GiftCardRescue Blog

May 9th is Mother’s Day. It’s okay if you forgot because it’s not too late to take advantage of some discount gift cards and creative ideas to really make this Mother’s Day special.

I really like Mother’s Day because it’s different from most of the other holiday’s out there. On Valentine’s day, my girlfriend forces me to give her a gift, even though I tell her that I give her my love everyday. But on Mother’s Day, I really enjoy showing my Mom how much I appreciate her for all of the love that she has shown me throughout my life. This includes all of those homemade meals, last minute science projects, and folding my laundry.

Take my advice and do something special for mom this year. Use discount gift cards to save a little on your way and I’m sure she’ll appreciate you being frugal.

Top 10 Must Have Mother’s Day Gift Cards

1.) T.J. Maxx

My mom loves giving more then getting. A discount gift card to TJ Maxx allows her to purchase clothing for herself, but usually she spends it all on her grandkids. TJ Maxx gift cards can be used at all of the A.J. Wright stores including Homegoods and Marshall’s. Mom’s everywhere love Homegoods for their unique home decor & furnishings.

2.) P.F. Changs

Some people might think P.F. Changs at #2 might be a little high on the list, but it’s something new and different. P.F. Changs is a unique dining experience and will definitely be appreciated by mom when she goes out and uses her gift card. Maybe you’ll get lucky and she’ll leave Dad at home and take you!

3.) Marriot

If your Mother loves to travel, purchase a Marriott Gift Card and either give it as a gift or use it to book hotel rooms online or over the phone. What could be better then her opening a card with reservations to one of the hundred Marriott locations worldwide.

4.) New York & Company

Make mom feel young again with a gift card to New York and Company that sells a large variety of women’s fashion and accessories. On their website, they even have a section dedicated to Mother’s Day that will make your decision or hers that much easier

5.) Barnes & Noble

While you might have a Kindle, iPad, or Nook, the chances are that your parents still prefer old fashioned hardbound books. Personally, I prefer the same and still love the feeling of walking into a book store and browsing the selection. Barnes & Noble is America’s largest bookseller with more choices then anyone could ever read in a lifetime.

6.) Bath & Body Works

Lotions, Soaps, candles, and more scents than your nose can handle. Bath & Body Works has great gift baskets that are already assembled for Mother’s Day. A great gift without having to do the work of searching and smelling.

7.) Pottery Barn

Pottery Barn is the home enthusiasts dream with so many different options. Gift Cards to Pottery Bern can also be used at West Elm or Williams Sonoma making the choice a no brainer when it comes to Mother’s Day. Let your Mom choose her own gift or save an extra 10% when you head to the store with a discount gift card.

8.) Payless Shoe Source

With over 4,500 locations Payless Shoe Source is the best shoe store to get the most value for your money. Choose from their new summer line of shoes, sandals, and flip flops for the whole entire family.

9.) Coldstone Creamery

It’s about to be summertime and that means you will do anything to cool down. A gift card to Coldstone Creamery is a great seasonal gift that will let Mom take out the kids to get ice cream or you if you’re lucky! Make sure you leave the workers a tip so they’ll sing you a Coldstone jingle.

10.) Gap

The Gap has been making fine clothing since 1969 and Mom would be able to find something fabulous to suit her needs there. If she wants more casual clothing, she can visit Old Navy or for female athletic gear, she can visit Athleta all with the same gift card.

Do you have a bulk supply of gift cards you would like to get rid of? Sell them to us at GiftCardRescue.com. Our Bulk Department (bulksales@giftcardrescue.com) has extensive experience in buying gift cards in large quantities and we offer prices you can’t refuse.

So, whether you are a Pawn Shop that buys gift cards and would like to find an easy and faster way to sell them, or your company has excess gift cards you would like to get rid of, contact our Bulk Department at 877-904-3822 or email us at bulksales@giftcardrescue.com (we will respond to all emails within one business day).

Check out our website, and see why The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Forbes, and other leading publications have all recommended GiftCardRescue.com.

Discount Gift Cards are one of your best options for giving this Holiday season. Here I’ve compiled a list of five reasons why you should buy a discounted gift card with input from some of our followers on twitter. Follow Gift Card Rescue on twitter for your chance to contribute and be featured on our blog as well as win free gift cards.

1. You can save more with discount gift cards by combining in store savings. For example, if a leather Jacket at JCPenny normally retails at $100 but  is on sale for $75 and you make your purchase with a discount gift card then you will save in total 37% off of the retail price of $100!

2. A way to keep donating & giving. Everyone has been hit hard by this economy and we must all be thankful for what we have. Those hit the hardest had nothing before the economic downturn and need help now more then ever. A discount gift card allows you to make the same monetary donation to your local food bank, church, or school that you would have before.

3. Gift Cards let the receiver choose. Being able to choose your own gift makes a world of difference! I can’t even elaborate on the amount of times that Ive gotten a shirt where the size was too small or I’ve outgrown the trend (for some reason my aunt still thought at age 20, I enjoyed Pokemon).

Read the rest of this entry »

My girlfriend absolutely loves all different kinds of jewelry from necklaces, bracelets, ear rings, and whatever else she can find. But, I don’t think I’m the only guy who isn’t exactly certain about what to buy when it comes to jewelry. I would much rather let my girlfriend happily decide what she wants on her own knowing that its from me. So a discounted gift card to a retailer like Tiffany & Company makes perfect sense for a present.

So if you find yourself in a similar situation why don’t you try this gift card giving idea out. First buy a picture frame and place a memorable photo inside. Then, take your gift card and put it inside of the frame right in front of the picture. Last, put the picture frame in a box and wrap it up with some of your favorite wrapping paper.

When your significant other shakes the box she will be anxious to discover what its contents are. She’ll tear through the paper only to find a picture frame. But, her curiosity will be sparked by the small gift card that lays in front of your memorable photo. That curiosity will quickly transform into bliss when she finds the gift card to Tiffany & Company.

And that is how you creatively give a gift card to a jewelry lover. Subscribe to our blog for more unique ways to give a gift card that will be released in the upcoming weeks!

The Vanilla Visa gift card is one of the most popular Visa gift cards. You can purchase one at many drug or convenience stores and they come in denominations of $25, $50 and $100. They are accepted anywhere Visa debit cards are accepted but they cannot be used at merchants outside of the United States.

One of the nice features about the Vanilla Visa gift card is that they are replaceable when lost. Just contact Vanilla Visa online at Vanillavisa.com and a new card will be issued. There is however a $5.95 Re-Issuance Fee for replacing a card. The cards are not reloadable or returnable once purchased.

The Vanilla Visa gift card is activated by the cashier at the time of purchase. All you need to do is sign the back of the card and you can use it immediately. There is no need to call a special number to activate the card. Read the rest of this entry »

Finally, there is a website with gift card balance information in one place. In the coming week, our sister site, GiftCardRescue.com will launch a website (GiftCardBalanceNow.com) with information on how to check your gift card balance. The site will provide phone numbers and URLs on major national and regional merchants, thus making it easy to check your gift card balance. If you own multiple gift cards, this site will be a one-stop-shop for checking the balances on all your cards. While the site will not be exhaustive, it will provide information on the most popular merchants (both national and regional) that issue gift cards. It will also help customers of GiftCardRescue.com verify the value on their gift cards before they sell or exchange the cards.

Check back in a week for the formal launch of the website and how it works.

Whether for a wedding, Christmas or birthday, gift card holders and packaging should be part of your presentation for two reasons. First, they make your gift card look personal. It shows the giver that some thought was put into the gift. Even though gift cards have gained in popularity over the last few years, there are some people who still find them impersonal. Part of the reason for this has to do with packaging. Although the cards come with holders, they are usually not impressive. If you really want to make an impression with the gift, why cut corners with the packaging?

The other reason for using gift card holders and packaging is to maintain the element of surprise. People like to be surprised, including adults. So, when you use the packaging that comes with the gift card, it is easy for the person to tell they are getting a gift card, which takes the fun out of receiving the gift. Let’s say you buy someone a new portable DVD player for Christmas or a birthday. Even though the DVD player comes in a box, you still take the time to wrap the box to maintain the element of surprise. Same thing with gift card giving. Even though the gift card comes with its own packaging, surprise the receiver by getting creative with the packaging.

When selecting a gift card holder or packaging, make sure you pick something that is appropriate for the occasion. Gift card holders have come a long way and you can now find occasion-specific packaging to go with your gift card. Another possibility is to create your own packaging. Since the overall goal is to maintain the element of surprise, you can take a chance and make something unique to package your gift card. If you are not that creative, possible gift card holders you can buy include a tin box, cardboard box, paper pouches, greeting cards and stuffed animals.

Gift card holder image from Seastone.com

GiftCardRescue.com, the gift card exchange website now has a new look. To see the re-designed site, go to http://www.giftcardrescue.com/. So what is new? We have simplified the transaction process. You can now see how much Giftcardrescue.com will pay for your gift card before you sell or exchange it. You can also browse the inventory list for discounted gift cards without the need to register. There is also a blog feed from GiftCardBlogger. Finally,  the price list has been streamlined for easy read and a media coverage page has been added, which shows stories about GiftCardRescue.com that have appeared in major print, TV, and online media outlets. Check it out.

Disclaimer: GiftCardRescue.com is the sponsor of this blog.

Swap your electronics and get gift cards in return. This article from WGRZ News in Buffalo, NY, an NBC affiliate lists various websites that allow you to trade your electronics for cash or gift cards. I have selected the portions of the article that talk about swapping electronics for gift cards. Here they are:

MyBoneYard.com: Allows you to trade music players, desktop computer systems, laptops, and cell phones for a Visa gift card.

RadioShack.com: Allows you to trade-in select music players, cell phones, cameras, camcorders, GPS units, car audio systems, laptops, and game systems for a Radio Shack gift card.

Gazelle.com: Allows you to trade-in cell phones, MP3 players, digital cameras, PDAs, gaming counsoles, external drives, satellite radios, and camcorders for an Amazon.com gift card.

NextWorth.com: Accepts iPods and iPhones only and has partnered with Circuit City, J&R and Amazon.com where you can get an e-gift certificate for your trade.

FirstMerit Bank is rolling out a no purchase fee Visa Gift card. The only spoiler is that the cards can only be purchased at FirstMerit’s Bank Branches and are not available online. This is exciting news for customers who live in Northeastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania where the bank’s 158 branches are located.

Purchase fees on Visa and other bank issued gift cards are usually $4.95 so this is a huge savings, especially when you are buying a $25 or $50 gift card. You can choose from more than 50 designs (including a great selection of holiday designs).

The cards can be loaded with any amount from $5 – $500. And for an additional $5, you can get a gift card holder in form of a stuffed moose called Franklin. The only caveat with the FirstMerit Visa gift card is that there is a monthly maintenance fee after six months if there is still a balance on the card (they need to work on this – they should at least give a year if this is even necessary). On the whole, this is a great gift and a step in the right direction since purchase fees on gift cards are just inexcusable. Click here for details.