When giving and receiving gift cards you think the value is apparent, but that is not always the case. You can purchase gift cards for less than face value. CreditCards.com has an article entitled Eight Ways to Get Gift Cards for Less. Some of my tips are mentioned in the article, but here are my top tips for saving on gift cards:
- Shop during special occasions – Retailers have gift card
promotions during major holidays such as Christmas, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. Many times they will offer an added bonus to a gift card purchase. You especially see this at restaurants. The Brinker restaurant group which owns Macaroni Grill and Chili’s for example offers a free $5 bonus for every $25 card purchased. - Look to credit cards – Credit card issuers such as Visa, Mastercard and Amex frequently have gift card promotions on their discounts website. Amex for example has an offer for 10% off Linens N Things or Visa has a discount for Spawish.com.
- SwapaGift.com – This website offers discounted gift cards. If you purchase a card directly from SwapaGift, it is guaranteed. If you purchase one through one of it’s users, its only guaranteed up to $100.
- Buying from eBay or craigslist – There are many listings on both sites for gift cards, but you have to especially careful and do some legwork You should ask to verify the balance before you purchase. You need the card number and the toll-free balance check number. You should also ask about the expiration date. Many cards have expiration dates where some or all of the value is lost.