Gift Certificates Online! A Convenient Option For Internet Shoppers
photo credit: Danielle Scott
With every passing year, it gets harder and harder to decide what to buy family and friends for their birthdays, special events, and seasonal holidays. Having the option to purchase gift certificates online is one that is certainly convenient and time saving!
Gift certificates have increased in popularity since getting access to many of the top online retail stores via the Internet is fast, easy, and simple! When many of you are starting to choose the online shopping route to save time and money, certificates make it even more effortless to please your family, friends, and many of your co-workers and business clients.
So Why Are Gift Certificates Becoming Just As Popular As Giving Traditional Gifts?
We live in a society that is more demanding when it comes to gift giving, and the recipients are becoming harder to shop for when it comes to clothing, toys, electronics, and even the people that enjoy unique collectables!
With merchandise being advertised daily through the media streams, kids and adults alike are changing their styles and personal choices constantly. So you may know one day what games or gourmet food they like, then one day they change their tastes, and before you know it, what you thought was their favorite item is not anymore.
This is why a gift certificate, also available as gift cards or e-cards, is a great option! For example, you may know that your child or adult friend loves to receive video games or DVD movies, however you may not know exactly what they’re interested in playing or watching.
With a personalized certificate for movies and DVDs, you will win every time with your gift recipients having choice, and they can select exactly what they want in the convenience of their own home and enjoy the gift when it arrives at their door.
There Are Many Online Gift Stores That Satisfy The Hardest People To Buy For!
I’m sure there are many recipients on your gift list that are impossible to shop for, and when it comes to special holidays such as Christmas, or occasions such as an Anniversary or Wedding, the last thing you want to do is get a gift that your recipients will not be happy with!
Some of you may not care what they think, but if you do, the last thing you want is for them to be talking to other family members or guests about the gift they hated from you.
To eliminate this from ever happening, you can send a beautiful bouquet of flowers, or a gift basket of gourmet fruit and wine, and add a gift card or certificate to one of their favorite stores online, and they will be raving about your generosity and thoughtfulness!
Also, if you have family and friends that love to travel, but you don’t know where they plan on going next, you can even give the gift of travel with convenient travel certificates! This way, if you have a wedding couple on your list that happen to be arranging their honeymoon, or someone close to you that is celebrating a special occasion and they would like to venture off somewhere, but they’re not sure where, giving them a holiday of choice with a travel certificate is a surprise that they will never forget!
E- Certificates and personalized e-gift cards are a great way to reach the people on your gift list when you just can’t make your recipient’s special day, whether you live out of town, or that business trip popped up that will make it impossible for you to attend. In your own way you can offer your loved ones and special friends the gift of convenience and choice this year with gift certificates.
Don't Buy A Gift Card Until You Read This
photo credit: Mr.ThomasI enjoy giving gift cards, especially to those hard to shop for people on my list. I, like nearly everyone else, have at least one person on my shopping list that I either don’t know what to buy or I can’t find what I think they would like. When that happens I consider their likes and then purchase a gift card I think they will enjoy using.
For example, I give my restaurant loving friends gift cards to their favorite restaurants; gas station gift cards to my teenage nieces and nephews who drive; shopping mall gift cards to my daughter; and massage gift certificates to my sister-in-law because I know she loves getting massages.
Although gift cards are great and I buy them frequently, there are a few things to be aware of. The main thing is to make sure the recipient knows the gift card is like carrying cash and needs to be safeguarded in the same way cash is. For the most part, lost or stolen gift cards cannot be replaced.
Another thing to be aware of is hidden fees, well not really hidden fees, but fees detailed in very small print – that size “one” font that’s nearly impossible to read!
One charge that will be apparent right away is a possible upfront processing fee to defray the cost of producing and distributing the gift cards. Most companies try to avoid charging an upfront fee. But some, like my local mall charges a small fee to purchase a gift card. It’s nominal, $1.50 per card.
Some companies and stores charge a non-use or dormancy fee on their gift cards. If a card is not used for a specified period of time, a small amount is deducted from the value of the card every month. For example, $1 or $2 may be deducted from the balance of a gift card every month if that gift card is not used within six months of purchase.
Another type of charge some gift cards have is a balance fee. If a gift card has a balance on it after a certain amount of time, typically six months after purchase, a small fee is deducted each month. The fee is small, not usually more than $1.50 or $2. This is similar to a dormancy fee, but the difference with a balance fee is that even if the card was used within the first 6 months (or whatever time frame is specified) a fee will be assessed each month for still having a balance on it. This is to encourage people to use their gift cards in a reasonable amount of time and not leave them sitting on a shelf somewhere collecting dust.
If you purchase a gift card that has a balance or dormancy fee, try to purchase it as close to the time you are going to be giving it away as possible.
Also be aware that the gift card could have an expiration date. Most of the gift cards from large companies don’t have an expiration date or allow a lengthy amount of time before the card expires, such as five years. Shorter time periods to use gift cards and gift certificates, usually not less than 12 months but occasionally as little as 6 months, are more likely to be found with smaller companies and independent business owners.
I think it’s perfectly fine to give gift cards and gift certificates with an expiration date. Just make sure the recipient is aware of the expiration date. An expiration date shouldn’t cause you to not buy a gift card. After all, you don’t want people to hang on to the gift card and not use it.
And, remember that although gift cards may carry some fees, the majority of them will never be a problem if the card is used within six months, which most gift cards are. So feel free to give gift cards whenever you think it is an appropriate gift.
One interesting note: even though some gift cards have started adding fees to their gift cards such as dormancy fees, balance fees, or maintenance fees, some states are starting to pass legislation banning those fees as well as banning expiration dates. This is good news for consumers.
Yes, A Gift Card Is A Great Present
Almost everyone has at least one person on their shopping list that seems impossible to buy for. That person may be incredibly picky; may go out and buy everything they want when they want it; or may be someone you do not know all that well.
For example, some couples who get married do not register for gifts because they already have their households established and do not feel they need any additional items. In that case, a gift card or gift certificate to one of their favorite restaurants, the theater, or for travel from an airline or travel agency would likely be appreciated. Or maybe the person you are buying the gift for is someone who lives far away and the gift you want to purchase is very bulky which would make shipping expensive. In that case a gift card or gift certificate for that item would work well.
A gift card can also be a great gift for someone you know extremely well. For example, my sister-in-law loves to get massages. But she has four children and a tight family budget so massages are a luxury she cannot usually afford. So for her birthday and for Christmas I give her gift certificates for massages or to a day spa. She loves receiving them!
I’ve also given my children gift cards. For example, last year my son wanted a recliner for Christmas. We wanted to get it for him but he lives 600 miles away and one wouldn’t fit in his vehicle for his drive back home after the holidays. Buying one and shipping it didn’t seem cost effective to us. We decided we would rather put that shipping money into a nicer recliner so we gave him a gift card to buy a chair where he lives. Because we weren’t sure what furniture store he would want to buy the recliner from, we gave him a Visa gift card which can be used anyplace a Visa charge card can be used.
The major credit card companies, including Mastercard, Discover, American Express, and Visa all sell gift cards. The gift cards are redeemable wherever their credits are accepted.
Gas gift cards are another gift card I like to give. My nieces and nephews who drive love them, because like most other teenagers who drive they are always scrounging for gas money. And since gas gift cards can be used for gas and also for purchasing snacks inside the gas station, they are a gift that is very appreciated.
Teenage girls usually love gift cards or gift certificates to the local mall. For me, teenage girls are difficult to shop for and I have a teenage daughter! Most teenage girls love clothes but can be very picky about what they like. Also, choosing the right size can be difficult since sizes are not uniform among stores. I prefer giving a gift card in order to avoid the recipient having to go through taking the unwanted or wrong size item back to the store to exchange.
If you need to find a gift for someone who loves to go to restaurants and you want to buy them a restaurant gift certificate, consider purchasing one from your state’s restaurant association (if they offer gift certificates). Then the recipients will be able to go to any one of the association’s member restaurants which usually gives them a large choice. For example, the Wisconsin restaurant association sells gift certificates to use at any one of their member restaurants of which there are over 7,000.
If you are looking for a gift for that person who seems to have everything, consider giving them something similar to a gift card – give a gift in their name to a charitable organization such as the Red Cross.
Some people say giving a gift card is the lazy way to give a gift. I don’t agree. I think a thoughtfully chosen gift card is a wonderful gift. It shows the recipient that you want them to have something special they can truly use.