The secret life of gift cards: Here's what happens to the billions that go unspent each year
apnews.com
Gift cards make great stocking stuffers — just as long as you don’t stuff them in a drawer and forget about them after the holidays.
Americans are expected to spend nearly $30 billion on gift cards this holiday season, according to the National Retail Federation. Restaurant gift cards are the most popular, making up one-third of those sales.
Most of those gift cards will be redeemed. Paytronix, which tracks restaurant gift card sales, says around 70% of gift cards are used within six months.
But many cards — tens of billions of dollars’ worth — wind up forgotten or otherwise unused. That’s when the life of a gift card gets more complicated, with expiration dates or inactivity fees that can vary by state.
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Gift cards are terrible gifts and I wish people would stop giving them. Just give them straight cash money to spend on whatever they want, an item they actually could use, or even better, nothing at all if they don't actually need it.
I disagree, but only to the extent that you know the person well enough to know they'll use it or they explicitly ask you for it. To me, gift cards are a way to alleviate the paralysis of choice and guilt for spending money in certain ways. It's like "I know you couldn't mentally justify spending a $100 bill on a high quality set of sheets, so I'm giving you money specifically earmarked for that purpose."
It's also sometimes handy if you want to give someone money for everyday needs and know they'd feel guilty or embarrassed about receiving money directly. A gift card for a store you know they go to a lot can be a fairly tasteful gift. Again, though, it's only worth it if you know they'll actually use it.
And don't get those prepaid general purpose gift cards, those things are straight up scams.
That's what I never understood about the taboo of cash as gifts. Whats weirder to me is it's pretty common to get straight cash money as a gift for graduating from highschool, but not for christmas or birthdays?
I personally dislike feeling the obligation to buy something from a specific store because of the gift cards. Getting cash (or not spending money on gifts) gives me more flexibility. And if I ever need the cash I don't feel obligated to lose money in a transaction having to sell some item off. Whether it be the item I bought with the gift card, or some other item I bought so I can keep that other item.
I second this. A 100 dollar bill just gets saved in my safe. However, if I'm given something like an Amazon gift card, I have zero reason to not spend it.
Granted, the things I would want are very particular and normally on the expensive side, so I would rather have people give me a bit of money to go towards said things.
It's an interest-free loan to a giant corporation in return for obliging someone to keep it somewhere safe, and remember to take it with them when they want to spend it, with no choice as to where to spend it, and a high chance that they never will get around to spending it.
Cash is better in every conceivable way.
I explicitly ask for gift cards, because the last thing I need cluttering up my house are random gifts that people got me. I've gotten to the point where I don't really care for surprise gifts, and I feel like a jerk telling people exactly what to get me. So I just ask for gift cards, and I use the money to buy my own gifts.
My wife and I don't really buy each other gifts anymore. We just buy ourselves something we want and say, "This is my Christmas gift from you!" Repeat for birthdays, etc. Not having any expectations of buying/exchanging gifts is liberating for us.
Same, I'd rather have people help me subsidize big purchases with gift cards than buy me stuff I don't need or want. The in-laws especially hate giving gift cards so for years the wife and I tell them we just don't want anything for the holidays. This year they finally caved and sent us some gift cards. I'd rather have to pay $50 less for an expensive tool/toy than have $50 worth of even more junk cluttering up my house
This is what I prefer. Instead of getting a gift card and feeling obliged to buy something from X retailer. Sometimes I just don't want to buy something from them. Whether it's cheaper elsewhere, or I just don't trust them for that item so I either have to pay more just to use the gift card, or risk getting a knockoff.
With straight cash money I can spend it whenever I want, on whatever I want, wherever I want.
That's why I'd rather cash or nothing.
MY COKE DEALER DOESN’T ACCEPT MACY’S GIFT CARDS, MOM
I agree. I always try to give cash over gift cards. Much more flexible and does not expire.
Gift cards are a hassle because you have to keep careful track of them and be sure you have them when going to that exact business. Cash just goes with your cash.