Abstract
This disclosure describes a new approach to redeeming physical gift cards—also known as physical gift vouchers or gift certificates—using chip-based redemption technology to prevent common scams. Traditional gift cards rely on scratch-off private PINs, making them highly vulnerable to physical tampering and victim-assisted scams. To solve this, the proposed chip-based redemption system embeds a radio frequency identification (RFID) or near field communication (NFC) chip directly into the physical gift card. Instead of manually typing a code, a user simply taps the card against a tap-enabled computing device for a quick, touchless transaction. The embedded chip securely stores the card’s private information, unlocking it only after a mutual authentication handshake with a redemption service. This redemption functionality removes the need for printed PINs on the physical gift cards, reducing financial loss while maintaining standard physical gift card distribution and merchandising methods.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Lakkaraju, Ravi; Duymelinck, Erik; and Haruguchi, Teruhisa, "CHIP-BASED PHYSICAL GIFT CARD REDEMPTION", Technical Disclosure Commons, (August 24, 2026)
https://www.tdcommons.org/dpubs_series/11462