Secure inserts for gift cards

A system for assembling a secure gift card for purchase and use in a retail environment, the system comprising:

• a first gift card component of a first type, wherein the first gift card component includes a first identifier;
• a second gift card component of a second type that is different from the first type, wherein the second gift card component is separate from the first gift card component and includes a second identifier, wherein the second gift card component is configured to be permanently attached to the first gift card component to form a combined gift card that is purchasable during a checkout process;
• a point of sale (POS) terminal configured to process purchase and activation of the combined gift card;
• and
• a computer system in network communication with the POS terminal and configured to validate the combined gift card based on the checkout process being performed at the POS terminal to purchase and activate the combined gift card,
• wherein the POS terminal is configured to perform operations comprising:
• scanning, using a scanning device at the POS terminal, the first identifier and the second identifier;
• transmitting, to the computer system, a request to validate the combined gift card, wherein the request includes the scanned first identifier and the scanned second identifier;
• receiving, from the computer system, card validation information indicating that the combined gift card is approved for purchase during the checkout process, wherein the computer system is configured to generate the card validation information by (i) validating the scanned first identifier and the scanned second identifier against gift card associations in a data store, and (ii) generating a data entry in the data store that associates the unique identifiers for the first gift card component and the second gift card component of the combined gift card with each other;
• activating, based on the card validation information, the combined gift card;
• and
• completing, based on the activation and the card validation information, the checkout process.