Do you use your gift certificates and gift cards....

disney junky · Jul 23, 2019

or do they wind up collecting in a drawer somewhere?

We have quite a few that need to be used....

lynxstch · Jul 23, 2019

We usually use them right away--but...husband had one he was given at work a few years ago. It was a $50 Visa card. He kept it for 'emergency' use. He went to use it last week for something, and it was declined. We came home and looked it up to see why, and it had a balance of only $.50 left on it. Looked up the activity page for the card, and saw that they had taken almost a $5 'non use' fee (or something like that). out of it every 6 months??? There was nothing on the card saying that and there was nothing on their site saying that when he activated the card. I never heard of such a thing, but he reported it to work, and they made good on it and said that they would never use that particular company again.

L&Lfan · Jul 23, 2019

I only use the cards for places I patronize. I sell the rest to friends or coworkers.

RedAngie · Jul 23, 2019

I'm sure I have a few in a drawer that might have a dollar or two still left on them.

apirateslifeforme · Jul 23, 2019

If someone gives me a GC for Dunkin, that usually gets used relatively quickly (within 3 months or so). Target gets used as well, but only when we have a "large" shop occasion.

Restaurants get saved for a special occasion, like our anniversary or our annual trip to Florida. People have started giving us GCs for our favorite places in Clearwater, so those get saved until we go, of course.

Barnes and Noble and Kohls sit until I get a good coupon.

I do have a few gathering dust. Fandango, as none of our movie theatres accept Fandango tickets. Payless Shoes, as they've closed.

We did have $25 in Starbucks GCs sitting for 6-7 years. Back in February, we went to Universal and found that there was a Starbucks in the food court. Thanks to those, we didn't have to pay for breakfast OOP at all.

smiths02 · Jul 23, 2019

I use them pretty quickly. I do have like $50 in Target gc that I forgot to use last time we went.
I am not a coffee drinker, so I will often re-gift Starbucks gift cards that I get.

sk!mom · Jul 23, 2019

I use them asap. I’ve read too many articles about how much money is lost to unused gift cards.

If it’s to a restaurant or nail salon that I don’t normally go to, then I look at it as a chance to try something new. If it’s to a store, I can always find something that I can use.

I don’t go to Starbucks often but I was given several at the end of the school year and we’ve used them in airports and on vacation all summer. I used to regift the Starbucks to my High School/College DD but she’s out of school and fully employed so now I treat myself and DH.

cluvsdisney · Jul 23, 2019

We have a bunch of unused or partially used gift cards. Some have expired and I had to have them replaced. DD & AMC movie cards get used. I think I can use the random Visa & Amex ones for Amazon gift cards that will sit in our account and get used up pretty quickly. I have to look into selling the ones I know we won't use.

FlightlessDuck · Jul 23, 2019

I use them almost immediately, otherwise I will forget.

tinkerbellandeeyor · Jul 23, 2019

Normally I use them within a 6 month period but I might regift one gift card which I have never done only because ever Sens I joined the gym doughnuts make me gag but that seems wrong

kdonnel · Jul 23, 2019

lynxstch said:
We usually use them right away--but...husband had one he was given at work a few years ago. It was a $50 Visa card. He kept it for 'emergency' use. He went to use it last week for something, and it was declined. We came home and looked it up to see why, and it had a balance of only $.50 left on it. Looked up the activity page for the card, and saw that they had taken almost a $5 'non use' fee (or something like that). out of it every 6 months??? There was nothing on the card saying that and there was nothing on their site saying that when he activated the card. I never heard of such a thing, but he reported it to work, and they made good on it and said that they would never use that particular company again.

Lots of gift cards have a grace period followed up by a slow subtraction of value.

Accounting rules say that a gift card sale is recorded as a liability. It does not get turned into a sale until the value on the card is used. If cards did not ultimately loose value (a large percentage never get used, give cash!) publicly traded companies would face a growing liability that Wall Street would use to lower the stock price.

I could be completely wrong but I think a similar accounting practice is why Disney did away with non expiring tickets.

Meriweather · Jul 23, 2019

I love gift cards. I use them

soccerdad72 · Jul 23, 2019

Many are in a drawer

Kozmikkruiser · Jul 23, 2019

I have a gift card drawer in the main desk. I place em all in there and use them as needed. Alot of the times it's a great regift. If I go out and buy them it's to use them asap like the $600 in disney gc I just bought for my first cruise down payment.

tinkerbellandeeyor · Jul 23, 2019

Meriweather said:
I love gift cards. I use them

Me too

Kozmikkruiser said:
I have a gift card drawer in the main desk. I place em all in there and use them as needed. Alot of the times it's a great regift. If I go out and buy them it's to use them asap like the $600 in disney gc I just bought for my first cruise down payment.

You dont feel guilty about that I do when I do that but I am not going to eat something I dont like either

TipsyTraveler · Jul 23, 2019

Starbucks and Amazon cards get used because I shop at those places on a regular basis so it’s convenient to use and if I forget to use it this time, I can try harder to remember to use it next time in a day or two. Basic Visa and Amex cards would get used for the same reason, but no one gives me those.

Outside of those examples, I’d rather not deal with gift cards. Restaurant cards become an obligation, having to make time to go to a restaurant we usually aren’t that crazy about in the first place, then making sure to order above the value of the card to use it up, but then it’s costing money out of pocket.

Last month I finally used a $300 gift card to a spa that I’d been sitting on for twelve years and the only reason I got around to it is because I’m moving out of state and needed to use it or lose it. My in-laws have been giving us Penzey’s gift cards every Christmas for the past few years. They’ve been piling up and now we have hundreds of dollars we need to spend on spices.

Gift cards become a burden when they aren’t to a place one shops at regularly.

MooseBucks · Jul 23, 2019

smiths02 said:
I use them pretty quickly. I do have like $50 in Target gc that I forgot to use last time we went.
I am not a coffee drinker, so I will often re-gift Starbucks gift cards that I get.

sk!mom said:
I use them asap. I’ve read too many articles about how much money is lost to unused gift cards.

If it’s to a restaurant or nail salon that I don’t normally go to, then I look at it as a chance to try something new. If it’s to a store, I can always find something that I can use.

I don’t go to Starbucks often but I was given several at the end of the school year and we’ve used them in airports and on vacation all summer. I used to regift the Starbucks to my High School/College DD but she’s out of school and fully employed so now I treat myself and DH.

Use your Starbucks cards at Disney for snacks or a treat!!!

RangerPooh · Jul 23, 2019

I try to use them within a few months of getting them. Although I've got one in my purse right now that's been there since Christmas. My parents gave us one to a chain that we don't often visit. Recently I cleaned out my backpack and fond one that a previous boss gave me to Applebees a few years back. It's still good, I just don't have one near me.

I'm sure it was lost in a move, but a few years ago I came across a paper gift certificate to a surf shop in Santa Cruz, CA. My parents gave it to me back ~1999 while in college. One of those while we're here buying your brother a new surfboard or wetsuit lets get you a gift certificate type Christmas present. The only problem, I lived 4 hours away and rarely visited home. It went into a drawer to never be used.

sk!mom · Jul 23, 2019

lynxstch said:
We usually use them right away--but...husband had one he was given at work a few years ago. It was a $50 Visa card. He kept it for 'emergency' use. He went to use it last week for something, and it was declined. We came home and looked it up to see why, and it had a balance of only $.50 left on it. Looked up the activity page for the card, and saw that they had taken almost a $5 'non use' fee (or something like that). out of it every 6 months??? There was nothing on the card saying that and there was nothing on their site saying that when he activated the card. I never heard of such a thing, but he reported it to work, and they made good on it and said that they would never use that particular company again.

I did know this about Visa gc’s and it’s one of the reasons that I never give them. The other is that if it’s partially used and you don’t know the remaining balance it’s very difficult to use as a store cannot tell and they need to know an amount to enter. I didn’t explain that last part well, sorry.

For those reasons when someone gives us a Visa, I just take it on my next grocery shop and use the full amount.

DisneyHardin · Jul 23, 2019

I generally use them pretty quickly. I do have a Cheesecake Factory one in my purse still from Christmas that we haven't used yet. We will use it eventually though.

Do you use your gift certificates and gift cards....

BWV

I Love Figment

DIS Veteran

Sea Level Lady

The Next Mrs. Simon LeBon

DIS Veteran

DIS Veteran

DIS Veteran

Y kant Donald fly?

DIS Veteran

DVC-BCV

Being a Nana is my superpower

DIS Veteran

Earning My Ears

DIS Veteran

DIS Veteran

Living the Dream

DIS Veteran

DIS Veteran

DIS Veteran

Share this page