A cunning thief has figured out a way to turn his loot into a gift that keeps on giving.

After breaking into a car earlier this month and stealing credit cards left inside, a thief made his way to nearby Coles and Woolworths supermarkets, where he used the stolen credit cards to buy gift cards.

The thief could continually purchase goods using a gift card, without being caught. Credit:Luis Ascui

While credit cards can be cancelled, it is much harder to identify a stolen gift card and have it blocked from use.

This would enable the thief to continually purchase goods with the gift cards without being caught.