Comments on: You Take: Why Do People Like Gift Cards?

By: Lazy Man and Money

Lazy Man and Money — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 23:08:45 +0000

It’s better than getting a gift that I don’t want or can’t use. Our society hasn’t seemed to move to the point where giving cash is acceptable. Plus if someone gives you $25 in cash, what are you going to do, give them $25 back? More? Less? It’s a no-win situation.

By: Jackson

Jackson — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 16:53:34 +0000

Is giving cash only considered tacky in American culture?

What about South America or the various European countries?

Because in Chinese culture (and I would assume other Asian cultures), giving cash is perfectly normal, and also the preferred gift.

In fact we have these nice little red envelopes to put the money in.

By: PT

PT — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 07:55:55 +0000

I give them (restaurant and movie gift cards) to my sis and bro-in-law b/c they have too much junk already and he doesn’t take her out on dates enough.

I say any consumable gift is better than a trinket. Cash is just impersonal.

By: Rich

Rich — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 19:29:34 +0000

I love getting gift cards. If I get cash I usually feel the need to spend it on something practical like food. But if I get a gift card I know to spend it on something I want, and I can often combine it with money I was going to spend anyways to get something better that I wanted.

By: Stacey

Stacey — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 18:40:40 +0000

I’ve always hated gift cards, because they’re usually to some obscure store 45 minutes from my house… As it was said above, a bad gift is a bad gift. Take a few minutes and think about what the person wants/needs.

I’ll be giving a gift certificate as a Christmas present for the first time this year, to my husband’s parents. They’re the type that buys what they want, when they want it, and we never know what to get them. Gifts should be thoughtful and useful, in my opinon… so they’re getting a certificate to their favorite restaurant.

By: Justin MacArthur

Justin MacArthur — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 10:24:58 +0000

It really depends on who it’s for and what the occasion is. It’s probably decent for a kid at a decent store, but not so good for a wedding or something more formal. It’s also much harder to reject than cash.

By: chris

chris — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 02:17:50 +0000

I like getting gift cards….From the stores I want to shop at.That’s the key in giving/ getting a gift card.
The people who gives them to me only gets them at 2 stores where i like to shop .Money would be fine but alot of people doesn’t like to give you that so I would rather have a card then a gift that I have no use for.
With gift cards you don’t spend it ( at least I don’t) right away like you would if you got money.And it’s nice to go in a store when you don’t have any cash but you got your card so you can still shop.
I only give a gift card to my childern to their favorite store.They like it because they can spend the money how they want to & when. I know my daughter likes it because when she’s broke or just doesn’t want to use her money & needs to buy something .. she’ll use the card because her thinking is that she’s not “using her money” to get it .
Bottom line:only give a person a card IF you know they shop at that store,coffee shop ,gas station ect.. or it’s not worth giving .And I only give cards out at christmas & birthdays.When it comes to wedding,graduation …give them cash!!!!!

By: Gates VP

Gates VP — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 22:28:25 +0000

From my weakly-maintained blog last year:
The nature of the GC is not inherently that it’s a bad gift. it’s a gift that requires thought just as much as any other gift. Bad gifts are bad gifts, cash, cash-equivalent or wrapped in a big box. So just buy gifts that are appreciated (and take the time to wrap them, it shows that you care)

See above comments, gift or cash cards can be a great gift for the overly frugal or self-sacrificial. If the receiver doesn’t like “treating” themselves, then gift-cards are a great way to help them out (if you feel they need it). By the same measure a gift card is awesome for a shopper on a budget. For some people, spending money at Best Buy / The Gap / Barnes & Noble, can be just as fun as the gift itself. If you know that PaidTwice is on a tight budget (’cause you read her blog), then you’ll know that a gift card is a great idea, b/c she doesn’t spend much on herself any more.

There are also some gifts that are most appropriate in card format such as spa-style treatments and the Starbucks card.

In the same way as a gift card, a savings bond can be a great gift for Children (and their parents). The same negative arguments could apply (you’re investing their money for them), but it is appropriate in the right places.

Gift cards are the both the “new thoughtful” gift and the “new x-mas sweater/tie” all rolled in to one. So I think that it’s better not to really group them into one big pile.

A crappy gift is a crappy gift, no matter the form.

By: Hawkmoon Nine

Hawkmoon Nine — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 21:39:27 +0000

I like getting gift cards, but my wife LOVES them. If we get cash (or a check, as it happens) that money just goes into the bank and combined with all of our money. Done, never to be thought of again. My wife loves them because then she HAS to go use it, she feels like we shouldn’t spend it (or at least all of it) if it goes into the bank.

They are great for getting someone clothes, but not wanting to pick out something that might not fit, or is your style and not theirs.

By: lulugal11

lulugal11 — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 21:13:19 +0000

I would not buy a gift card for someone and I don’t like when someone gives me a gift card instead of getting me a gift.

I do like getting gift cards from MyPoints because cash is not available. I read some emails and then get rewarded with a gift card to CVS where I can get tons of stuff.

Also, my insurance gives out gift cards through a rewards program so that is quite nice too. (If you have Blue Cross Blue Shield and are in Texas you might want to check this out. They give you points for tracking your weight etc and you can redeem the points for gift cards)

Other than that I do not like gift cards.

By: paidtwice

paidtwice — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 21:12:44 +0000

I love gift cards. Love love love.

I wrote a post about this last holiday season but maybe I should write it again.

Gift cards are the gift of shopping. I love to shop. And giving me a gift card is giving me the gift of shopping.

Give me money and I will be responsible and pay down my student loan or something.

Give me a gift card and I will spend an enjoyable afternoon browsing the shelves of one of my favorite stores and daydreaming about all the possibilities.

I. Love. Gift cards.

By: Root

Root — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 20:42:12 +0000

BTW: This year I bought stock in Nissan Motors (NSANY), Apex Silver and (HMY) Harmony gold for Christmas gifts using three sharebuilder accounts and three $50 promotions making the trades and the stocks free.

I may get laid off but at least I’ll have something to show for it.

By: Root

Root — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 20:38:20 +0000

I get them for promotions. Example, Swagbucks search engine gives $5 Amazon codes for 45 points. Coinstar has a promotion for a extra $10 Amazon code when you cash in $40 coins for a Amazon code.

Spend $25 in electronics/video and get a subscription to wired magazine, fill out the refund for the subscription and get $10 back.

Or save for the $15 off $25 food promotions, like the one on Z-brand beef jerky that’s happening now. (Some people like the beef jerky for Christmas.)

By: Eric J. Nisall

Eric J. Nisall — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 20:25:36 +0000

I have a different take on the issue. If you give a gift to someone that had’t previously mentioned that they wanted something specific, what do you do? Do you go out and buy clothing that might not fit them? Do you purchse an item that you have no clue in the world whether they would like or possibly already have? If you do give a physical gift, and the tag is still attached or you supply them with a gift receipt for exchange purposes, they will only get credit from that specific store (almost the identical situation minus the return process). Many people prefer to gift cards to a store that they feel the recipient will sop at and appreciate the gesture. If not, the alternative that was mentioned was to buy bank-branded Visa/MasterCard/American Express gift cards which are good anywhere. In that case the recipient isn’t locked into a certain store and can “spread the wealth” if they do not find anything to use up the entire amount in one place in particular.

In addition to eBay, ther are many sites like swapagift.com, cardavenue.com, plasticjungle.com, etc where, for a nominal fee plus a stamp the recipient can trade the card for one of a preferred store, or simply cash.

By: Jim

Jim — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:43:07 +0000

I like receiving gift cards. They give me a gift for something I’ll like but I have the flexibility to get the exact thing I want when I want it. I think gift cards are a little more thoughtful gift than just cash. Course the gift card should be somewhere I want to shop. For a gift card to be a good gift it has to be for a store or restaurant that I’d go to frequently. A gift card for a store I never shop at isn’t a good gift. A gift card for my favorite restaurant is a great gift.

Giving cash or Mastercard/visa/Amex gift cards is more practical than a store gift card. But gift giving isn’t usually focused on practicallity. When I’m giving or getting gifts I think gifts that are what the person wants most or will make them happy and show you care are the best ones. Sometimes cash is a great gift in this sense. But sometimes cash is a ‘cop out’ that says you don’t have a clue about what the person wants or you can’t bother to take the time to do the shopping. If you don’t know exactly what the person wants then thats normal but you could at least pick a store you know they like and give them a gift card.

Jim