Practical recordkeeping guide · Published 12 August 2026

Keep the trade trail—not the card secret.

A clear evidence log can help you reconstruct what was quoted, what you submitted and what happened next. This private worksheet records the process without asking for a gift card code, PIN, account login or bank details.

Browser-only worksheet

Gift card trade evidence log

Not saved or sent

Leave secrets out.

Do not enter a gift card code, PIN, full prepaid card number, password, one-time login code or bank credentials. Refer to screenshots by a filename you control instead of pasting sensitive content.

Trade identity

Date and time Platform or buyer label Card summary Order or case reference

Quote and outcome

Quoted payout (NGN) Disclosed fees (NGN) Status Promised review or payout time

Recorded net payout: —

Evidence retained

Dated quote or rate screenshot Card requirements and fees Submission confirmation Status or support messages Payout confirmation Issue timeline, if needed

Neutral timeline notes

The worksheet runs locally in this page and does not transmit or persist your entries.

The method

What a useful trade record should prove

The goal is not to collect more personal data. It is to preserve enough dated context to understand the transaction without exposing the asset itself.

Record the exact offer before submission

Save the quoted payout, disclosed fee, card description and timestamp together. A cropped rate number without a date, brand, country or format may not show which offer you actually accepted. If you are still comparing offers, use the CardFlow gift card rate table for a current starting estimate and keep the final transaction quote as a separate record.

Separate a quote from an order

A rate screenshot records an estimate. An order or case reference connects later messages and status changes to one transaction. Keep both, and note when the platform asks for additional evidence or changes the approved amount.

Use filenames instead of copying secrets

A note such as order-1042-receipt-redacted.jpg is safer than pasting a card number into this log. Keep original evidence in a private folder, redact unrelated personal data in the copy you share, and preserve the original timestamp where possible.

Write a neutral timeline

Record observable events: when the quote arrived, when the order opened, what evidence was requested, when the status changed and when payment arrived. Avoid guesses about intent. A factual timeline is easier for support to review than scattered screenshots with no order.

Stop when a request changes the purpose

A trade record should never become a place to surrender credentials. The US Federal Trade Commission warns that anyone who tells you to buy a gift card and provide its numbers as payment is a scammer. Its official gift card scam guidance also explains how to report the incident and contact the card company.