A gift card is a secured card that includes a fixed amount of money available for a variety of programs, but you might never use yours for several reasons. When people get a gift card, they often think of it as free money, and therefore forget to spend it. If you have a collection of old gift cards lining your pocket, you're not the only one. While gift cards make excellent last-minute gifts, they often end up ignored or just half-used.
It is easy to make good use of your unused gift cards by selling for cash, trading alternate cards, or donating the unused balances for a good purpose. A few convenient options are discussed below:
Trade gift cards online
You can easily trade your gift cards online on different websites with no issues. These websites typically give you the choice of exchanging your unwanted gift card for cash, or for a different gift card.
You're never going to get 100 percent back on online gift card trades. That's because the exchange itself usually takes a small charge, and shoppers who use the exchange don’t want to pay a full price to purchase a gift card that was pre-owned. However, if you trade your gift card online, you will be able to reclaim at least half of the full value of your gift card.
There are certain websites available that are primarily dedicated to gift card exchange. You can spend some time looking at one of the several gift card websites available to support the type of card you are about to exchange. Some of these websites will act as a trusted middleman with no user-to-user contact. In this case, the site will purchase gift cards from people who want to trade them in, and then make these purchased gift cards available to other customers for purchase after a verification process.
There are also websites where the seller can mention their choice of price for the gift card. The buyer chooses the card of their choice and buys it directly from the seller.
Donate the gift cards
If you don't think the trade is worth it, you can offer your unwanted card to someone in need. You can donate your gift cards to any known charity institution. You can ask the organization if they accept the cards. You can even donate it to a local charity if you want to make a positive impact in your own community. Send your unused gift cards to the local charities, such as educational agencies or homeless shelters in your area. Your unused gift cards will provide benefits to non-profit organizations that need a range of supplies and products to sustain their day-to-day operation.
Various gift-card exchange sites will encourage you to donate online, and it's relatively easy to do that. You're going to need the gift card number, the code, and the balance, but when you don't remember the balance, it's all right – they can always look that up themselves.
Use the gift card as a present
The gift card is often considered as a go-to gift for last minute situations. When you can't decide what to give as a present, it can play the role of a perfect gift. Gift Cards take all of the conjecture out of choosing the right gift.
In some instances, choose a generous gift card that gives the receiver a unique choice. They can use it to travel, buy fashionable clothes, or try some new food. It is, in fact, better than giving any standard gift. You get to give anyone precisely whatever they want — the color, design, and specific product they want. The best part is most gift cards have an extended expiry date so the receiver can use them whenever he/she wants.
The best presents are those that are always used, and all these gift card ideas are guaranteed to do that. Before you shove your card in a big old envelope, try using your innovative packaging ideas for making your gift card present feel important. Be it a wedding gift card or a birthday gift card; these cards can work extremely fine as presents for the receiver.
When a person receives a gift card, they are free to buy whatever they want to; this is rarely true for the regular gifts.
Use Gift Cards to sell things
You can use the gift cards for buying stuff which you can later on sell. The shop you've got a gift card from might not have the items you love, but maybe someone else will. For example, if you have a gaming store gift card, you can purchase the latest video game and sell it via an auction website or social media platform.
Gift Cards can be of great value, but once you feel like they are not worth the effort, you can use the methods listed above. These methods will save you time and money with added benefits.