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Gift CardsGet Gift Cards--Take the Guessing out of GivingThe Perfect Gift in a Hurry--Gift Cards Save You Time and MoneyBy Mindy
BillSavings.com Brief:
Gift cards are a quick and easy way to give a thoughtful gift. Now you can be thoughtful and frugal – by getting great deals on gift cards. You can also help your gift recipient save money, by using the gift cards later on good post holiday discount sales available on merchandise. Discover how to get bargains on gift card purchases online.
Gift cards have long been a popular gift choice. Not only are they easy to mail in the common greeting card, they also allow the recipient some freedom of choice when it comes to the gift--and on the timing of the purchase to get the best deals. Fortunately for gift card fans, the options for purchase have expanded along with the benefits. Be an informed consumer and avoid gift card gaffs. You can now make gift card purchases online, e-mail gift cards to the recipients or even print gift certificates out for last minute gifting. Recipients can in turn spread gift card purchases out over a wider vendor selection, take advantage of post holiday sales. Read on to find out how you can make your gift card dollars go further. Quick run-down on gift card giving Gift cards are a great gift selection when you’re not quite sure what to give someone. Regardless of the occasion – be it for a birthday, wedding, or new baby – gift cards always come in handy. For anyone new to gift card giving, you should know getting a gift card is as simple as walking into a store, paying whatever sum of money you choose, and walking out with a nice (and usually snazzy) plastic card. When you give that plastic card to the recipient of your choice, that person can return to the store where you purchased the card and use the card just like cash. Why gift cards are better than cash There are two reasons it’s usually better to give a gift card than to write a check or hand over cash:
3 Ways to save on gift cards Savings tip #1: Buy flexible gift cards. Several online retailers offer extensive choice when it comes to gift card purchases. In such cases, you put down a certain amount of money on an “open” gift card – let’s say $100. You then have the gift card emailed to your gift recipient, or you print off a certificate (both will have a redemption code connecting the recipient to the gift). Your gift recipient then goes back online to the retailer where you bought the gift card, and determines how to spend it. Most of these online retailers offer extensive gift card options. Your gift recipient can break up that $100 gift and spread it out over “mini” gift cards at a variety of vendors. For instance, he or she might opt for a $20 gift card for a particular restaurant, a $30 gift card at a clothing store, and a $50 gift card at a home improvement retailer. Your gift recipient can also add money to your original gift card amount to make the gift stretch over even more gift cards. Alternately, he or she can spend just a portion of the gift at a specified vendor, and then can save the rest of the gift for another time. Using an umbrella gift card option is a way to let your gift recipient base his or her spending on actual needs and wants. This is a wise choice if you’re not sure what types of vendors a person prefers. Savings tip #2: Buy discounted gift cards. An increasing number of online retailers offer discounted gift cards. Most discounts range between 10% and 60% off. For example, you could buy a gift card for $60 that is actually worth $100 to your gift recipient. Not all gift cards are such good bargains, but it’s important to note that bargains can be found. Many gift card bargain sites offer a $5 bonus gift – in other words, you pay $40 for a $45 gift card. There’s no better way to make your money stretch further than to look for bargain deals, even on gifts. Your gift recipient will never know how much you actually spent, so putting in the extra time to search discount gift card sites could be very worth your while. Savings tip #3: Trade or swap gift cards. If you were the recipient of a gift card you know you’ll never use, you can always trade it. Online sites exist specifically for this purpose. Say, for instance, you receive a gift card to a sporting goods store. It was a nice thought, but there’s not a thing you’ll ever want or need from that store. Rather than throwing the card (and money) away, you can go online to these sites and swap out your card. Select a vendor where you would like to shop and then mail in your gift card. You’ll then receive a gift card in the mail for the vendor of your choosing. Online sites that offer such trades sometimes charge one or two dollars in fees. You may see that as a small price to pay to make sure you get what you want from your gift card. Savings tip #4: Buy gift cards at auction. Another option when making the most of your gift card money is to buy gift cards at auction. Online auction sites are growing in popularity. For people who would rather unlock the cash in their gift cards than spend the cards at the designated vendor, this is a great option. Auction sites for gift cards are similar to the popular eBay auction site. Individuals post the gift card to be sold, listing the vendor and the amount on the cards. Bidders then compete to buy the card at reduced rates. Bidding takes place within a certain time frame, and the highest bid wins. For example, picture a gift card for $200 at a home & garden store with bids as high as $172. If the $172 bid is the winner, that person wins the gift card valued at $200 – effectively winning a “bonus” $28. Make your gift cards work for you The average American gets five gift cards a year. Take advantage of this trend and buy gift cards at super-low rates or swap and trade cards until you’ve got the right combination that works for you. 10/16/2008
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