Sure, gift cards might not be considered a truly personal, heartfelt gift by some recipients. However, those who know that gift givers give cards in lieu of unwanted presents surely will appreciate a $50 Victoria’s Secret gift card, for example, over and above a hated $50 robe they’d be forced to go through the hassle of returning, or worse yet, sticking in the back of their closet, never to see the light of day.
It’s obviously better to give people gift cards to their favorites stores that they might actually use. If you’re not sure of the stores they frequent, ABC News has listed the top 10 most popular gift cards , as measured by CardHub during the period from November 1 to November 20.
- Visa Gift Cards
- Amazon Gift Cards
- iTunes Gift Cards
- American Express Gift Cards
- Netflix Gift Cards
- Wal-Mart Gift Cards
- Target Gift Cards
- Google Play Gift Cards
- eBay Gift Cards
- Starbucks Gift Cards
Be warned when buying certain “open loop” gift cards, says Forbes . Those are the gift cards – like Visa or American Express – where you’ll likely be forced to pay approximately $4 or $5 activation fees, amounts that can add up if you have 10 or 20 or more gift card recipients on your Christmas list.
As reported by the Inquisitr , gift cards like those from hotel chains like Marriott or home improvement stores like Home Depot are also popular options – so knowing the specific predilections and nuances of your gift recipient helps to dictate those buying choices. For example, knowing that the person likes to tinker quite a bit with their house would dictate a Lowe’s Home Improvement gift card, while a love of lattes makes a Starbucks card the ideal gift.
People who like to travel for pleasure on wide and varied vacations around the world would be best suited for a hotels-based gift card – and don’t hesitate to look for international deals on sites like Hotels.com via discount-finding sites like VoucherSky.com or others.
After all, giving the perfect gift doesn’t mean you need to go into debt to accomplish that goal. Learn as much as possible about what your gift recipients consider a heartfelt gift, and if gift cards are on their wish lists, then full speed ahead with the gift card buying and giving for those on your holiday shopping list.
[Image credit: MorgueFile.com]
