Amazon Gift Card Claim Code vs Serial Number: Which Number Do You Need?
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Learn when an Amazon gift card's claim code is needed, when the serial number helps, and how to handle a damaged card.
Use the claim code to redeem an Amazon gift card. The serial number identifies the card but is not the number you enter to add its value to your account. A claim code is the value-bearing code meant for the recipient.
Amazon staff says Amazon.com recipients redeem it on the gift-card redemption page; the serial number is not used for redemption. Amazon staff's gift-card guidance
Verification note: Program terms and availability can change. This page was checked against linked sources on September 13, 2026.
What each number does
The claim code is the number that applies the gift card's funds to your Amazon account. Treat it like cash: once someone uses it, the balance may no longer be available to you. The serial number is a card-management identifier.
Amazon's gift-card manual describes it as useful for inventory and for identifying a particular card without revealing its value-bearing claim code. Amazon Gift Cards Japan's corporate manual
Which number should you enter?
Enter the claim code when Amazon asks you to redeem a gift card. Do not substitute the serial number, even if it is the clearest number printed on the card. A quick way to decide:
- Redeeming funds: use the claim code.
- Identifying a physical card: use the serial number.
- Asking for help with a damaged physical card: have the serial number ready.
What if the claim code is unreadable?
Do not guess repeatedly or discard the card. For a physical Amazon.com card with a damaged, unreadable, or scratched-off claim code, Amazon staff says support may need the card's 16- or 30-digit serial number and, if known, the Amazon order number. Amazon staff's support instructions Keep the card, packaging, and purchase details together until the value has been successfully applied.
The serial number can help identify the card while keeping the claim code private.
Keep the claim code private
Do not send a claim code to a merchant that contacts you by phone, text, or email. Amazon Pay warns that Amazon.com gift-card funds cannot be used for Amazon Pay purchases on third-party sites, and says not to give claim codes to third-party merchants. Amazon Pay's gift-card warning If someone asks for the code as payment, pause before sharing it.
A serial number is not a substitute for a claim code, but neither number should be posted publicly with enough detail to identify your card.
Check the Amazon store before redeeming
An Amazon.com gift card is for Amazon.com. Amazon staff also states that an Amazon.com balance already redeemed to one account cannot be transferred to another account or to an Amazon store in another country. Amazon staff's account and store limitation Before entering the claim code, confirm you are signed in to the account and Amazon store where you intend to keep the balance.