[Shutting Down] CrayPay Review: App for Buying First-Hand Gift Cards at a Discount

Update 1/7/24: CrayPay is  shutting down January 15, 2024 (ht GCG)

Update 2/10/22: Can currently get $5 bonus cash back when you purchase 3 gift cards. Hat tip to GC Galore

The CrayPay app is another option for buying first-hand gift cards at a discount. When checking out in-store or online at many top retailers, purchase a gift card in the CrayPay app for the exact amount of your purchase and you’ll get a small discount from CrayPay. The gift card is instantly available to use at checkout.

The app has dozens of retailers available including Amazon, Best Buy, Staples, Toys R Us, Bed Bath & Beyond, Lowe’s, as well as dozens of restaurants. Each merchant will get a different discount ranging from as little as .5% at Best Buy or 1% at Amazon to 7.5% at Land’s End.

• Download the app (iOS | Android)

You pay with a credit card in the app, so you aren’t losing any credit card rewards, it’s just an extra small discount on top of whatever you get from the card. You will probably lose out on category rewards, e.g. if you’re paying at a restaurant through CrayPay, it won’t code as a restaurant to earn bonus points. Let us know if you find any credit card category bonuses that work with CrayPay.

The app also has a rewards program, though the details are murky. All that’s known is that you’ll rack up points with each purchase made through the app which will move you up to Level 2 and 3 to get even more savings on future purchases. I guess the discount percentages off gift cards get higher for Levels 2 and 3? Not really sure. You can also refer friends to help you get to the next savings level.

CrayPay (one of the worst names ever imagined) is very similar to the Seashells website and the MPX app. All of these are great options to get more for your money, either by getting discounts off your purchase in the case of CrayPay and Seashells or by getting bonus United miles in the case of MPX. They’re especially useful for purchases where you don’t need credit card protections, like when paying at a restaurant.

Running a quick comparison of the Seashells cash discount to the CrayPay cash discount, many times their payout rates are similar and sometimes Seashells wins out. CrayPay does have the advantage that the discount comes off the purchase as opposed to a credit for future use, and they have a rewards program too.

We’ll add this to our Complete List of Methods to Buy Gift Cards with Discounts and Bonus Rewards.

Hat tip to Milestomemories who discovered the app