Recall on Gift Cards Purchased at Costco – Now What?

I happen to be one of those people who loves to get a great gift card as a gift.  I don't think it lacks a personal touch, I don't think it's a cop-out, I actually appreciate it.  So, when I get them as a gift, it's awesome.  Unless this happens.

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DO YOU HAVE A RESTAURANT GIFT CARD PURCHASED THROUGH COSTCO

Costco has always had a ton of gift cards to choose from, generally around the holidays. Those gift cards varied from several restaurants around the area.  There would be Cold Stone, Granite City Food and Brewery, Chipotle, Brick and Bourbon, and so many more.

The company that supplies these gift cards - Synergy Restaurant Gift Cards - has suddenly filed for bankruptcy.  This is making these cards completely invalid.  The cards in question were sold between October 27, 2025 to January 26, 2026.  There was a period of time when the bankruptcy was annouced, but not everyone redeemed their gift cards.  Either because they didn't hear about it, or just forgot about it.

But then, this happened.

“A sudden surge in redemptions reportedly forced the program to shut down earlier than planned,” and card owners found that the more than 100 restaurants participating in the program weren’t able to allow redemption of the gift cards, the site reported.

WHAT ARE YOU SUPOSED TO DO NOW

So, what are you supposed to do with this now useless piece of plastic?  Unfortunately you generally cannot get a refund from Costco, you can ask, however.  If you have a gift card for another place purchased through Costco, just bring it in and ask what they can do, if anything.  Chances are that they won't be able to do anything about it, as they are a third party.  But it does not hurt to ask.

There’s an active recall on restaurant gift cards sold at Costco, according to a company letter. This is due to the gift cards no longer being valid.

Bummer, but sometimes these things are out of anyone's control.