Can I transfer the balance to my bank account?

No. The card programme does not allow transfers to a bank account, Revolut or other payment services.

Can I buy something more expensive than my balance?

Yes, but you must ask the cashier for partial payment: the gift card covers the balance, and you pay the rest with another card. Without partial payment, the entire amount is rejected.

Can I use the gift card more than once?

Yes. The card works until the balance is used up. You can shop as many times as you like.

Can the sender see what I spend the money on?

No. The sender sees whether the gift card has been used, but never what you have bought or where.

What can I use the gift card for?

The gift card is a prepaid Mastercard and works everywhere Mastercard is accepted. Here are the main exceptions.

Updated 17 August 2026

The Glede gift card is a prepaid Mastercard. You can use it everywhere Mastercard is accepted — in stores, online and abroad. Individual merchants may decline prepaid cards, and the card programme blocks certain transaction types.

In store

Put the card in Apple Pay or Google Wallet and pay contactless with your phone, just like with a regular bank card.

Online

Use the card number, expiry date and CVC from the Glede app. You do not need to put the card in your wallet to shop online.

The main exceptions

The card programme does not allow these transaction types:

Cash withdrawals. You cannot withdraw money from an ATM or get cash back at the till.
Money transfers. You cannot transfer the balance to your own bank account, to Revolut, or to other payment services.
Gaming. Gambling and games with money stakes are not allowed.

Why? The card programme does not allow cash withdrawals or money transfers. For gifts from an employer, the non-cash nature may also be relevant to the tax treatment; the employer is responsible for that assessment.

Some shops are rejected even if they seem perfectly normal

Whether a purchase is permitted is automatically determined by the industry code the store is registered with Mastercard — not by what you actually buy. A few shops are registered as financial or insurance businesses even though they sell completely ordinary goods, and then the payment is rejected.

If the card is rejected at a place that you think should work, see The card was rejected in the store — or contact us and state the name of the store, and we will check it.

Abroad

The card works everywhere abroad that Mastercard is accepted. If you pay in a currency other than the card currency, a currency surcharge applies — see Fees and prices.

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