Mike C.

Buying from Raise (or any of these card resellers for that matter) is a huge gamble unless you use the card quickly.

I bought a couple of $50 Panera Bread egift cards and confirmed both were valid when they first arrived. First one worked fine but I didn't get to use the 2nd one until after the "100-day guarantee", only to find it had just 1cent left on it. The Panera Bread gift card site indicated that the card had been emptied (at the same location where it was originally created) 61 days after it was sold.

After several months of calls, Raise finally said "tough luck, not our problem" and blew me off. This despite the fact that the card was loaded (and subsequently unloaded) at an apparently non-retail Panera Bread location. This makes it likely that this card was sold by Panera Bread to Raise at a discount, and implies that Panera Bread cancelled the card for some reason (the only one that comes to mind is non-payment). Of course, Raise would not confirm/deny any of this other than to say that "things can go wrong and vendors do sometimes cancel cards" (like I said, no doubt for non-payment). At best this is a scam nicely packaged with a "100-day guarantee" that Raise marketers know most people will forget to use until it's too late.

So be aware that, when you buy a card from one of these resellers, you don't actually own it (ever).
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Update: Well, despite a categorical rejection of my request for a refund, one actually came through shortly after this review was posted. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not, but at least they did finally (after 4 months of calls) refund the original cost of the egift card.

So my advice remains the same (if you buy, verify the value then use it quickly), but it's only fair that my opinion of the business improves (from 1 to 3 stars)!

Their prices may seem competitive but go elsewhere. Their shipping is slow and the return policy terrible. If you return something for any reason except that it was damaged or an incorrect item, they make you pay shipping (not unusual I guess) but will ding you with a restocking fee of up to 50%! Yep, half of what you paid! You have to wait on the phone for an eternity to talk to "customer service" to get an RMA email, and then they can't tell you what the restock fee will actually be. Oh, and if you do get them to agree to cover the return shipping, you have to buy it yourself, then include the receipt in the box (i. E. don't seal it up until you've paid for the shipping)! Good luck with doing that at the Post Office. No doubt all part of the plan to discourage returns.