Hundreds of gift cards from Costco are no longer valid — here’s how to get a full refund for them

Costco is recalling a batch of worthless restaurant gift cards after the supplier abruptly shuttered.

The warehouse club sent a letter to members who purchased Synergy Restaurant Gift Cards between October 27, 2025, and January 26, 2026, informing them that the gift cards are no longer redeemable.

Costco noted that the Synergy Gift Card Network/Synergy World informed them that they abruptly ceased operations.

“Unfortunately, we were recently notified by the Synergy Gift Card Network/Synergy World that they would be ceasing operations effective January 31st, 2026,” Costco stated.

Any remaining balances on the card were set to become invalid as of January 31.

Costco has a longstanding gift card policy that doesn’t allow returns, but they’re making an exception to the rule for this unexpected circumstance.

Full refunds are being offered for the unused balances on the Synergy restaurant gift cards — though cardholders are encouraged to check the card’s balance online before returning them for a reimbursement.

“If after this date you are unable to use the remaining card balance, please return it to your local Costco for a refund,” the letter read.

“We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused,” the retailer added.

Costco is making an exception to its longstanding no-return policy for gift cards. andy – stock.adobe.com

Synergy World, the third-party company that issued gift cards for more than 100 partner restaurants across several states, recently announced that it would file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection.

The company noted that it would end the restaurant card program entirely, making unused gift cards void.

“It is with a heavy heart that Synergy World has made the difficult decision to discontinue the Synergy Restaurant Gift Card Program,” the company said in a statement to ABC News.

The company did not provide a definitive list of the impacted restaurants, but Costco shared that the Domino’s gift cards currently sold in stores nationwide are not part of the recall.

Synergy World recently announced that it would file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection. Synergy

Costco’s gift cards are some of their most reliable deals, considering the warehouse offers many of them at a discount rather than a dollar-for-dollar value.

They are often sold at around 20% below face value, so an $100 gift card might cost a customer $80 — making it a good way for people to save money at some of their favorite restaurants.