Comments on: Should You Give Gift Cards as Present?

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 14:35:39 +0000

Some interesting points Pinyo, but in reality everything we do promotes consumerism, it’s just that some are more subtle than others. If instead of buying a gift card we bought a sweater or trainers then they are likely to have a brand name on them which advertises the product. I don’t think we can get away completely from consumerism and some elements of consumerism are good in that it promotes choice.

By: Pinyo

Pinyo — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 15:33:29 +0000

@My Dollar Plan – I hope your brother doesn’t read my blog But you have a point.

By: My Dollar Plan

My Dollar Plan — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 20:56:50 +0000

Well that’s assuming my brother shops around for the cheapest price. While I’d love to believe that he does, I know he doesn’t. So I guess it depends on who the recipient is whether or not a gift card is appropriate.

By: Pinyo

Pinyo — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 03:36:39 +0000

@Arp – Thank you for your comment. Yes, Secret Santa is a great way to celebrate the holidays without going overboard on gifts. That’s what I am doing with my team at work.

@My Dollar Plan – Right, but what if he can get the same item at Amazon for 20% less?

As far as gift giving is “about giving, not about receiving,” I disagree. I think it’s more mutual and intimate, than just giving.

@Rhbee – Yes, those VISA, MC, Amex gift cards are improvement. I do use gift cards too (more in the past), and exactly for the reason you mention — it can be hard sometimes. But with this new thought, I will most likely abandon giving gift cards altogether. Beside, the person who benefited the most from this is the merchant — not the giver or the recipient.

@Lynnae and Mrs. Micah – I really didn’t think about this much until recently either. Now just this morning, I heard the best gift you can give is not electronics, or DVDs, but CITGO Gift Card. Can you imagine that?

@Patrick – Evil is probably too strong, but it gets the point across. Those are good example of specific needs, and I did the same giving someone a Lowe’s card when he bought a house.

@Tasha – Exactly, once you get a card, it’s all about buying from there.

@Glblguy – I guess those are as close to cash as we’re going to get.

@Plonkee – Not at all. Nothing beats a really thoughtful present. Here, I am just trying to compare the merit of gift cards versus it’s more traditional counterpart…cash. In this respect, GC is a really clever mechanism for companies to extract more profit out of consumers.

@Broke Grad Student – That’s 3 good reasons right there.

@Blubba – I agree, culture plays a big role. Heck, we can get gift cards for gasoline — nothing else will surprise me.

By: Blubba

Blubba — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 01:49:35 +0000

I agree with Plonkee. Although there is a lack of flexibility with gift cards, I think a lot of Americanos are deeply uncomfortable on a cultural level with giving cash (unlike, for example, in Japan, where cash is king as far as gifts go). A lot of it has to do with a cultural disposition to show, or at least pretend to show, that some thought went into the gift.

The fix though, is to find more flexible gift cards like rhbee mentioned. Also, I wouldn’t be surprised to see E-Trade or Zecco gift cards in the future.

By: plonkee

plonkee — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 20:42:00 +0000

I’m not a fan of cash – it’s like saying *I couldn’t be bothered to think of something you might like*. It’s worst at Christmas, there’d be little point in exchanging cheques with my siblings. I expect people to put some effort into a gift because they care, otherwise what’s the point. I accept that I’m being difficult on this though.

By: glblguy

glblguy — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 20:38:33 +0000

I like gift cards, and in particular Visa gift cards. I can use them to purchase what I would like. I like obscure things that aren’t easy for just anyone to purchase.

I don’t like getting store or mall specific gift cards, as I agree they make me spend the money in a particular place.

By: Tasha Gets Money Smart

Tasha Gets Money Smart — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 20:18:18 +0000

In my country, the Philippines, giving gift cards (or gift certificates as we call them) has been proliferating. It used to be giving items or cash. Not only does it make gift shopping easier, but it makes the buyer/giver buy presents with limits (e.g. I can buy a gift card for as low as US$2). As a recipient, of course this could only mean BUY, BUY, BUY. I’m guilty of giving this type of present myself. You’re right though. It usually ends with the recipient buying something more than the gift card’s worth. I think I will have to carefully consider who to give gift cards too.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 18:23:24 +0000

This is a thought provoking article, but I can only agree with part of it. I don’t see gift cards as evil, especially for someone who you know has a specific need. For example, if you know someone remodeling a house, a gift card to Lowe’s or Home Depot is an awesome gift. If you know someone who has an iPod (or if you give an iPod), giving a gift card to iTunes is another great gift.

I do agree with your broad assessment, but I can’t agree with that for every case. And I also prefer cash, but that’s because I am not a big spender and I would end up saving or investing it.

By: Mrs. Micah

Mrs. Micah — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 18:13:15 +0000

I hadn’t thought of it like this before. Good point…hmm.

Since I don’t spend as much on myself, it’s nice sometimes to have a gift card that lets me get things I’d been wanting for a while. At the same time, cash might be even more useful in attacking my debt or other financial goals. For example, if I want something big from Best Buy, I can’t get it if I have Best Buy, Sears, and Kohls cards instead of 3 from Best Buy…