Use Visa and MasterCard Gift Cards for Christmas Instead of Cash or Check
Do you still send Christmas cards to your relatives with a check or cash tucked inside? If you're still sending checks, you should see if sending a Visa or MasterCard gift card (in the form of a preloaded debit card) would be a better idea. If you're still sending cash, are you crazy?
Checks
Checks are such a pain. In order to cash a check, the recipient either has to go into their bank or withdraw the equivalent amount from an ATM after using it to deposit the check. Either way, it requires and extra trip or an extra leg in a trip.
What happens if the check isn't any good (for whatever reason)? The recipient isn't going to be fond of you at the particular moment that fact is discovered.
Cash
Back in the 1960s and 1970s and even part of the 1980s, a lot of people sent cash in the mail, and not just for birthdays and Christmas. Some people used to pay their bills that way. As the mail theft and other problems started cropping up, checks were used as substitutes.
Unfortunately, some people still send cash in the mail, cleverly hidden within the flaps of a card and in colored envelopes you can't see through. There are way too many unscrupulous people working in post offices of nearly every country of the world to risk sending cash through the mail. If you're still doing that, you're crazy and need to seek professional help.
Use Visa and MasterCard Gift Cards Instead of Store Gift Cards
Have you ever received a store gift card as an actual gift or an award or something? If you have, how many have you received for stores that you'll never shop at? At my last job, I received numerous store gift cards and because I didn't shop at those stores, I ended up giving them away.
Almost every store in the US accepts a Visa or MasterCard debit or credit card (there are some exceptions, like membership stores). Wouldn't it be nice to let the recipient choose where he or she wants to shop as opposed to choosing the store for them?
Where do you get Visa and MasterCard Gift Cards?
I hate to sound condescending, but the second thing you should do is search the web for "visa or mastercard gift cards". The first thing to do would be to either search for "(insert your bank) gift card" or call your bank to find out if they offer them. Mine does.
If you're picking an online source that isn't your bank, or any bank you've never heard of, please be careful. As with anything else on the Internet, scammers are out there just waiting for innocent victims to prey upon.
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true. i find it a bit sad, the idea of receiving a gift card to a place that you never really go to, or whose products you never really buy. seems like such a waste. and especially now that there are other options available, it's just so much better to give the gift recipient, whether in the philippines or elsewhere, the choice of where to buy and what to purchase.
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On top of the safety of using them online, some of the companies actually offer rebates or rewards for buying the gift cards as well.
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I love Visa Gift Cards, and they're basically as good as cash. Plus they seem more "gifty" than paper money, so they make better presents.
I don't like the store gift cards either. They always seem great, until I take one to whichever store and realize I really am not interested in anything they have at that time. Invariably, I then forget all about the card and the store wins by keeping the money and giving me nothing!
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Christmas is just days away. For the Philippines, G-Cash or Smart Money is a viable option too.
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What a great idea – i'll be asking my mum to send me one of these rather than a sweater this year!
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Thanks for the post RT. I don't even like keeping cash on my person much less sending it in the mail.
I agree but be careful with some gift cards. I am sure Visa and MAstercard are fine but many go out of business and the gift cards are now useless. Just some food for thought!
I've never sent cash through the mail. Normally, I'd just write out a check and tuck it in the card. I also used to send a gift card for a nice local shop or restaurant, but with all the ones going under I agree that the Visa/MC cards may be the way to go.
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I never understood what the point of a gift certificate is. Why pay cash for what is basically cash that can only be used at ONE store?
Christmas is full of scams…
This prepaid card idea is fine though. Always love getting cash as a gift!
I also give gift cards to may during the holidays but I just realized as I read your article that people can steal and use a gift card just as easy as cash in an envelope. Are there any cards that aren't automatically activated?
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I tend to stay away from store cards as well. Nothing like a cash back credit card
Before I'm using checks.. Now I will start on using master gift cards for christmas.. Thank you for the information.
This is a great idea. My mom went into a local drug store to get a Visa gift card, and discovered that there is a charge for the purchase, and if she bought a gift card for the store (instead of Visa), there was no charge. Although the flexibility is great, if you are tight on dollars, you might want to search for a store card where the person might shop.
To me whoever came up with the ideas of gift cards was only thinking about his own bottom line. At the end the day we all know that most the cards that get awarded as gifts never get used and end up in the trash or get expired. The store provider of the card is therefore always the winner. What a waste!
Great idea – we dont have these kind of gift cards in the Uk yet as like everything else we seem to be about 3 years behind! They will be a great idea when they come out though!
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I've heard that there are some scams with these visa gift cards. I don't remember what it was but I think it had something to do with expiration dates or something. It was all over the news awhile back.
The downside of this is it teaches kids that using credit cards is a good thing. Which could cause a whole generation of problems with people and debt.
There's already a problem with young adults, so it won't get any worse. Besides, visa gift cards are not credit cards and anyone who thinks they're the same thing is going to have problems anyway.
There's a great site that lists $500 gift cards for auction up to $400 max. That's a $100 in free merchandise. http://www.amazinggiftcardeals.com