I’m fine with getting them. I’m terrible at giving people birthday/Christmas lists. It makes me feel greedy/selfish (even though I know it frustrates people when I don’t do it), so if I end up with a couple of Amazon cards, I’m fine.
OTOH, I hate giving them. I feel like I’m not putting any thought into the gift, but not just that I hate the feeling of saying ‘here’s the dollar amount that I feel our relationship is worth, it’s right there on the card’.
But then there’s people like my sister. She LOVES gift cards. Even to the point that when she builds up enough reward points on her credit cards she’ll take them as a gift card (to a store of her choice) even when she can get the equivalent amount as a credit on her account or check sent to her, she’d rather have a gift card. And, yes, she knows that a gift card is money that’s restricted to one specific place.
I see someone upthread mentioned getting a card to Pottery Barn. When I got my motorcycle someone got me (for my next b-day) a $50 gift card to a Harley Davidson store. The cheapest thing I could find there was a $260 jacket. It’s a nice jacket that I wear nearly every single day, but as George Costanza would say, the $50 gift card was basically a bill for $210.
I’m still surprised that no one has called me out for wearing a HD jacked with a HUGE HD logo on the back while I’m riding my Honda motorcycle.
If it’s someplace I regularly shop, I appreciate it. I would rather get a gift card to a clothing store I love instead of a shirt or something that doesn’t fit that I have to exchange.
I like gift cards. The people who give them to me know where I like to shop, so they are useful. It’s like found money.
I got three gift cards this year, to Barnes and Noble, a prepaid VISA card, and one to Kohls. The VISA I’ll probably use at the grocery, to buy fancy cheeses I like, but can’t always afford.
Does it matter to any of you where the card comes from? For example, I know a lot of people who, say, give their housekeeper a generous gift card for Christmas. That’s wonderful and appropriate. The same housekeeper giving them a token gift, like an ornament or a cookie or a pair of cheap cozy socks, would not be at all expected but would be very sweet. The housekeeper giving them a $5 Starbucks card would be weird, to me. The relative value of the money is so much greater that making a gift of money seems awkward. In the same way, my mom might give me money for Christmas, but I’d never give her money–she has quite a bit more than I do, and anything she really wants, she can buy. If I see something I don’t think she knows exists, I might buy it for her, but giving her money just seems silly.
I also really, really like to tape a gift card to SOMETHING, even if it’s just a candy bar. It just seems like there should be a gift in there somewhere. Is that unusual?
I guess it all depends on how well you know the person you’re giving to. After commenting earlier, my brother gave me the card he knew I’d use and I was tickled because now I can get a little something for myself that I really want, which was something my brother never would have been able to choose on his own- Clothes. And bless his heart, he would TRY if he had to, but I’d end up with an ugly sweater three sizes too small. Since he’s the only person who gave me a gift at all I’m quite pleased with the gift card!
Honestly though I don’t care what I get as long as someone thought about me enough to give me something. Appreciate, even if it’s to a store you don’t like. Maybe you can "re-gift"or even donate sometime.
Are gift cards better than a well chosen gift? No, but by the time you get out of your twenties most people are near impossible to pick a well chosen gift for. Heck, I often have problems deciding what I want when people flat out ask me for gift suggestions. I usually don’t give out gift cards, but then again I really only give gifts to people I’m very close to. For all those people who complain about gift cards, you do realize it’s super easy to regift or go to one of those gift card exchange websites?
The real question is: why it is so bad just to give straight cash? I’d love to get a $50 or even a $100 bill. The people I know who get cash love it. So why are we so afraid to give a nice sized bill?
As others have said, they have their place. Parents to adult children is a good example where they seem to work well. But I also don’t think plain ol’ cash is so bad in those instances. And even if I get a card for a place I don’t usually shop, I can still exchange it for cash (at least where I live). I always find it best to accept a gift graciously and not worry about it. Life’s too short as it is.
I hate the whole process of gift giving and receiving and would skip it enitrely if I could. Since socially it’s non-negotiable I’m always happier if I get something like vouchers that I can spend at my discretion. For my part I only ever give cash, vouchers for somewhere I know that they will get used anyway or some consumable item that they will definitely use (favourite brand of whisky etc.). Pisses me off when someone gives me a “thoughtful” gift they’ve obviously spent good money on but I would never have bought, and is almost valueless to me.
Because not all people love to get cash. My mother always gives me cash gifts- and I find that it turns out not to really be a gift at all. Invariably, the cash dribbles away in $5 here and $10 there. Not because my finances require it, but just because the cash is there and it saves me a trip to the bank. Money is fungible, so I could just splurge with the equivalent amount from my checking account- but I never do. Of course, it’s not my mother’s fault and I don’t get annoyed, but I would actually prefer a gift card.
And then there’s the situation where I used to give gift cards. Some of my nieces and nephews’ parents would not allow them to spend the cash on items they want. I don’t mean they wouldn’t allow the kid to spend the cash on something the parents don’t want the kid to have. I mean people who would allow the kid to have Legos if I bought them, but wouldn’t let the kid spend a cash gift buying Legos. Instead, they would have to buy new underwear and socks ( and not because the parents couldn’t afford them) or the money went into the college fund - which is fine if a 15 year old wants to do it, but no 6 year old is going to choose that.
Gift cards are, at best, not quite as good as cash. Even the card for the store I shop at all the time is 2% worse than cash because I can’t get credit card rewards (though, perhaps the purchaser got them), and even slightly worse than that because I have another thing in my wallet to deal with.
I’ll make exception for the low-value card for a little treat, like a coffee shop card for $5, or a bookstore card for $15 (for a reader). I wouldn’t normally buy coffee out, but if I have a $5 gift card, I will, and I’ll think fondly of the person who gave it to me. I usually just get books from the library, but if I have a gift card I’ll stop in and look around and buy something that I might not otherwise buy.
And if there’s a buck or two left on the card, here’s what you do: Turn around, hand it to the person next in line, and say “Here’s a gift card with about a dollar on it. Enjoy!” You’ll make their day.
I gave one for Amazon to my boyfriend this year with the strong hint that he should use it to buy a tent that doesn’t leak before next camping season (He laughed). But I know him well; he’s kinda cheap and would keep putting it off until the next time it rained while camping. At least now he doesn’t have much of an excuse and can even go over the amount I gifted him if he wanted.
I gave one to his mom for B&N because I know she likes shopping there.
I gave one to my husband for a local gun shop because my eyes glazed over when he started talking about guns.
So I am for them, but only if they are for someplace I would shop anyway (I love getting gift cards for yarn shops) or that my recipient would enjoy shopping.
Last year, my boss at work gave each team member a $25 card for Barnes & Noble. William Gibson’s “The Peripheral” was just out, and with my B&N discount card, plus another 20% off for new releases, my boss bought me a new book that I thoroughly enjoyed.
So it was that I was looking forward to getting another B&N card. Instead, I got a $25 card for McDonald’s. The hamburger joint. Where I get a Big Mac Attack after I’ve been there!
What a letdown!
I may go to the local McD’s and stand outside and offer it to incoming customers for 10 bucks. That’s something I can use.
I love to receive gift cards. They are doubly handy as I travel home for the holidays; with a gift card, I don’t have to worry about getting a bulky present home.
This year, my brother gave me an Amazon gift card, which is great. That allows me to buy stuff that’s on my wish list that I might not otherwise justify buying. Dad and stepmum gave me a Visa gift card – they know I want some dress boots, but don’t know the size/brand I like. So now I can just go buy them, and send them a photo when I buy them.
I give gift cards, but try to be creative in the presentation. At least I stuck them in a little ornament this year and hung them on the tree.
That’s pretty much my thinking as well. I’m not going to turn my nose up at a $25 gift card to say… Target, but I’d just as soon have a five dollar bill and a twenty dollar bill that I could spend anywhere on whatever I want to purchase. If I want to buy gas with it, great. If I want to buy fishing tackle, great. If I want to buy burgers from a cash-only dive, then great.
Gift cards are somewhat limiting, in that a Target gift card is good only for stuff at Target- no hole-in-the-wall burgers, no gas, no fishing tackle. If I want to get some detergent, a package of batteries and some underwear, I’m set though. Even the pre-paid Visa cards are limiting in that they have to be spent somewhere that takes credit cards.
That said, I think there’s a couple of reasons why people like gift cards so much. First, cash is considered tacky for some strange reason. Second, in some cases as others have already mentioned, the choice of store lets you tailor it to the person, and in some cases, to guide what they spend it on. If for whatever reason, you’re intent on a child getting a toy, you get them a Toys 'R Us gift certificate, instead of a Visa gift card that the parents can spend on un-fun stuff.
