Why not just give cash? If you give cash they can even put the money in savings if they so wish (maybe saving for a house downpayment or something large)

-rj

I agree with scryn. Why not just give cash (in the form of a cheque for security purposes)? Why pay the fee to put the money on a visa gift card? Give the marrying couple the extra $10 instead of giving it to the Visa company.

I H-A-T-E those VISA gift cards. Some of them can't be used if you don't know the exact amount on it, which is a challenge if you didn't utilize the whole amount on one purchase. One of my pet peeves is receiving "rebates" via VISA gift cards. Give cash or choose something from the registry.

They are a pain to use... and they charge fees.

As others mentioned, give cash instead.

I like giving American Express Gift Cheques as gifts. They look like gold-colored travelers checks and come in a gold envelope with a gift card that you can write out. They work just like travelers checks for the recipient so they can be used anywhere or, if they so choose, can cash them or deposit them in their bank account just like a regular check.

They have the same benefits of just giving cash or a check, but it just seems a little more special (at least to me.). I think that the last time I purchased a $100 gift cheque, it cost $101.50, so the cost is very reasonable.