Receiving Gift Cards for Christmas
By suspenseful
@suspenseful (40193)
Canada
December 5, 2008 8:14am CST
Usually if no one can think of anything, I get a gift card. Now except for the ten percent coupons that are included, these have no expiry date, and yet my husband is always telling me to get rid of them and buy something within a few months - in fact, he decides to pressure me sooner. Now I am the person who if I cannot afford to get something I want, will save up the gift cards until I have at least a little more towards the purchase. So fort those who get these $25 to $50 gift cards, do you just accumulate them until you have the money saved for the big item you want or do you just cash them in after Christmas?
5 people like this
6 responses
@diacedez (177)
• United States
5 Dec 08
i dont save em up or anything, i'll wait til the holidays are over n whatever i have i'll use, but beware of where your getting your gift cards if u buy them or spend them fast if u get them from someone for a gift, cuz alot of stores are closing down n some are shuttin down just some of their stores, some big names like circuit city, macy's n etc..
4 people like this
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
6 Jan 10
It used to be that Sears would only be valid for a year, but now I find that the gift cards for our Mall also have a limit, and if you wait over a year, they will deduct so much from the value of the card. I did get rid of my Best Buy gift card because we bought a new Tv and used that for the down payment as I did not want to get a new dvd as I usually do. And I bought some kitchen stuff with a gift card I got from one of my sons. I found that if I wait until I get another gift card for the same store that I got the last gift card from, it could take forever.
@AmbiePam (85492)
• United States
5 Dec 08
If the amount of the gift cards are even close to the amount of the item I want, I go ahead and use the gift card and pay the difference. But I never use them unless there is something available that I really want. I won't go and just look for something that I only kind of like. Which means I do usually wait about at least 4 months before using them.
3 people like this
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
28 Oct 09
I find that much of the gift cards have a limited time offer so that I may have to use them in three or four months time. This makes it impossible to use them for big ticket items like Tv or computers or cameras that take more then a year to save for. I did use the last one because my husband was getting a tv and vcr for the bedroom for when he would be bedridden (He has als) but I got that gift card a year ago and was waiting for others to accumulate. I got a gift certificate when we got the tv and dvd player, and when my husband's birthday came up I bought a Dvd. I would rather buy a dvd or a tv dvd set with a gift card or a certificate because what if the show ends badly and the writers make a mess of the final season? Then I did not waste paying cash for it.
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
6 Jan 10
In Canada, there are just started to put expiration dates on some gift cards. it used to be that Sears gift cards were just for a year but that is because their gift cards were usually around $10 to $20 and intended to part pay something one bought. with Best Buy if you get a gift card as a present, it is forever, but if you get a gift certificate or card after buying something, it may only last three months.
1 person likes this
@mcc371 (918)
• United States
5 Dec 08
I love to get gift cards as then I can go get what I really want and if I decide that i am a little short I can always pay the difference. It is much better I think than receiving a gift you may never use or that collects good ole dust for ya..lol. I hate to tell people sometimes what I really want as I feel that they are pressured into spending more than they might have planned so I give gift cards.
We tried giving movies to each other one year and everyone hated most of the movies they got or already had them. We did the buy and gift and draw numbers and pick a random gift under tree that wasn't very much fun the kids fought over someone else being able to take the gift.
so this yr we are just doing a 20.00 gift card among the adults and putting them in a hat and you draw out a card on your turn and we divided the kids by couples and we each have one kid to buy a gift for ..mine I made a fleece throw blanket tied on ends and then I bought her some lip gloss and hair bows and a farm-opoly game since she loves farm animals. She is 9 yrs old and such a sweetheart.
Hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season.
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
6 Jan 10
I would rather receive gift cards or cash then get the actual present. I know it is the thought that counts and if they made something for you, you should reward the effort, but for me, unless you are an artisian or the gift will last a very long time )like for instance a piano 
or a Cuisinart or something that you can use and is practical and looks nice, forget it. You see I want the person to come up and say five years later "I see you are wearing the scarf I gave you," or "
I see that cookbook I gave you has stains on it," or "you can really play the organ" if they are made of money, rather then you finished eating the cookies, or that box fell apart.
or a Cuisinart or something that you can use and is practical and looks nice, forget it. You see I want the person to come up and say five years later "I see you are wearing the scarf I gave you," or "
I see that cookbook I gave you has stains on it," or "you can really play the organ" if they are made of money, rather then you finished eating the cookies, or that box fell apart.
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
6 Jan 10
So would I but it seldom happens that I get gift cards for just a particular store. If I get a gift card for our local Mall, then I can go to any store in that Mall and if I have a gift card for one of the stores there and I can use both gift cards, but sometimes it seldom happens. I used to get a gift card from our local computer shop and I saved that for a while, but did not get another one for a year or two later. And it still was not enough to buy what I really wanted so I had to settle for something else.
@reinydawn (11643)
• United States
7 Dec 08
I have used them right away some times and then not used them for years... You do have to be careful though because some of them will start charging a fee every month after a certain period of time.
I think this year it would be wise to use it right away though because you just don't know what stores will still be in business!
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
7 Jan 10
I got a gift card for our local mall, and in the fine print, it said if you do not use it within a year, they will charge you. However I needed a frying pan, spray bottle, and a lettuce knife so now I only have a little over $5 on it. I will have to get more ink for my printer or rather my husband's printer that he cannot use anymore, so that $5.00 will go for that one.
I also have one for another store in another Mall, and I might use it to get ink for my printer. I was thinking of getting a Dvd, but I have so many that I do not need any more for the time being.
@CarlKnittel (692)
• United States
6 Dec 08
I Imagine someone may have told you this. A number of companies are selling gift cards while planning to close in January. It's not illegal but it will sure be an expensive card if it can't be used. I'd love to give you the list but it's really long and I can't cut and paste. I'll try to PM it.
2 people like this
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
7 Jan 10
I did find the list and it is some of the most popular stores. It does not affect us here in Canada, but I noticed that a lot of stores here now have gift cards with expiry dates where they did not have it before. I did get a couple of gift cards this Christmas and I gave gift cards last Christmas but only to stores I knew were in business. I used one gift card right away because I needed a medium sized frying pan and other kitchen stuff. The other gift card I will use when I get to that store, but it is not in my neighborhood. I may get more kitchen stuff, but I also need some ink for my printer and I would rather not pay for the ink out of my own pocket.
