Free Gift Cards

A Gift Card is the perfect gift! We have all read that somewhere; everywhere, actually. They are being sold all over the internet and offline, as well. Yet, is it really the perfect gift? In this article we will give the pros and cons of giving gift cards.

A gift card comes in many forms. There are pre-paid or pre-loaded credit cards like a Visa gift card or American express gift card. There are specific dollar value gift cards that can be used at a select number of stores, for instance a restaurant gift card that can be used at chain restaurants. There are cards for specific stores like Macys or a Toys R Us gift card. The choice of the type of gift card is huge and that is one area that makes giving gift cards a bit dicey.

Choosing who you give a gift card to should be well thought out. For example, if you give your wife a Lowes gift card and she has not specifically asked for one, you may be in hot water! Yet, if you choose to give her a Victoria’s Secret gift card, packaged in a box of yummy chocolates, you could receive a great big kiss.

Alternatively, giving co-workers a Starbucks gift card would be a very nice gesture and appreciated. Personal, deep thought usually is not required for co-worker gifts. You see, that is where gift cards can get you in trouble. Some people feel that a gift card is an “easy way out,” and not much personal thought has not gone into the giving.

So, are gift cards a safe bet as a gift? Most of the time, yes. Yet, if the person receiving the gift card is a close friend or relative, you may wish to add something extra to it. Plus, take extra care in the choice of the type of card you give.

Give a gift card that means something to the person receiving it. If the person loves to shop at Macy’s, then a Macy’s gift card would be appropriate. Package it inside a pretty wrapped box with a personal note that says something like: “I know how much you love to shop at Macy’s, have loads of fun with this gift!”

As long as you make an extra effort to make it a personal gesture in choosing a gift card, it can be the perfect gift.
By Anne K. Dixon, Copyright 2007. Want to learn how to find all types of gift card discounts and gift cards lower than face value cost? Then visit Gift Card Way.com. You will find Gift Card buying tips, discounts and more.

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You always hear that the best things in life are free, so why should it be any different when it comes to gift cards. The popularity of gift cards has been the ease that you can use them either online or in real life. You don’t have to carry around cash or need a credit card, instead all the money you need is on the card and can be used at your favorite store. It doesn’t matter if you want to use a gift card for buying electronics, clothing, or food, if you can imagine it then there is a gift card for you.

Now what if I said that there are websites that will give you free gift cards for not doing anything, you probably wouldn’t believe me. There are however ways you can get free gift cards that take no effort on your part, instead all you actually need is an email address. You are probably thinking there is a catch to all this and are saying to yourself, “How can I get a free gift card from just putting in my email address?” Well it comes down to the fact that you will most likely just have to fill out a short survey to claim your free gift card.

All of these websites are trustworthy and work with reputable businesses. The free gift cards you can receive range from $250 Pizza Hut Gift Card, all the way to a $500 Visa gift card. Find what one best suits you and fill out the simple form. When you get the email just follow the directions and claim your card.

List of best free gift cards.

Find the best free gift card offers by visiting GetAGiftCard.info

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The last two months of the year mark the time when nearly one quarter of all retail sales occur. This will happen soon, so it will be a useful reading for you.
Most shoppers plan to buy gifts not only for family and friends, but also for co-workers, teachers and baby sitters. With so many people to buy for, it’s important to know what they really want. That’s likely to be:

• Apparel (54 percent)
• Gift Cards (52.3 percent)
• Consumer electronics (38.4 percent)
• Jewelry (26.4 percent)
• Home decor (23.3 percent)

Gift cards rank high on the list of preferred gifts to receive. They are also among the most popular gifts to buy. According to the Deloitte Annual Holiday Survey, a majority of shoppers (67 percent) plan to purchase an average of 4.9 gift cards this holiday shopping season. More than $20 billion will be spent on gift cards.

Shoppers like giving gift cards because:

• They can visit fewer stores.
• They can purchase less actual merchandise.
• They can shop online.
• They can finish shopping earlier and with less stress.
• They can avoid the dreaded post-holiday season exchange of unwanted gifts.

Shoppers want gift cards that let the recipient get what they want where they want to get it, that don’t expire and that are refundable if lost.

For many gift givers, buying and giving a gift card is a no-brainer, but before you purchase a gift card for someone this holiday season – or if you receive one - there are things you should know:

• Expiration Dates. Some gift cards can expire after 12 to 24 months if not used, which means the gift card is worthless if not used by that date.
• Purchase or Issuance Fee. Needless to say, gifts cards with issuance fees should be avoided.
• Maintenance or Inactivity Fees. Some gift cards also charge a maintenance fee. Some gift cards even charge these monthly fees retroactively back to the date of purchase, which can quickly eat up all or most of the gift card’s value if recipients do not redeem the card soon after they receive it.
• Replacement Fee. Many gift cards will now allow you to register the card on their Web sites, allowing you to check the remaining balance and to request a new card to replace one that is lost or stolen. Other gift cards provide toll-free phone numbers to call to report a missing or stolen card.
• Usage Limitations. Some gift cards can be used at any store location; others can be used only at stores that are affiliated with the merchant from whom the card was purchased.
• Bank Gift Cards Still Have High Fees. Bank-issued gift cards, unlike gift cards issued by retailers, can be redeemed at any store that accepts credit or debit cards. But the advantages of bank-issued gift cards end there. Consumer Reports states that, unlike gift cards issued by retailers which have become more consumer friendly, bank-issued gift cards typically charge hefty fees and remain a bad deal overall.
• The bottom line. Check gift card fees before you buy. Those fees usually are posted on the gift card sleeve or on the Web site. Buy gift cards with no issuance fees, expiration dates or maintenance fees, which can easily be found with gift cards issued directly by retailers. And if you receive a gift card, use it promptly - not only to avoid possible maintenance fees and expiration, but also to take advantage of post-holiday discounts.

Original is located here.

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How it works: Thieves use a stolen credit card number to buy a gift card online, then sell it to the highest bidder at an online auction website or for a set discount at a gift-card exchange website.

The ruse helps crooks make use of pilfered credit card numbers before the victim has a chance to deactivate the account. It “extends the life of credit card fraud,” says Paul Cogswell, vice president of loss prevention and risk services at Comdata, one of the nation’s largest gift card producers and processors.

Precise measures of the scam are tough to pin down. But gift cards have become a multibillion-dollar enterprise. Banks and retailers will issue a record $97 billion of them this year, up from about $82 billion last year, says market researcher TowerGroup. Major retailers popularized gift cards in the late 1990s, and Visa USA, MasterCard and American Express followed suit.

Since late 2002, merchant- and bank-issued gift cards have been increasingly turning up for resale at eBay, Craigslist and card-exchange sites such as cardavenue.com, plasticjungle.com and swapagift.com.

What should i say? I’m not selling gift cards, i’m not asking even a bucks for them. Understanding and researching a gift card market, i can just give you a way where you can go and get them for free, so the situation described above, can never happen here. Enjoy your gift cards!

 

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More and more people are giving gift cards in lieu of presents these days and while many of us appreciate the sentiment behind them we don’t always appreciate the giver’s taste in stores.

If somebody insists on giving you a $500 gift certificate for some store every year on your birthday even though you haven’t set foot in the place since you were 10, don’t just throw the card in a junk drawer along with all the others. You may be able to recoup the value.

There are now a number of Web sites that allow you to auction off unwanted gift cards or trade them in for cards from stores you regularly shop at:

Cardavenue. Registration for this site is free and takes less than five minutes. Once you’re signed in, browse available gift cards being offered for trade, or post your own for sale or swap. If you’re after a card from a particular retailer or restaurant, create a “wish list.” You can even combine two or more cards and trade them in for one card of equivalent value. So, for example, if you have a Starbucks’ card worth $50 and a Banana Republic card worth $100, you can swap them for one worth $150 at Bloomingdale’s.
Swapagift.com. This service allows you to trade or sell gift cards. Those looking to cash in their cards quickly should check out the site’s “preferred merchant list.” If your gift card comes from one of the retailers on the list, Swapagift will buy it from you for 60% to 70% of its original value. The only caveat: it has to be worth no less than $25 and no more than $500.

EBay. The online auction house doesn’t allow users to trade cards, but it is the largest market for selling them off, according to Bankrate.com, a Web site offering consumers free cost-saving advice. To start your search, just go to the home page and select “gift certificate” from the category menu.

If this info was helpful or you know more about gift card recoup please respond to comments - we will discuss it.

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