Best credit cards to use for the December 2024 10% off Target gift card promotion

If you want to stack the maximum amount of rewards on top of your 10% off gift card promotion, here are the best credit cards to use during the promotion in December 2024. We particularly like that the Discover it and Chase Freedom cards are on this list, thanks to their current quarterly bonus categories.

  • U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards® Visa Signature® Card. If you have selected Target as one of your choice retailers, you can 6% cash back on your purchase.
  • Discover it Cash Back card. The Discover quarterly categories from October-December 2024 include Target, meaning you can get 5% cash back on your gift card purchase. And if you’re a first-year cardmember, that gets doubled, making it an effective 10% cash back.
  • Chase Freedom or Chase Freedom Flex®. Both cards quarterly categories include 5% cash back on PayPal in Q4 2024. Since Target accepts PayPal online, you can use it to pay for your gift card purchase and earn 5% as Ultimate Rewards points.
  • Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards card. Target.com counts as an online retailer, which can earn 3% cash back with this card. Better yet, if you have Preferred Rewards with Platinum Honors or higher status, you can earn 5.25% cash back, thanks to the Preferred Rewards bonus multiplier.
  • Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express. The card earns 3% cash back on U.S. Online Retail purchases, on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%) which you can stack on top of the discount.

Beyond these cards, the best card to use for the 10% off Target gift card promotion is the card in your wallet that earns the highest cash back rewards at Target. As we mention above, do not use your Target Circle card.

Warning: Don’t use the U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card with a mobile wallet in-store

The U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card offers 3 points per dollar on purchases made using mobile wallets. These points are redeemable for cash back or travel rewards, giving you up to 4.5% back on your mobile wallet purchases toward travel.

Although it might be tempting to use the U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card in-store to purchase Target gift cards at a 10% discount, don’t do it! U.S. Bank’s terms specifically exclude purchases of gift cards from its increased rewards with mobile wallet purchases. And the bank has shut down peoples’ accounts in the past after even one gift card purchase.

YouTube: Target 10% off Gift Card Sale December 2024: How to maximize + Stacking maximum credit card rewards

Bottom line: The 10% off Target gift card promotion is the best deal at Target all year

Target is running its 10% off Target gift card promotion again this year on December 4th and 5th. You’ll be able to purchase up to $500 of Target gift cards at a 10% discount and stack that discount with your credit card rewards.

If you’re a Target shopper, this is a great opportunity to lock in the best Target discount you’ll find.

About the author

  • Photo of Aaron Hurd, credit card and travel rewards expert.

    Aaron Hurd is a credit card, travel rewards, and loyalty program expert. Over the past 15 years, he has authored over a thousand expert contributions published by leading outlets including WSJ, TIME, Newsweek, Forbes, NerdWallet, The Points Guy, Bankrate, CNET, and many others. He has also served in consulting roles for many of these same outlets, designing content strategy, hiring teams of teams of editors and contributors, developing thought-leadership pieces, and ghost-editing for senior editors. Aaron is well-known in the miles and points community and regularly presents about travel rewards at conferences like the Chicago Seminars and Minnebar. Aaron has enjoyed the game of optimizing credit card rewards since getting his first credit card shortly after he turned 18. He started learning about credit cards and travel rewards from the (now defunct) FatWallet Finance forums and FlyerTalk. He holds more than 40 open credit cards and has first-hand experience with almost every major credit card product.

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