“Gift card issued by our shop and your worries are over”. “Don’t worry about waiting in long lines or fighting the mob at the mall”. “Get a gift card and let your recipient do the shopping”. Well you have to admit it sounds good. Because who wants to spend more time, more gas, and more gray hair trying to find the right gift? Certainly not me. On the other hand, you hear this hype from the store that sells the gift cards, right? Of course they will stand by their product. Who wouldn’t? So are store-issued gift cards all they are?

Error giving gift cards

Where gift cards can be fun, they’re not overly personal or personalized. And what a shame it is to present a gift certificate from a shop or restaurant that the recipient never visits. However , in -store gift cards aren’t always the perfect solution. can i convert gift card to bitcoin In fact, if the wrong gift card is given, it can become the perfect anti-gift. This is because so many consumers assume that if they just give gift cards, all of their gifting problems will just go away. The fact is, giving gift cards requires as much forethought and thought as any other gift.

The gift card purchaser would do well to consider the following:

1. How much gift card should you buy? Will a $25 gift card please the recipient or be considered a token gift?
2. Which shops does the recipient visit?
3. How often does the recipient shop or eat there?
4. Would the recipient value a gift card over another desired gift?
5. Is the time to get dressed, go out, drive into town, gas up, and shop worth it for that special recipient?
6. Do you probably remember even having a gift card?

Gift card fear

Personally, I’ve received store-issued gift cards. My frustration was how to use it with cash or along with my debit card. It seems that the gift card is always a few dollars short of fully covering the item or items being purchased.

A restaurant had items that I could not cover with the gift card. I still had to pay the tip. I could have gone to a fast food place and used the tip to pay for the whole meal. Have I really been treated here? On the other hand, there are days when I really want and need to treat myself to a good meal in a quiet restaurant and be pampered and taken care of. Redeem voucher! Who cares about the tip size . Give me good food and good service. There are other times when I’m unsure of the balance on my debit card and start counting the dollars, nickels and quarters in my pocket and suddenly realize I have a gift card to a local restaurant . Saved!

Still, trying out a restaurant that has never been visited can risk the whole evening just because you have a gift card in your wallet. Is there a solution to this dilemma?

Exchange of gift cards

Now there are gift card websites that allow users to exchange or redeem unwanted gift cards and gift certificates online. This means that gift cards, like other unwanted gifts, can now be returned very often.

And if you ‘re looking at the glass half full, there’s more benefit to that stack of gift cards in your dresser drawer. Unlike disposable gifts, unused gift cards do not necessarily need to be thrown away. Host your own gift card exchange party. Invite five to ten people. Each entrant must have three or more usable gift cards. Eat, drink, tell stories and then swap!

Shop-issued gift cards versus prepaid debit gift cards

Still, there is a more viable solution to gift card gift giving. Prepaid Debit Gift Cards. You can’t go wrong with this gift. Nobody returns a cash gift and nobody returns a prepaid debit gift card.
Simply purchase the prepaid card and send it to your recipient or hand it over in person. Everyone loves a prepaid debit gift card. The gift recipient can shop almost anywhere, anytime, and buy just about anything they want with a debit gift card.

For some reason, prepaid debit gift card buyers tend to load more money on them than store-issued gift cards. Many opt for $50 to $500. Even better, prepaid gift cards allow you to load up to $2000 on each card. How’s that to please the wife or college student?

Prepaid debit cards are issued without a credit check on the buyer or recipient. Better than a check, safer than cash. Prepaid debit gift cards are prepaid and therefore do not create a monthly commitment for the recipient. So if the idea of standing in long lines to purchase items that are sure to be returned makes it hard to resist the urge to swipe on those store-issued gift cards hanging above the register, think again after. Yes, think long and hard. Is this really the perfect solution or can it be done better? Take the time to find out what type of gift card they appreciate the most, and give your recipient a gift card they’re sure to appreciate.

What you need to know about gift cards and the law

Gift cards are the quintessence of a simple gift idea. Everyone uses them, and they avoid questions like, “Will this fit her?” or “Will he like that?” Gift cards and gift certificates are available at all kinds of stores, from everyday businesses like grocery stores and drugstores to more specialized businesses like spas and travel agencies. Regardless of where you buy or receive a card, however, it’s important to protect yourself as a consumer and be familiar with your rights when using gift cards. After all, these serve as a means of payment and should be treated just as sparingly as cash.

What can I do with a gift card I don’t want?

There are many ways to use gift cards that you don’t want to put to good use. There are sites dedicated solely to buying and selling gift cards. Gift Card Granny for example will buy your card for 60% – 80% of its value. You can also sell your card on a site like Craigslist or eBay. Other sites like Gift Card Swapping allow you to swap your gift card for one that you actually use.

If you’re feeling charitable, many nonprofits, including local schools and churches, accept gift cards as donations. Vouchers are also ideal for giving away. There’s no reason to leave a gift certificate lying around and forgotten!

Can my gift card expire? Can I lose the balance on my gift card?

The short answer:

It depends on which state you live in.

The long answer:

It depends on which state you live in and how well your state complies with federal law.

In 2009, the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act [https://snappyexchange.com/gift-cards-to-bitcoins] was passed into federal law. The law covers many areas related to protecting credit card holders, but has also created some federal standards for gift card issuers designed to protect the consumer. These include requiring that cards expire no less than five years after issuance, with limited exceptions, and that dormancy fees can only be levied after one year of inactivity and only if those fees are fully disclosed to consumers. Under the CARD Act, businesses are allowed to start charging dormant fees after one year of inactivity and no more than one fee per year – d month. Ultimately, these fees can reduce the value of the card. It’s a key way businesses and major card issuers like American Express make money. However, some states have introduced additional and sometimes conflicting laws to the gift card law.

For example, New York law allows businesses to charge monthly dormancy fees after just a year of inactivity. It’s also legal for shops to charge a replacement fee for lost cards, and they don’t require shops to return cash for small balances on cards. In addition, after five years, cards are considered “abandoned” and the balance of the card is forfeited to the state. Other states, like New Jersey, recognize the abandonment after just two years of inactivity. (In the case of New Jersey, this policy was deemed unconstitutional, leaving the state in flux between enforcing the repealed state standard and the federal standard.) Such regulations, which deprive ticket sellers of profit from idle tickets , have caused major problems for issuers such as American Express is pulling out of grocery and convenience stores in some states.

For comparison, California grants gift card users protections beyond the federal standard. Cards may never expire, even after five years, and dormancy fees can only be charged after two years of inactivity and only when the balance on the card is less than $5.

A good resource for finding the specific laws in your state is here. Because not all card issuers or states comply with federal law, consumers should read the terms of the card carefully. In general, it is advisable to try to issue cards as soon as possible so as not to forget them and to use the full balance of the card.

What if there is little money left on my card?

You may be able to receive your credit in cash. Under the CARD Act, most businesses are required to provide cash for the remaining balance on a card if the balance is less than $5. (Some states have that minimum higher.) Of course, companies often fail to train their frontline employees on this law, so you may have to escalate through the ranks to find someone who actually knows about the law.

What should I know about online gift cards?

Online “gift card” sites that offer deals like Groupon and LivingSocial fall into a somewhat gray area of the law. Generally, they are treated as coupons and not gift cards, meaning they can generally set their own terms regarding expiry how to convert gift card to bitcoin dates and redemption policies. Groupon, for example, requires stores to recognize the value a customer paid for a deal after the deal has expired, but only as credit.

Virtual cards, such as the popular Amazon or iTunes cards that are often sent via email, usually do not expire. Sometimes they can only be redeemed online and not in brick-and-mortar stores, so read the card’s terms and conditions carefully. Otherwise, they obey the same laws as tangible cards; For example, Amazon adds the necessary language to indicate that cash refunds are only available when “required by applicable state law,” although there is no information on how to claim small cash credits.