Are gift cards a good or bad present?

[terry1156]

Another friendly debate. Question: Do you think that giving a gift card as a present is a good or bad idea. I'd like to hear other people's opinions on this one.

I try to only use gift cards as a last result simply because I think that they are so impersonal. It's so much fun trying to find "just the right gift" for that special someone. But it's also very hard sometimes!

[2moretrees]

They are an easy and convenient to give gift, but I don't know if their a "good" gift. I do give them sometimes.

[miclason]

I consider them a last resort, too....Really good for teenagers, though, as it is generally difficult to give them EXACTLY what they wanted!!..

[moneyrant]

Can't think of a good reason to use these. Convenience and you pay dearly for it.

1. Give free money loan to the store until card is used
2. Limits what receiver can purchase
3. Receiver may not like anything at store

Better to give cash or a check. Solves all these problems

[DivaJen]

Originally Posted by miclason

I consider them a last resort, too....Really good for teenagers, though, as it is generally difficult to give them EXACTLY what they wanted!!..

I agree, and good for teachers too, who don't need yet another cutesy "Teachers touch the future" mug or pin...

[globetrotter]

Although I tend to agree with moneyrant that cash is a better gift, there are times when cash or a check aren't quite appropriate. I don't think I would give cash to a teacher as divatribe mentioned, but I would certainly consider giving a fgift card.

[Lori63]

As a teacher I love gift cards. I also sometimes give them to my sons' teachers. For example I gave one last year to a teacher who is married with 2 sons-I gave her one to Bath and Body Works-she loved it.

[marla]

It seems to me that a gift card looks a lot nicer or giftier than a check. Do you know what I mean? You can give it inside an envelope. If you write a check or give cash, you need to buy a card.

[PrincessPerky]

I use gift cards or certificates for fathers day and mothers day, my family has started to count on them. I avoid cash becasue in my house cash is put in the bank for groceries and whatnot it doesn't go to the treat they were hoping for. ut then my mother gave my husband one to buy a ladder once and he went and bought clothes for the kids, serves her right for wanting him to buy a ladder at walmart.

[jhd815]

I enjoy receiving them because I know that I can be a hard person to shop for when it comes to presents.

I also enjoy giving them because at least the person then can choose something they really want or need.

I do try to choose stores that I know the recipient shops at or enjoys.

[marblebomb]

Gift cards are great if you really dont understand the persons taste and you know that they absolutely love the store you are getting it from. The best gift of course is an actual gift where you know the person so well that you just "know" they will love it. Unfortunately we are a society that loves to buy and everyone has their own distinct taste. Therefore if the person gets the giftcard from their favourite store you will be satisfying their thrill of purchasing with a product they like.

[akaivyleaf]

I voted "It Depends" because there seems to be some sort of scandal going around here, where the gift card actually looses value- eventually to zero- if its not used within a specified amount of time. Then they charge administrative fees to them too. This gift card would NOT be a good idea.


A walmart gift card, on the other hand, doesn't have these kinds of restrictions/expiration dates etc and so it would be a better gift card to give.

Then it depends on the receiver. If while my mother was still living gift cards were as popular as they are now, she would have had a hissy. She was a stickler for finding the appropriate gift for the receiver and giving them what they wished for. Giving cash and gift cards was taboo for her, so I knew better than to give her one, but that didn't stop me from giving them to others.

[akaivyleaf]

Here's an article about bad gift cards:

Mall owner sued over gift card rules

By RENEE DEGROSS
Cox News Service
Thursday, December 09, 2004







ATLANTA — Former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes is taking on the nation's biggest mall owner in a fight over fees and expiration dates on gift cards and certificates.

Barnes, an attorney, is representing two Atlanta area shoppers in a lawsuit filed Wednesday against Simon Property Group, owner of Lenox Square and several other metro area malls.

The suit contends fees and expiration dates on Simon's gift cards and certificates are illegal and should be stopped. The suit seeks class action status, which if granted would likely expand the case to thousands of Georgians.

A spokeswoman for Simon said the company hadn't seen the suit and had no immediate comment.

The challenge comes as holiday shoppers buy fistfuls of gift cards as an alternative to regular presents. Gift cards are expected to account for $17.2 billion in holiday sales, or 8 percent of the total, the National Retail Federation says.

Cards sold by some big retailers, such as Wal-Mart and Home Depot, do not expire or carry fees that cut the value over time. But others do. Simon cards lose $2.50 in value each month, starting seven months after purchase, and expire one year after purchase.

Andrea Nay-Richardson, one of the lawsuit plaintiffs, bought $400 of Simon gift certificates at Lenox Square in May 2001 and wound up keeping them for herself. Upon trying to use one in 2002, she was told it had expired and was worthless, the lawsuit said.

"I was upset that I spent my money on stuff that I wasn't able to redeem," Nay-Richardson said. "After I tried to redeem the first one [and it had expired], I tossed the rest of them."

The other plaintiff, Betty Benson, claims she also lost money after her employer gave her a $75 Simon gift card that expired before she used it.

"That's just not right," Barnes said. "This affects everyone. These are small claims and these are consumer rights."

The suit contends that the value of an unused gift card is unclaimed property that must be turned over to the state so it can be reclaimed by the owner.

"It's like any other abandoned property in the state," Barnes said. "It's a long-standing law in Georgia and even if it's never claimed or used, it belongs to Georgia, not Simon."

The suit also claims the expiration dates violate Georgia law requiring Simon to honor cards for five years. It contends that the administrative fees are not properly disclosed, and that Simon does not incur actual expenses of $2.50 per month on cards not used after seven months.

The lawsuit seeks damages for defendants, plus reasonable attorneys' fees, not to exceed $75,000 per person.

Simon sells gift cards at its more than 300 malls nationwide.

The company converted its gift cards recently to Simon Visa gift cards, which now list expiration dates on the front of cards

[jeffrey]

You need to choose gift cards very carefully and know the terms and conditions that go with them. Virtually all bank issued gift cards (VISA, MasterCard, American Express, etc.) carry a lot of fees. Retail and Mall store gift card vary widely with some having no fees and other being just as bad as the bank cards. You need to me careful because the last thing you want to do is give money meant for the recipient to the store.

<A HREF="http://www.savingadvice.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3044"> Gift Card & Fees - Why Gift Cards Aren't A Good Present</A>

[amomof4]

If I go that route, I prefer to just give cash.

[zakity]

I like them for certain people. If there is a project I know they have coming up or a craft they really like or a store they always buy their makeup at, I like to get them cards. I figure they are going to buy the things anyway and it frees up their money for something else.

We like to get gift cards, they work well for us. My husband likes Home Depot cards and everyone knows that he will use them. Gift cards to nicer restaurants or to Red Lobster are nice because it forces my husband and I (or my sister for the Red Lobster one) to go out.

[leewill72]

I requested them as gifts, and got them or cash. Then i hit the sales and spend them as carefully as I would 'real' money.

I would give them usually to restarants etc that i know the recipient frequents, like my aunt, the pizza hut fanatic.

[PennyPincher]

To those of you that like to give gift cards ~

I suggest that you check ebay before buying them at the store. I often pick up discounted gift cards for Bath & Body Works and other stores I frequent. You can usually get a $25 gift card for $20 or so. It's great when you can give something that actually is worth more than you spent! Shipping is often free too!

(This could work in reverse too for some of you that got gift cards you won't use or need to add too much to...making them less valuable. Selling gift cards on ebay has worked for me as well. Sometimes getting 80% of its value in cash is better ~ it depends, of course.)

[Momtwo]

I always give GC's for any gift occasion when the recipient is across the country. It is a lot cheaper postage wise.