Gift Card Balance Retrieval Script

Project Overview

The objective of this project is to design a concise Python or PHP script (using standard HTTP request libraries) that programmatically retrieves gift card balance information from the public-facing workflow of mygift.giftcardmall.com, in a manner equivalent to the site’s balance-check form.

Scope & Technical Goals

Analyze the client–server interaction used by the gift card balance check feature

Identify and replicate the relevant API endpoints and request structure

Accurately submit required parameters (e.g., card number and associated metadata)

Parse and return the balance response in a clean, script-friendly format

Keep the solution lightweight, maintainable, and well-documented

Intended Outcome

The final deliverable is a simple, reusable script that allows the cardholder to:

Input a gift card number programmatically

Perform the same validation and balance lookup as the official website

Receive the balance result directly in the script output

Technical Considerations

Reverse-engineering is limited to observing legitimate network requests made by the browser during normal usage

The script should closely mirror real browser behavior (headers, payload structure, session handling)

Any protective mechanisms encountered (e.g., bot detection, CAPTCHA, traffic verification) are to be evaluated and handled responsibly, with an emphasis on:

Maintainability

Cost-effectiveness

Minimal operational complexity