How long does it takes for an American Express gift card to get activated after purchasing it?

I bought an American express card today in the morning. Tried purchasing online but it is not working. It just gives the messeage "Enter a valid gift card value without any spaces and dash.". Can anyone help me out?

You obviously used dashes, or when you bought the card, it was not activated by the cashier. Call AE for an explanation. The phone number should be on the opposite side.

It should be active right after you fulfill the purchase.

http://www.creditcardassociate.com/american-express-gift.html http://answers.yahoo.com/question/accuse_write?qid=20080520120642AAaPL7j&kid=JqZzDGO1M2nT.0K1bECB&s=comm&date=2009-02-02+14%3A54%3A19&.crumb=

It should be immediate. Call the 800 # on the back and speak to a customer service rep and they will help you to make sure it actually had a balance to begin with.

Maybe the website does not take American express or is other wise malfunctioning.