How to get your 1800Flowers gift card miles

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One great way to buy miles cheaply is to buy 1800Flowers gift cards at a substantial discount and then buy items using their mile earning promo codes.  Full details and examples can be found here: 1800Flowers Extreme Stacking promo codes, portals, gift cards, and more.

A big problem with this approach has crept recently.  A number of readers have reported that they did not get the miles they expected.  And, when they asked 1800Flowers about it, they were told that gift cards were not eligible for promo code rewards.  My guess is that this is a misunderstanding.  Perhaps it was an internal training program gone wrong.  The truth is, there are gift card like things that are ineligible for promo codes.  When you buy 1800Flowers or 1800Baskets gift credit from deal sites like Groupon or Living Social, those gift credits are (usually) ineligible for use with promo codes.  Gift cards bought from resellers are often of this type too.

However, if you buy gift cards directly from 1800Flowers or from a place that sells new, unused gift cards (e.g. any retailer n-store, Staples.com, certain eBay merchants, etc.), or if you redeem Discover Cash Back for a gift card, those gift cards should be eligible for use with promo codes.  At the very least, there is nowhere to be found any terms stating otherwise.  I’ve had success many times in the past with applying promo codes to these “good” gift cards.

1800Flowers gift card miles

Gift Cards from 1800Flowers

If you shop for gift cards at 1800Flowers.com (found here), you’ll currently find the following description:

Gift-giving has never been easier with the 1-800-FLOWERS.COM® Gift Card! They can browse a wide selection of fresh flowers, delicious gourmet treats and desserts, beautiful plants, stunning gift baskets and more–and then choose exactly what they want!

  • Please allow 7 days from purchase date for UPS Ground delivery
  • Your Gift Card is redeemable at 1-800-FLOWERS.COM®, 1-800-BASKETS.COM®, Fannie May®, Cheryl’s® and The Popcorn Factory®–online, by phone where available, and at certain participating stores.
  • Accompanied by a greeting card printed with your personal message
  • Available in denominations of $25, $50, $75, $100, and $200.
  • Promotion codes cannot be accepted on Gift Cards
  • No expiration date and no service fee!

One line from above that may give you pause is the statement declaring that “Promotion codes cannot be accepted on Gift Cards.”  That means that you can’t use promo codes when buying gift cards.  It is not intended to mean that you can’t use promotion codes when paying with gift cards.  I do think, though, that this could be a source of some of the confusion.

The back of each physical 1800Flowers gift card has no restrictions against using promo codes:

Redeemable at many of our sister brands online, by phone where available, and at certain participating stores. Visit www.FreshGift.com or call 1-800-242-5353 for a complete list of where this card is redeemable, current balance and terms of use. Not redeemable for cash except where required by law. This is not a credit card or debit card. No expiration date and no service fees. Issued by Fresh Gift Cards, Inc.

And, www.FreshGift.com, also has no restrictions against using promo codes:

THE GIFT CARD and GIFT CERTIFICATE.
The Gift Card and Gift Certificate is a prepaid payment device that comes with a set dollar value. It is not a credit card, charge card or debit card. The Gift Card and Gift Certificate has no associated service or dormancy fees and no expiration date. The Gift Card and Gift Certificate can be used at the brands, the company owned and participation franchised retail stores, web sites and on phone orders, as listed at www.FreshGift.com. We reserve the right to require credit card or alternate non-promotional payment method information for verification purposes, even if the Gift Card or Gift Certificate fully covers the transaction order total. We do not allow the purchase of a Gift Card with another Gift Card, Gift Certificate, Savings Pass, Appreciation Award, Award Card, or Rewards Pass. Your 19-digit Gift Card may become redeemable at additional brands and locations, which information will be updated on this page. The Gift Card and Gift Certificates may only be used to purchase products and services and may not be redeemed for cash, unless otherwise prohibited by law. The Gift Cards and Gift Certificates are not transferable and may not be used for unlawful purposes. Our Gift Cards and Gift Certificates are issued and administered by Fresh Gift Cards, Inc.

A Reader’s Experience

A reader who was initially denied Southwest points reports having success in pointing this out to 1800Flowers.  When they told him that he would not get miles because he had paid with a gift card, he asked to be shown the terms & conditions stating that promo codes cannot be used with gift cards.  It worked!  Of course, there’s no guarantee that it will work for you too, but it’s worth a try.

What follows is his email exchange with loyaltypriority@1800flowers.com.  Names have been removed to protect the innocent….

Initial support request

Presumably via 1800Flowers’ online Customer Service form (found here), the reader submitted the following request:

I placed five different orders on 02/09/2016 with the Southwest Airline code rr84 which gives 1750 miles per order. That would be a total of 8750 miles. There doesn’t seem to be a way to track the miles. When can I expect the miles to post on my Southwest account?

1800Flowers Response 1

Thank you for contacting us.
I wanted to check your orders to make sure the Southwest promo code RR84 was used for the 1750 pts per order and it was used. Generally it can take 6-8 weeks to reflect onto your account. If you have any questions, please contact us at: 1-800-993-1192.
We look forward to sending a smile soon.
Sincerely,
[name removed]
Sales and Service Specialist / Fresh Rewards
loyaltypriority@1800flowers.com

Reader request 2

In reply to the above:

To: “loyaltypriority@1800flowers.com” <loyaltypriority@1800flowers.com>

It has been 8 weeks since I placed 5 orders and have not received my Southwest points. Why do I need to call and e-mail every time I use a promo code for points. Please have someone in the Southwest team credit my points immediately. If not, I will be contacted Google Trusted Store to get this resolved.

1800Flowers Response 2

I’m so sorry for any inconvenience. I have reviewed your orders and found that they were paid for with gift cards, savings passes or Celebrations Rewards passes. I’m sorry but you are not eligible for miles/points on this order.
We appreciate your inquiry, and look forward to serving your gifting needs in the future.

Sincerely,
[name removed]
Loyalty Priority Services
loyaltypriority@1800flowers.com
1-800-993-1192

Reader Request 3

To: “1-800-FLOWERS.COM” <Loyaltypriority@1800flowers.com>

When I made 5 orders in February, 2016, […] I used Discover cashback to purchase 1800flowers egift cards on the discover web site. I have been told in the email attached to this email that because I used a gift card, i would not be eligible for Southwest miles using the RR84 code. When i placed the orders, the RR84 code was accepted. I am including the terms & conditions found on the Discover website when you purchase a 1800flowers egift card. There are no restrictions for using a code for airline miles. […]

[From Discover website] 1-800-Flowers Terms & Conditions

The eCertificate is a prepaid payment device that comes with a set dollar value. It is not a credit card, charge card or debit card. The eCertificate has no associated service or dormancy fees and no expiration date. The eCertificate can be used at the brands, the company owned and participation franchised retail stores, web sites and on phone orders, as listed at www.FreshGift.com. 1-800-Flowers.com reserves the right to require credit card or alternate non-promotional payment method information for verification purposes, even if the eCertificate fully covers the transaction order total. To obtain your Available Funds balance, call the toll-free number 1-800-242-5353. 1-800-Flowers.com does not allow the purchase of an eCertificate with another eCertificate. Your 19-digit eCertificate code may become redeemable at additional brands and locations, which information will be updated on this page. The eCertificates may only be used to purchase products and services and may not be redeemed for cash, unless otherwise prohibited by law. The eCertificates are not transferable and may not be used for unlawful purposes. eCertificates are issued and administered by Fresh Gift Cards, Inc.

1800Flowers Response 3

Unfortunately, we cannot give you the South West miles. South West’s policy is that the order cannot be paid for with a gift card. The Discover cashback is considered a giftcard. South West issues the miles to your account. We will not be able to issue the miles to you.

I apologize for inconvenience this may have caused.

Sincerely,
[name removed]
Loyalty Priority Services
loyaltypriority@1800flowers.com
1-800-993-1192

Reader Request 4

To: “1-800-FLOWERS.COM” <Loyaltypriority@1800flowers.com>

Please show me in writing the policy that states miles will not be issued if paid w/ a gift card. Through the entire process of my orders, there was never a term or condition that said miles would not be issued if a gift card was used. I’d like to see the policy and directed to where on the Discover site or 1800flowers site this policy was printed.

1800Flowers Response 5 (2 months after the initial inquiry)

Thank you for reaching out to us.

I apologize for any confusion. We have contacted SouthWest to apply the points for these orders, however it can take up to 8 weeks after the delivery date for the points to post.

Again, I apologize for any confusion and we look forward to helping you deliver smiles!

Sincerely,
[name removed]
Loyalty Priority Services
loyaltypriority@1800flowers.com
1-800-993-1192

So, there you go. There’s no guarantee that it will work for you, but we have this one data point showing success.

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