I think gift giving divides into what I call order takers and dream fillers. Order takers want to provide something that the recipient specifically wants or needs, and that completes the 'transaction'. A subset of order takers just need to check off a gift from the list, and as long as it is an object or GC, check it done. For an order taker, gift cards are a godsend. No more running hither and yon trying to find X or Y, just pick up the card, load it and boom, mission accomplished. Dream fillers want to provide a gift that, as the saying goes, the recipient didn't know s/he wanted until it appeared. For dream fillers, the downside is trying to get into the minds of people to suss out just the perfect item. Not an easy task! For a dream filler, gift cards or cash completely negate the goal, and to boot they kill the dream by making it crystal clear just how much was spent on fulfilling the 'dream'. I used to be a dream filler--it was my perpetual goal to get the PERFECT gift for those on my list. However, as I've gotten older I have come to realize that as with much else in life you can't control or force anyone to feel, do or enjoy gifts no matter how carefully you try to pick something special. And of course gift cards as a product have exploded; you can literally give them for every and any product or service. What I do now is try to combine order taking and dream filling. So, for Christmas I paired a package of sugar free chocolate bars I special ordered for my diabetic dad with a GC for a movie theater. He and my stepmother will be facing an extended period of medical treatment out of town and my 'dream' is that they can have a night out at the movies as a respite, where he can snack on treats that aren't bad for him. I gave my sisters, all of whom like me are avid readers, each a pair of book-themed novelty socks packaged with an Amazon GC. Dream: they can order something they enjoy reading and peruse it wearing snazzy socks. Okay, that one is pretty light hearted dream filling but still, it's at least a start! And that's how I try to combine the practicality of gift cards with at least some attempt at creativity and personalization. Ann

Yes it makes perfect sense and I've used some cgi/perl scripts (free downloadable ones) that have worked great. Unfortunately I can't recall where or which one I've used but if you look up Matt's script archive or bignosebird.com you will mroe than likely find one to use. They are easy to setup. You'll need to design your own cards obviously but if you have trouble getting it going let us know.

We have MBNA credit cards that have been stolen (online) two or three times. Each time, MBNA picked up on it first. They called me at work, cancelled the card, and overnighted us new ones. I didn't have to request anything nor pay for it. Once we were leaving on vacation the next day, and they made sure we had the new cards before we left. We've had accounts with them for eight years now and have no intent to change. On the other side of the coin, DH had a card stolen from 5/3 bank. We didn't even have an account there, so I don't know how someone got a card in his name. The card was opened in 2000, was never used and then stolen in 2006. Someone took it to Brazil and took out $2k of money from an ATM $200 at a time. It took us months to finalize that one - HOURS on the phone with them. They claimed that since we never used the card, they didn't know our spending patterns. DUH! Our spending pattern was that WE DIDN'T USE THE CARD! It was the most frustrating ordeal we've had in a long time. Then, they got all but one transaction erased. Why ONE remained, I don't know. But they charged us late fees on that one, and we had to fight about that too. What a mess. But, MBNA is THE BEST when dealing with card fraud.

I had some of those fears. But then reality set in. First, my Discover checks were found in a neighbor's lawn. And statements misdelivered. Didn't receive statements on time, etc and asked myself how can it be worse than this? I went paperless and won't go back. I can check it daily if I want. I can print it out if I want a paper backup. And if something happens to my computer, I can call them up and have them go back to paper, get info on where I'm at with it or use a different computer. I have two Discover accounts. One regular and one gas card. I'm glad they talked me into doing it that way. By going online I see immediately where I'm at in the bonus. I can sign up for the extra bonuses, such as some months it can be all motel/hotel, or everything from OfficeMax or Target or whatever getting a 5% cashback. I schedule my payments all at once for all my bills, set the date I want it paid, save 50¢ per bill, well actually more than that, and the money stays with me until the due date. If you try it and don't like it, the world won't implode. It's simple to change it back. You can get the last year or two's worth of statements if you have a question. I log it myself just for a budget thing but don't do much else with it. I always look at the statements to see that it started with a zero balance, credited any bonuses and that the charges are legit. And the thing I really appreciate about Discover is when you call them, you talk to someone in Arizona or Utah, not India or Pakistan. Gives Americans jobs and they hire people you can understand. What's more everyone I've dealt with seem sincerely interested in taking care of you. My experience with Discover has been great and won't change that. I pay my bill every month and I've been with them now virtually since they started.