Many people are always receiving gift cards everyday because it’s now widely accepted as gift alternatives. Occasions like birthdays, holidays, graduations and simple thank-you moments are just some instances when people either offer gift cards or receives them. Whether you’re a giver or a receiver, there are some things that you need to consider about your gift cards. Listed below are some things that you should not do with them.

Don’t wait for the expiration date to arrive before using your gift cards. If not, you’re at a risk of losing the gift card value. Remember that some businesses are using gift card software that checks on any inactivity and charges a dormancy fee accordingly. These are debited against the remaining balance in the card. The recommendation for anybody who receives a gift card is to use it within the year. This way, the value could be intact and the cardholder can maximize the balance in it.

Don’t just give your gift cards as a repackaged gift. There’s nobody stopping you from doing this but it just doesn’t seem right. Even if you just got free gift cards from a promo or contest, it’s still not correct to offer it as a gift if you’re pretending that you’re the original giver. This idea applies to all kinds of gift. If you still want to do it, just think twice or thrice before doing so.

Do not give a gift to someone who won’t be able to use it. It’s not a good idea to offer a gift card to somebody who lives in rural areas and rarely visit a shop that accepts the gift card that you’re planning to give.

Don’t offer gift cards on some occasions that are unfit for that kind of gift. For example, Valentine’s Day is not the ideal day for a gift card unless this is included as a secondary gift to a more important one like flowers, necklace or other jewelries.

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