MoneySaver: How to save on gift cards
When it comes to gifts, one of the easiest to give is a gift card and there are a few simple ways to save.
"Gift cards are one of the most requested and popular gifts of the season," explains Consumer Expert Andrea Woroch. "One of my first tips is to buy discount gift cards. You can find discount gift cards on GiftCardGranny.com to save up to 25 percent off the value of a gift card to send to somebody else."
GiftCards.com is another site to shop for discounted cards.
Next up -- box stores.
"You can also find gift cards for less at warehouse stores like Costco and Sam's Club," said Woroch. "Sometimes you can save 20 percent."
Saving is great, but Woroch says you also have to make sure you are protected when purchasing the plastic.
"Retailers are trying to fight back and have been placing gift cards behind protective cages. I've seen them place them behind the register because what they found was thieves were grabbing those plastic cards putting fake bar codes over them and when consumers were loading them up with money it was actually being sent to the criminals bank account instead. So, you want to look on the back of the gift cards and make sure they weren't tampered with -- make sure that pin code number wasn't scratched off."
Woroch says you should also hold on to receipts when you load the cards. And, when it comes to buying them online, she says read the fine print. Some gift cards are only guaranteed for a set amount of time -- like 45 days from date of purchase.
And, this time of year, taking advantage of free bonus cards is a great idea, but Woroch warns -- know what you are getting with those add-ons.
"Those promotional gift cards may expire at the end of the holiday season or within three months," she said. "So, if you're going to end up giving those promotional gift cards as a gift, you want to make sure you let the recipient know how much time they have to redeem it, so no one loses the opportunity to use it."
Dec. 26 is gift card exchange day. You can sell or swap your unwanted gift cards online HERE.
