There’s a good chance that among the gifts you get this holiday season, at least one will be a gift card. They are easy to buy and give, and often popular with those who receive them. According to the National Retail Federation’s annual holiday survey, six in 10 (59.8%) of those polled say they’d like… Read More

For some, gift cards are the perfect present while others find them to be the choice of last resort when they have run out of ideas. However you arrived at your decision to purchase a gift card, you can earn tremendous rewards for yourself when you purchase gift cards using a credit card. Maximizing category… Read More

Although it may not feel like a very personal gift, you probably can’t go wrong giving a gift card as a holiday present. Gift cards/certificates and cash are the top two gifts consumers want to receive this holiday season, according to the Deloitte annual holiday survey. And prepaid cards continue to grow in popularity, sometimes… Read More

American Express’s Membership Rewards program has been renowned for offering one of the most flexible rewards programs. Cardmembers can redeem their points for travel reservations, airline miles, or statement credits. And today, American Express has just added the option of mobile gift cards that can be redeemed for in-store purchases at select retailers. How mobile… Read More

Regulators in Washington State busted Checkmania, the company that operates Checkmate payday loan stores, for using gift cards to do an end-run around a new law that limits loans with high interest rates. Under Checkmate’s program, consumers could “borrow” gift cards good for $100 at retailers including Safeway and Wal-Mart. They had 15 to 45… Read More

After a sluggish holiday shopping season, retailers are hoping for a bright New Year in the form of gift card redemptions. An estimated $60 million is waiting to be spent through gift cards in the next seven days. And Americans are expected to spend $26.3 billion on the cards in total. Here are our tips for cashing in those cards

In a settlement with the FTC, Kmart has agreed to reimburse “dormancy fees” for eligible consumers. You can find details on Kmart’s website, but basically to get a refund you will have to give 1) your Kmart gift card identification number, 2) mailing address, and 3) phone number. If your card did have one of these fees assessed, you’ll get a new gift card for the amount of the fees.

Remember the holidays? It’s incredible that 60+ days have already passed since we were gathered around the tree or menorah with family members. While our lives are rushing ahead at the speed of light, don’t forget to cash in any remaining gift certificates you may have from the holidays.