Looking for the Perfect Birthday Gift? Try Gift Cards!

When you are looking for the perfect birthday gift, try buying gift cards. Not only can the recipient purchase exactly the gift they want, you won't have to spend hours or days shopping for the perfect gift. Gift cards can be bought in almost any quantity and can be branded cards, generic cards or even electronic. Almost every major store has their branded gift cards plus most will accept the generic VISA, MasterCard, American Express and Discover gift cards as well. You can rarely go wrong giving someone a gift card for their birthday. If you really want to step up your game, you can even purchase personalized gift cards with your own photos on them.

Gift cards can be reloadable, meaning you can add more money onto them if you wish in the future or they can be non-reloadable which means they will have a set amount of money on them. Once that money is gone, the card can be discarded. This type of card is used just like any other debit or credit card. When you are ready to make your purchase, either scan the card yourself into the scanning device or hand it to the cashier who is assisting you. When the card is scanned, the money that is on the card is electronically removed and you will, in most cases, receive a receipt with your new balance on the card.

Unlike a credit card, there is no interest rate involved in using a gift card. There may be some fees associated with them, however. Some retailers, if you purchase a branded card, a card you can only use in one store, may have a fee structure associated with the card. For example, pretend you have a gift card with $25 on it. Some retailers may take a percentage from that total each month, quarter or year. If the recipient doesn't use the card in a certain amount of time, money may slowly begin disappearing and your $25 card will be $23.94, for example, after fees are taken away. Other cards may expire after a set amount of time. Again, pretend you have a $25 gift card. If a card has an expiration date, it is usually a year. If the card was purchased on April 1st, 2011 and you went to use it April 2nd, 2012, you wouldn't be able to. Luckily it is rare for gift cards to have fees or expire, but some do. Make sure if you are purchasing a gift card, you know all the fees and dates, if any, so you can let the recipient know. There are new laws in place that govern these things when it comes to gift cards, and they are well worth looking into if you have quite a few gift cards in your wallet.

Some may say buying a gift card is a "lazy" gift or unimaginative. This couldn't be further from the truth. It is better to give someone a gift they will actually use than wasting your time and money on something they may not like or appreciate. When you give gift cards as birthday gifts, you are giving the recipient a choice and inviting them to choose and purchase the exact gift they want and need.