Makro Gift Card Cannot Be Used for Online-Only Products – No Solution Offered

Makro gift card is useless for online-only products – and Makro offers no solution

I received a R500 Makro gift card and wanted to use it to purchase a ceiling fan sold by Makro. The problem is that the product is only available online, while Makro does not allow gift cards to be used for online purchases.

I contacted Makro and also went to Makro Silverlakes to find out how this could be resolved. I asked whether the gift card could be converted to store credit, whether the item could be ordered to the store so that I could pay for it there, or whether there was any other way for me to use the R500 towards this Makro product.

The answer was essentially: no. No alternative, no workaround and no attempt to find a reasonable solution.

After contacting Makro online support, I was eventually told that gift cards are specifically for in-store purchases and cannot be used online or converted to credit. I was also told that this policy has been in place for several years, while at the same time being told that Makro is “actively working toward expanding” its payment options.

That is simply not good enough.

Makro sells gift cards that represent actual money paid to the company, yet customers cannot use that value across Makro's own sales channels. Even worse, Makro sells certain products exclusively online, effectively making those products impossible to purchase with a Makro gift card.

I am not asking for anything unreasonable. I have R500 in Makro credit and want to spend it on a product being sold by Makro. Surely a company of this size should be able to offer some form of solution — convert the voucher to online credit, allow gift cards as an online payment method, or arrange for the online-only item to be purchased through a store.

Instead, I have been met with a rigid policy and no meaningful attempt to resolve the problem.

I don't want another explanation of the policy. I already understand the policy. I want Makro to provide a practical solution that allows me to use my R500 gift card towards the Makro product I want to purchase.