Deal Alert: Get a $10 Amazon Gift Card for $5 Today

NEW YORK (MainStreet) – Amazon sells just about everything, which means that a gift card to the website is almost as good as cash on the Internet. So when the retailer gives away discounted gift cards, people stand up and pay attention.

That’s what Amazon is counting on today as it gives away $10 gift cards to the site for just $5. The deal can be had through Amazon Local, which is exactly what the company is trying to publicize with today’s giveaway. Clearly, Amazon is willing to take a bit of a loss on this promotion if it means gaining a stronger foothold in the local deals space.

Whatever the motivation, customers can take advantage, and more than 150,000 people have already purchased the deal. Upon purchase the $10 balance will automatically become credit on your account, where it can be used to purchase anything on the site. (Well, almost anything – oddly enough, the gift card can’t be used on Amazon Local itself.) After you buy the deal, the credit never expires.

However, the deal does expire tonight at midnight PDT, regardless of your location. And the site says that a limited quantity is available, so it’s possible that Amazon will shut down the promotion before the deadline is up. If you’re a regular Amazon customer, it makes all the sense in the world to get this deal now.

Don't want to spend too much? Check out our Deals & Steals hot topic for more bargains. Don't want to spend anything at all? There's plenty of Free Stuff to be had as well.

Matt Brownell is a staff reporter for MainStreet. You can reach him by email at matthew.brownell@thestreet.com, or follow him on Twitter @Brownellorama.