Gift Cards vs. Cash

So, now that the joyous Christmas season is just about here, I thought this article was a good one to cover. I must admit that when it comes time to the gift giving I am often torn between my decision on whether to give a gift card or to just give cash(which often seems impersonal). This article brings to light a couple facts to consider when trying to decide between the two. It puts emphasis on the fact of how better off you are to give cash, due to the fees associated when redeeming the gift card and a lot of companies also charge a monthly fee for not having used the gift card, as well as the fact that a small percentage of gift cards are mever in fact redeemed at all ! That's free money not being used ! Initially, that did shock me however, then I thought about it and realized that had happened to me a couple of times. Think about how easy it is to be all excited at Christmas and lose track of a couple of cards that may have the gift card inside of them, and then before you realize it, you lost the gift card ! The positives about the gift card are that alot of them today can be used anywhere, which is definitely a convenient plus. They also come in all different designs and can be used for just about any occassion one can think of. The consumer is now coming to the realization that the gifts they purchase for someone as a gift often goes unused and even unopened. So, as an alternative of having to spend their time and energy thinking of a good gift the person would actually enjoy, many people are now giving gift cards in lieu of an actual present. Personally, this holiday I will be ensuring that I know each of my loved one's favorite places to shop and giving out gift cards, simply due to the fact that I feel it shows the gift of giving a bit more than cash, but you decide for yourself ! To read the full article, here's the link: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703811604574530041007151468.html