Helpful Tips For Gift Card Givers

Gift cards continue to increase in popularity, not only because they are easy to give, but more and more it's a gift that people want. Here are some helpful tips for gift card givers.

Gift cards can be the perfect gift, but there are some things you need to watch out for.

For example, general purpose gift cards can be costly. Gift cards from companies like Visa and American Express tend to charge fees because that's the only way they can make money on it. Cards issued by stores don't need to charge fees because they make a profit as soon as the gift card is purchased.

Another thing to look out for is to be sure that what you are giving is a gift card and not a prepaid card which conceivably could expire without restriction or warning. Regular gift cards can't expire until five years from the date of purchase.

A gift card can be a great gift if it's practical for the recipient. Before you give a Starbucks gift card, for example, make sure the person receiving the card actually drinks coffee and enjoys Starbucks.

It's estimated that some $45 billion in gift cards have gone unused since 2005. So, check your drawers at home and wallet for gift cards you may have forgotten about. Assuming they haven't yet expired, a lot of stores will let you trade in  your old cards for new ones - that don't look worn and don't indicate to the recipient that the card is being re-gifted.

By the way, according to Card Hub data, here area the 10 most popular gift cards this year.

1) VISA Gift Card
2)Amazon Gift Card
3)American Express Gift Card
4)iTunes Gift Card
5)Walmart Gift Card
6)Target Gift Card
7)Starbucks Gift Card
8)Netflix Gift Card
9) Netflix Gift Card
10)Google Play Gift Card

[CARD HUB]