Abstract: An electronic commerce transaction in which a dealer electronically purchases gift cards of different face amounts from different advertisers using a computer online, each gift card is purchased for a fixed sum equal to a face amount less a discount. The dealer may electronically pay for virtual currency from an online publisher of an online game at a second discount for a second fixed sum in real currency units, the first discount minus the second fixed sum representing the dealer's margin, the virtual currency usable in the online game. The dealer electronically offers to online game users the gift cards stating that if a user purchases electronically from the dealer one of the gift cards the user is then entitled to a preset amount of the virtual currency for the online game. The dealer may offer a similar offer where the free item is an online publisher's product.