Holiday gifts...

[ScrimpAndSave]

So, I am trying to figure out how I am going to budget holiday gifts this year. I basically buy for my siblings and their children. I have about 15,000 worldpoints from a credit card, and for 3,200 points, I can get a $25 VISA giftcard. I know it is pretty boring, but I think it is a pretty good deal and I can get a bunch of them for my siblings.

My only concern is that they won't use them...but that isn't my problem - right? I would LOVE to get one.

Oh well...the kids are another story then...

[hopefulfirefly]

Do you have the options of getting another type of gift card? Such as to a particular store/restaurant? That might be a simple way to personalize the gift?

How old are the kids? As a kid, I loved gift certificates! With my CC, you can get gift certificates to Build A Bear, my nieces love those!

[ScrimpAndSave]

Build a bear is so cute!

Yes, there are gift certificates, but they cost more points...

[zakity]

You could get the visa gift cards and then purchase gifts with them for the people.

[ScrimpAndSave]

Zakity...I thought of this, too! Maybe that is the best bet...hmmm...

[hopefulfirefly]

Just a word of caution, I had this same thought last year. I was given a Visa gift card from my employer & I thought I'd use it to purchase gifts.

I bought my mom some clothes from Ann Taylor and one of the items did not fit. She went to exchange it & they didn't have it in her size, so she just wanted to return it. When she went to return it, they asked for the CC that was used the purchase the gift (she did have the original receipt). I had tossed the Visa gift card when there was a zero balance on it, and I didn't have it to give to Ann Taylor. Even though we had the receipt, they would only give us store credit. It had never occured to me to hang on to the zero-balance card. Hopefully someone else can learn from my mistake

[PrincessPerky]

I would think you could buy a gift card with the visa card couldn't you? Then it could be to the store they would like, but cost no more points, just time on your part?

[meatloafkend]

That return policy for store credit happens all the time! That is one thing I hate about giving and receiving clothes from a store I don't have near me, or one I don't typically visit. I think the best idea is to buy gift certificates with the VISA gift card (as suggested earlier).

[ScrimpAndSave]

Maybe the best idea is for me to get a $125 giftcard myself and buy for my family...hmm...

[Kirbycruiser]

Lurker chiming in.....

I've been warned about giving gift cards because in this shaky economy you can't be sure if a particular retailer will be around when the giftee decides to use it. If the retailer bombs then the gift card is useless. It would be just as nice to recieve cash wouldn't it?
Just my two cents...
Back to lurking....

[osadg]

I love giving gift cards! My husband has a BIG family and we celebrate everything-gift cards are the most popular items on the list. Everyone likes getting the gift cards (to specific places) because they get a few from different people and then use them all together for big purchase items. On the other side, I've been giving the Visa gift card for years. I have a teenage sister and when she was little she loved gift cards for places like Build-A-Bear but when she started getting a little older it got harder to get her gift cards for things/places she liked, and gifts have always been hard to send since she lives far away. The Visa gift card is the only way I've figured out how to get a happy gift for a teenager! She loves them, and she's never run into a problem using them.