How do you spend gift cards?

[sloof70]

Yesterday I received a prepaid Visa from Comcast for having signed up with them a few months ago (they're my only option). Once upon a time I would have said, "Woohoo! Free money to buy a toy!" But when I got this card, I took a quick perusal through my mental checklist, couldn't determine any bit of nonsense that I desired, and spent it restocking some supplies I'll need.

How do you lot of misers spend rebate cards, gift certificates, and other sort of currency that you can't deposit?

[rujancified]

Essentials (Amazon, walmart, & target GCs are gold!) or gifts for other people (ie, we got X store cards for a wedding gift and then bought someone else something off their registry with the GC). We got 2 Visa GCs last year for something and had trouble figuring out how to spend them. We ended up buying small electronics (portable speakers) that weren't a need, but have been fun to use.

[DecD]

Depends on the venue.  If its a card to target or something, I'll buy necessities I'd be buying anyway.

If its earmarked- like a lowes card for plant pots to feed my gardening hobby- then I'll use it to buy the pots.

[GuitarStv]

Usually I present them to the store in exchange for goods and/or services.  :P

[Beric01]

If it's at a place I regularly shop, I'll spend it like cash. If it's a place I don't regularly shop, and I can't see myself needing anything from there (or everything is incredibly overpriced), I'll sell the gift cards online. There's numerous places that will let you do this, often for almost face value.

[HappyRock]

Usually I present them to the store in exchange for goods and/or services.  :P

+1 LOL'D

[LibrarIan]

I treat them like the rest of my money and try to get as much out of them as possible. I avoid the desire to blow it on junk and spend it on stuff I need (groceries, replacement parts, clothes, etc.).

[rocksinmyhead]

You can also buy Amazon gift cards in any denomination--this is a nice way to use up the leftover $3.63 or whatever on a generic gift card like these. The Amazon gift card then just sits in your account until you're ready to apply it to an order.

wow! good to know!

[shitzmagee]

+1 for selling unwanted store gift cards on cardpool. I sell them in exchange for Amazon gift cards because the turn around is fast and I use Amazon ALOT. Referral link: http://refer.cardpool.com/v2/share/6064941115425800524

If the gift card is a prepaid card, I just use it like cash at the grocery store.

[hybrid]

Lately I've been giving them to my wife so she can have a guilt-free indulgence here and there. I don't need any more stuff by and large.

[Beric01]

+1 for selling unwanted store gift cards on cardpool. I sell them in exchange for Amazon gift cards because the turn around is fast and I use Amazon ALOT. Referral link: http://refer.cardpool.com/v2/share/6064941115425800524

If the gift card is a prepaid card, I just use it like cash at the grocery store.

Cardpool isn't necessarily the best value. Use Giftcard Granny to compare ALL of the sites that will buy your gift cards and get the best price for them.

[Zikoris]

We seem to end up spending them on bus tickets more often than not, because for some reason the vast majority of gift cards we get are for drug stores. Also shampoo, sunscreen, loofahs, etc, but those are pretty rare.

We also accumulate tons of gift cards to Best Buy/Futureshop from doing surveys casually, but those mostly get funneled into boyfriend's video games - though we also used some for a paper shredder and new tv.

[windypig]

For rebate cards (visa, amex, etc) not giftcards, I purchase an amazon giftcard and send it to myself, and it just sits there until I have something I need to buy on amazon, this way I dont have to worry about lugging around a stupid $20 rebate visa or whatever.

[beaster]

We receive 50 visa gift once a month (is a "courtesy" from a pharmacy for choosing them to administer some medicine)  and for fun I always try to stretch as far as I can. This past weekend I used it along with another coupon I got for 10 off when you spend 20 and had an outing with my daughter to the grocery store to buy only sale items. You would not believe how much stuff we got- lots of delicious and healthy food that will keep our family going for a couple weeks! Was a fun game to play.


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[Write Thyme]

I get gift cards all the time from using rewards sites. I mostly get Amazon cards so I can buy gifts for people, things for around the house, and things for the baby. I once got a Sephora card to give to a coworker friend as a thank you.

I hate the prepaid Visa/Discover/Etc. cards. They have stupid fees. I spend those in one transaction. I think from now on I'll use those to prepay the power bill.

[Mrs. Frugalwoods]

I save them (ensuring first that they don't expire) and then usually use them to buy other people gifts (especially wedding gifts). We have a $100 gift card to Bed, Bath & Beyond that we've been holding onto for about a year. I surmise we'll use it to buy Christmas presents this year :)

[Datastache]

I would rather have cash than a gift card, but if a gift card is given to me, I try to use it on things I would have been buying anyway - or at the very least, I try to get the most value I can out of it. I used to get AmEx gift cards once or twice a year from a family member, and those usually get spent on groceries.

[Hotstreak]

I get a $10 every few months as a casual "thanks" from work, usually to Subway.  I usually get a meal, then give whatever's left on the card to another guy in the office, who likes eating there quite a bit.  That seems to buy a lot of goodwill, considering it's only $3-$4 left usually.

I also get bigger cards a few times a year from work, usually $50-$100 and I can choose from a set of stores (through our company's automated "thank you" system, I could also pick from a range of useless household gadgets).  I usually pick a department store like Macy's or Kohls and put it towards a few new shirts.  I wear an odd size dress shirt and live in a blue collar town, so not a lot of used clothing options here.

[tracylayton]

In total unmustachian style, I used my last one for a $35 massage and I still don't regret it!!!

[alice76]

Necessities (i.e. drugstore, cover our subscribe and save for the month, shoes for son) or front load holiday or birthday gifts.

[Prairie Stash]

In my province gift cards don't expire, it's a great law.

Feel free to send me any expired cards ;)

[sloof70]

In my province gift cards don't expire, it's a great law.

Feel free to send me any expired cards ;)

I just had a Jamba Juice deal I never used and tossed it. Shame!