Redemption

Paper redemption program

Redemption in Magic is the official act by Wizards of the Coast of exchanging cards on a one to one basis for other cards.

Paper to paper

The first three Magic expansions (Arabian Nights, Antiquities, and Legends) all had redemption programs due to printing and collating issues. As late as May 1999, there were also redemption programs for banned and restricted cards.

Digital to paper

The Magic Online Redemption Program is a feature on Magic Online that allows a player with a complete digital set on Magic Online to have those cards converted to a complete paper copy of the same set. The digital cards are deleted from the player's account and a the player is sent a corresponding full set of physical cards. A redemption set comes sealed in a shrink-wrapped box with a label on it indicating what set is inside and whether it is regular (non-foil) or premium (foil).

In order to redeem a Magic Online card set, you must have at least one of every card in the set you are trying to redeem in your collection. All cards must be premium to redeem a premium set. All cards must be regular to redeem a regular set. Appropriate basic lands must be in your collection if the set's English version booster packs have them. Cards which are not part of the regular basic set, such as extended/borderless/full art cards, Showcase cards, Masterpiece Series, and other card variants, are not required to be in your collection and cannot be redeemed. Magic Online-only sets and supplemental sets also cannot be redeemed.

A Redemption Request used to cost $25, plus shipping costs of $7.99 plus sales tax (for US residents) or $34.99 plus VAT and duties or import fees (for those living outside the US). Return to Ravnica and previous sets released prior to February 1, 2013 cost only $5 to redeem, with shipping fees of $2.99 (to the US) or $29.99 (outside the US).

As a general rule, Magic Online sets became available for redemption roughly one month after they were released. If a redeemable set ran out of stock before its Redemption Reprint Guarantee Date, the set would be reprinted. After a redeemable set's Redemption Reprint Guaranteed Date had passed, such set would be available while supplies lasted or until its Cutoff Date, whichever came first.

Magic Online officially transferred from Wizards of the Coast's servers to Daybreak's servers on October 18, 2022. Henceforward, redemption sets for Standard-legal expansions were offered on a while-supplies-last basis only, and at a higher overall price. In September 2024, the production of foil redemption sets will cease. This will end Magic Online’s ability to offer the redemption of digital foil sets for physical foil sets. Each redemption for regular cards going forward must use all regular or all foil cards. Mixing regular and foil versions to create a redeemable set is still not allowed.