Are Gift Cards Evil?

Gift cards.

We get them for many occasions - birthdays, holidays, graduations and pretty much any type of celebration you may have going on.

Now, I must admit, giving a gift card is a good idea.

It takes away the stress of trying to come up with that "perfect" gift for the hard-to-buy-for person.

If you know what store they like, or general type of items that they like, a gift card works well.

They can take that card and buy whatever they like.

A win/win for everyone!

Now here's where I have some concerns.

As the giver, you need to let them know how much is on that card, right?

So will the reciever think you're a cheap SOB if it's a small amount?

Maybe it's all you could afford.

Are you better off just buying a gift?

That way, it's more difficult for them to know exactly what you paid.

As a receiver of a gift card, at least for me, it's can be torture upon entering the store.

Why?

Let's say I have a 50 dollar gift card to buy or apply toward (if the item costs more than the card) whatever I want to buy in the store.

It's almost like one of those games shows where you have 60 seconds to grab whatever you want before time is up.

Except in this case, you have all the time in the world, but just 50 dollars to spend, so should it be a sensible purchase, or do you buy silly stuff, like a beer can holding baseball cap or one maybe of those 'as seen on TV' items (although some of that stuff is cool!)

It's mind overload with so many questions.

Should I buy one big item, or several small items?

Do I want to go over the card limit, and pony up extra cash?

What if I don't use up all the card's value - do I get cash back or get credit for a future purchase?

And after the purchase is over, there's that let down that you no longer have a gift card to buy, buy...goodbye.

Moral of the story?

Be sure it's exactly what you want or need - one that you will enjoy for a long time and try not to stress out over it.

After all, you've just been given free money.

Happy buying!