The current "member appreciation bonus" of 2,000 miles (not LP, presumably) after $500 in portal purchases does count $250 giftcards.com no-fee visa purchases toward the goal, even though the terms for the deal say it doesn't include giftcards or cash equivalents.

Thanks to VegasGambler and others in this thread for the tip to use those giftcards for Amazon Reload and in-person google pay purchases. I didn't see anywhere on the site or in the email that I needed to "register" my card. But now I have the entire ritual down.