Right now the highest gift card rate in Nigeria is on physical Apple/iTunes (US) cards: up to ₦1,280 per $1 on $300+ cards, and ₦1,225 per $1 at the everyday $100 size — while an e-code of the same brand pays ₦1,040 per $1. Physical Steam (UK) cards come next at ₦1,250 per £1, with Razer Gold, Footlocker and Euro Steam cards close behind. The full 20-brand ranking is below — and unlike the lists copied between blogs, this one is rebuilt from our real buy board every month.
That board is the same one published on every brand page of this site, last refreshed on Aug 13, 2026. And the question matters more every year: Nigeria's gift card market is expected to grow 11.6% to about $2.56 billion in 2026, heading for $3.88 billion by 2030, according to Research and Markets — more cards changing hands means more people asking exactly this question.
Gift card rates in Nigeria today: the full 20-brand list
Ranked by the best physical-card rate on our board — what we actually pay, not a number copied from another site. The second figure is what a 100-unit card of that brand pays at today's tiers. Brands marked † pay much less for e-codes — Macy's ₦400 and Sephora ₦850 per $1 against the physical figures above (Apple's and Amazon's gaps are spelled out below).
| # | Gift card | Best rate | 100-unit card pays |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple / iTunes (US) † | ₦1,280 / $1 | up to ₦122,500 |
| 2 | Steam (UK) | ₦1,250 / £1 | up to ₦125,000 |
| 3 | Razer Gold (US) | ₦1,150 / $1 | up to ₦115,000 |
| 4 | Footlocker | ₦1,120 / $1 | up to ₦112,000 |
| 5 | Steam (EU) | ₦1,075 / €1 | up to ₦107,500 |
| 6 | Sephora (US) † | ₦1,060 / $1 | up to ₦106,000 |
| 7 | Macy's † | ₦1,030 / $1 | up to ₦103,000 |
| 8 | Google Play (US) | ₦980 / $1 | up to ₦98,000 |
| 9 | Steam (US) | ₦935 / $1 | up to ₦93,500 |
| 10 | Xbox | ₦920 / $1 | up to ₦92,000 |
| 11 | Nike | ₦840 / $1 | up to ₦84,000 |
| 12 | Nordstrom | ₦830 / $1 | up to ₦83,000 |
| 13 | Target | ₦800 / $1 | up to ₦80,000 |
| 14 | eBay (US) | ₦700 / $1 | up to ₦70,000 |
| 15 | Best Buy | ₦600 / $1 | up to ₦60,000 |
| 16 | Amazon (US) † | ₦530 / $1 | up to ₦53,000 |
| 17 | Walmart | ₦520 / $1 | up to ₦52,000 |
| 18 | American Express | ₦460 / $1 | up to ₦46,000 |
| 19 | Vanilla Visa | ₦420 / $1 | up to ₦42,000 |
| 20 | Netflix | ₦300 / $1 | up to ₦30,000 |
Two honest footnotes. £ and € cards are quoted per pound or euro, and a £100 or €100 card costs more in dollars than a $100 card — so compare those rows within their own currency, not against the $ rows. And two brands near the bottom, Best Buy and Netflix, carry deliberately conservative board rates because no major platform publishes a live benchmark for them; when you trade one, the quote in chat can move above the board.
The five highest-rate gift cards right now
1. Apple / iTunes (US) — up to ₦1,280 per $1
Apple sits at the top because its cards are the easiest to resell: the App Store, iTunes and Apple hardware give every buyer somewhere to spend them, so demand never sleeps. Size matters here — the board steps ₦1,170 / ₦1,225 / ₦1,280 per $1 as the face value climbs toward $500 — and form matters more: an Apple e-code pays ₦1,040 per $1, well below the plastic. If you hold the physical card, you hold the best-paying card in this market. Today's Apple rate table.
2. Steam (UK) — ₦1,250 per £1
The strongest of the three Steam regions. Steam cards are gamer currency and the UK issue quotes per pound, so a £100 card pays ₦125,000 — the biggest single payout on the everyday board. Its e-code line is unusually close to the physical rate, so Steam (UK) is also the kindest brand when all you hold is a code. Steam (UK) rates.
3. Razer Gold (US) — ₦1,150 per $1
Razer Gold PINs feed game top-ups across dozens of titles, and that steady gaming demand keeps the rate firm at ₦1,150 per $1 for physical, with e-codes just behind. A $100 PIN pays up to ₦115,000. Today's Razer Gold rate.
4. Footlocker — ₦1,120 per $1
The surprise of the board. Sneaker and streetwear resale never goes out of season, and Footlocker physical cards ride that demand to ₦1,120 per $1 — ahead of every other retail brand. We publish a physical line only; if someone quotes you for a Footlocker e-code, expect a discount off this figure. Footlocker rates.
5. Steam (EU) — ₦1,075 per €1
The "euro Steam card" family Nigerians search for by name — a €100 card pays ₦107,500. Cards arriving from Europe are common in this market, and the euro issue comfortably out-rates its US sibling (₦935 per $1). Euro Steam rates.
Why some gift cards carry higher rates than others
A gift card rate is a resale price, and resale prices follow demand. Everywhere in the world, second-hand gift cards trade below face value — even the biggest US exchanges pay sellers up to 92% of face value at best, reselling each card at a discount and keeping the spread — because the buyer still has to find the person who actually wants to shop at that brand. Apple and Steam top this list because the next buyer is never hard to find; a brand with fewer Nigerian buyers must pay less for the same face value. Four levers decide where any card lands.
- Physical beats e-code. A code can be photographed and spent before it is sold; sealed plastic cannot — as one market analyst puts it, transferring the number doesn't actually transfer the scarce asset, so buyers pay less for codes than for plastic. On this board the gap runs from about 4% on Steam brands to the extreme case: a $100 Amazon physical card pays ₦53,000, while an Amazon e-code pays just ₦19,000 for the same $100 — the widest form gap we publish, which is exactly why our Amazon pages always quote both figures.
- Bigger cards usually pay better per dollar. The Apple tiers above climb ₦1,170 → ₦1,225 → ₦1,280 per $1 as the face value grows, because one $300 card is cheaper to move than six $50s. Not every brand follows the pattern — Amazon's $101+ tier actually dips, because reseller demand concentrates at the $50–$100 size — so check the tier table for your exact card, not just the headline figure.
- Region matters as much as brand. One brand, three prices: Steam (US) ₦935 per $1, Steam (EU) ₦1,075 per €1, Steam (UK) ₦1,250 per £1. The card's purchase country decides both where it can be redeemed and what it is worth here.
- The naira side moves too. Every rate on the board is a naira figure, so shifts in the currency market push the whole list at once — in mid-August 2026 the dollar sat around ₦1,350 at the official window, per Nairametrics, and roughly ₦1,410 on the street, per TechEconomy. That is why the board is refreshed monthly rather than carved in stone — the date stamp sits right on it.
Do gift card rates change — and when is the best time to sell?
Rates drift between refreshes as demand and the currency market move, but the shape of the year is predictable: gift card supply and demand both peak around the December holidays. In the US, gift cards were the most-wanted holiday gift of 2025 — 50% of shoppers asked for one — with about $29 billion of holiday spending going into them, according to the National Retail Federation. The keyword data we track shows the same from the Nigerian side — searches for "sell gift cards" crested in October 2025 and build through the festive season. Selling into that demand usually means a firmer quote; holding a card you will never use for months usually just means holding risk.
Getting today's best rate on your card
Start from the list, then price your exact card: the rate calculator quotes any of the 20 brands at any amount in seconds — no sign-up, no app. If the card is new to you, confirm the balance first with the official checker links in our balance-check guide so nobody can tell you a story about what it holds.
From rate to naira in one chat
Everything on this page is what we pay, not advertising copy. Tell us the brand and amount on WhatsApp and the answer comes back as a written figure — the exact naira you will receive — before you send anything. Payment lands within 15 minutes of verification, and if you want proof before a big trade, sell a small card first and watch it happen.
And because a good rate only counts when the trade itself is safe, keep the scam checklist at hand — it covers the fake payment alerts and rate-bait tricks that target sellers chasing the highest number.
Questions, answered
Do physical gift cards pay more than e-codes?
Almost always, yes. On today’s board an Apple/iTunes e-code pays ₦1,040 per $1 against up to ₦1,280 for the plastic, and Amazon is the extreme case — ₦19,000 for a $100 e-code against ₦53,000 for the same $100 as a physical card. The gap is fraud insurance: a code can be copied the moment it exists, a sealed card cannot. Four brands on the board carry a form gap wider than 15%, and every one of their pages quotes both forms.
Do UK and euro gift cards pay more than US cards?
Per unit, usually — Steam (UK) quotes ₦1,250 per £1 against ₦935 per $1 for Steam (US), with Steam (EU) at ₦1,075 per €1 between them. But the face values differ too: a £100 card costs more dollars than a $100 card, so the honest comparison is what your exact card pays — the rate pages and the calculator quote every region separately.
Does a bigger gift card pay a better rate?
Usually. Apple/iTunes climbs ₦1,170 → ₦1,225 → ₦1,280 per $1 as the face value grows, and several brands jump at the $100 mark. Not always, though — Amazon’s $101-and-up tier pays less per dollar than its $50–$100 tier, because reseller demand concentrates at the smaller size. The tier table on each brand’s page shows the exact size you hold.
Why did my card’s rate change since last month?
Two things move every rate: demand for that brand, and the naira side of the currency market. We re-benchmark the whole board monthly against the live market and stamp the date on every rate table — and if the market jumps mid-month, the board can move early. The quote you accept in chat is always the figure that counts.
What is the best gift card to sell in Nigeria?
By rate alone, today’s leaders are physical Apple/iTunes (up to ₦1,280 per $1) and Steam (UK) at ₦1,250 per £1. But the best card to sell is the one you actually hold — even mid-table brands pay out within minutes of verification, and a card sitting in a drawer earns nothing while carrying risk. Price yours on the rate calculator and decide with the figure in front of you.
Sell your card the safe way
No app, no sign-up — we confirm today's rate in writing before you send anything, and payout lands in your bank within 15 minutes of verification. Start with a small card if you want to test us first.
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