What do you think of gift cards in general??

I don't mind gift cards as long it's the place I'm interested in shopping at. :) $5 won't cut it...at least $20 minimum is good enough.
 
Honestly, I think that should be illegal.

It is in some states. In Mass, they must put the money into an account and they are not allow to take it. It must be given back to the state as lost property and the state must post that they have it to be returned.
 
and some have time limits - only good for six months or a year. although many companies changed those policies lately because so many customers complained.

I am reminded of a story that one of my nieces experienced. One Christmas, she was given around $400 worth of gift cards for a local shopping mall. This was just before she had given birth to her first child. So a lot of people pitched in and gave her gift cards to the shopping mall so she could buy new clothes for herself.

However, with the child keeping her busy and everything, she didn't go until late into March. However, they informed her that the gift cards were no longer redeemable. Naturally, my sister, the mother of the niece was furious and marched into the customer service and demanded that they change it. The thing is, they were not told that the gift cards expire 3 months after they are bought.

3 MONTHS!

Thankfully, the people at the mall were a bunch of wussies and caved in. She got her money back.
 
It is in some states. In Mass, they must put the money into an account and they are not allow to take it. It must be given back to the state as lost property and the state must post that they have it to be returned.

Good!
 
I think gift cards are awesome! I actually kind of prefer them. I love when I get a gift card to Starbucks, Jambajuice, Boarders, or Target and even Subway. :D I get them like once and a great while from my sister. I like giving gift cards as a gift to my family or friends to their favorite store because then that shows them " hey, I was going to buy "this", but then decided a gift card would be better so you can get something you've really wanted".
 
I'll accept gift cards, then I can pick out what I want to get. I usually get my oldest step-nephew iTunes gift cards for birthdays/Christmas cause I honestly have no idea what else to get him (well I suppose I could do like a Gamestop card too hmm..). He's got an ipod touch, so he can get whatever music or apps he wants. As for my niece and nephew in New Mexico and Texas, I just sent them cash. They're kids, they're more than likely to like the cash more than gift cards I think.

I don't generally get gift cards very often, and when I do they're usually itunes cards haha. Which is fine with me. I've also gotten $10 gift cards to Albertsons or a gas station from work for my birthday.
 
wait some gift cards expire? shit that's just stupid. That's REAL money on those cards, how can they just put a limit on when to spend it? unbelievable.
 
Like someone said, I think they make a great sticking suffer or an additio to a small gift for coworkers during the holidays. My aide loves peanut butter so i plan on getting her a huge jar of her favorite peanut butter and a $5 gift card to Starbucks .
 
Gift cards are great. My favorite one I got last year was to Red Lobster. It was nice since I was able to take myself and someone else for a treat. It turned out to be a nice date. :D
 
Ye gods, I am getting some Christmas cards!
I better mail some, yikes!
 
Wirelessly posted

I like gift cards especially itunes! I am a music junkie with an ipod lol
 
Gift cards are cool and time saving. No worries about fighting the crowds, Black Friday etc. As long as the receiving person likes that store/restraunt/etc. Best recent gift card I got was for Applebees... hot damn, they make the best darn Bloody Marys!
 
Besides all the reasons that have been given upthread:

time limations
fees
people don't always end up using them or using them fully

they are easy to lose and some people may forget that they have them.

I think if you are going to give money it's best to give it in the form of cash or check.
 
BTW.... Applebee's Bloody Marys go good w/ any of their steaks!
 
I prefer gift cards/or cash so I can get what I prefer/wanted. Sometimes whoever give me a gift, and they don't know what I like or want. When I was in early 20's I thought gift cerfericates was dumb idea but when I get older, I realized I prefer that.
 
I think getting a GC for a gift is matter of circumstances.

You need to know when and where and to whom.

It is not nice to buy a GC if you are buying it out of laziness.

It is nice if you buy for a person who you know would truly enjoy it, like me :)
because I love books and I love to browse thru Chapters/Indigo bookstore for ours looking over books.
Or Swarovski, I love Swarovski, 2 - that's it for ideas, folks ;)
PM me for an address ;)
jk jk ;)


If you know your friend/s love to go out to, say, restaurant,
I think a GC to a fancy one is fine.
Circumstances like that.


But If you are buying one to a department store where nothing definite comes to mind to buy, then, meh...


Fuzzy
 
Wirelessly posted

I like gift cards especially itunes! I am a music junkie with an ipod lol
iTunes? coulda swore u gonna say iWannaMarryBrady and your gift card goes as a down payment or sumpthing like that.
 
Everyone has their preferences, I don't mind the gift cards. Especially when it comes to clothing stores, I like to be able to try on clothes before I buy them. Sometimes, I end up not wearing the clothes that people buy me. So it's a win-win situation if I get a gift card.
I like gift cards too. I also like giving gift cards too. My parents are very difficult to shop for. So, I just get them gift cards to their favorite restaurants or stores.

My mom sucks at buying me gifts. No matter what I tell her, she never fully understands what I want. I always tell her that I don't want sweaters. She gets me them anyway. They sit in my closet collecting dust. (Next time she gets me a sweater, I'll just ask her for the receipt in case it doesn't fit.) I asked for a Xbox Bundle (the first Xbox system that came with 2 games included). I even included a picture with a description of what it was. When I opened my present, I got Halo. When I saw that, I was excited thinking that the Xbox would be next. Nope. When I asked about the Xbox, she said that she thought it was better to spend $50 on one game than $200 on two games. (Apparently, the thought the Xbox bundle was just 2 games... not 2 games plus the console.) So, I ended up holding the game until I bought myself the Xbox 5 months later. :) (She also has horrible taste in clothes.) Now, she just takes me to the mall and lets me try on a few clothes before buying them for me. (Good idea since it's part of post-Christmas sale.)
 
One good idea about gift cards is that a lot of places offer $5 free gift cards with the purchase of $25 gift cards. I've done that a few times in the past. I got a Chipotle gift card for my sister and earned myself a free burrito. I got a Red Robin gift card for my dad and earned myself a free $5 gift card. I got a gift card at IHOP and earned myself a $5-off coupon, which I used the same day to get $5 off of my check and then the gift card to pay for my remaining balance on my check. :)
 
One good idea about gift cards is that a lot of places offer $5 free gift cards with the purchase of $25 gift cards. I've done that a few times in the past. I got a Chipotle gift card for my sister and earned myself a free burrito. I got a Red Robin gift card for my dad and earned myself a free $5 gift card. I got a gift card at IHOP and earned myself a $5-off coupon, which I used the same day to get $5 off of my check and then the gift card to pay for my remaining balance on my check. :)

That's a great idea! :hmm:
 
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