I just gave one for a graduation gift-- i kept it in the cardboard container which was sparkly and shiny (and matched it to the gift wrapped present).

Leave them in the holder.

You can either leave it in the cardboard it came in, or you can put the whole thing into a christmas card and envelope with a written message, or put just the card into a seasonal card envelope. Any of those are OK etiquitte.

Okay, thanks. I will enclose the entire thing in a card to be handed to each of them. Now lets hope I have cards large enough to hold them!

Leave them in the holders. Another option is you can buy gift card holders. Target had some cute ones. In that case, you might need to remove them from the cardborad holders.

ETA - beesneeds' suggestion for the card and envelope is another nice way to do it. If necessary to fit them, you can omit the cardboard.

Yes, the holder says the amount, so i guess thats the best way to let them know the value, unless its also on the ccard itself.

The amount is NOT on the card. If you leave the holder on...then no need to write the amount anywhere else. I thinks it's classier than spelling it out for the recipient. JMO Nice gift ded!

If the amount isn't on the card itself you can write it on with a Sharpie. I do this with gift cards that I receive when I toss the holder that they came in.

Okay! Now i know and will do it right. Thanks all.

I received an early Christmas gift card (to Trader Joe's!!) that came in its own Christmas themed gift box. And the receipt was included to show value.

A regular christmas card should fit the whole gift card- we just did it the other day, lol. Took my last 2 cards. Attached them to a couple wrapped small boxes of Merci chocolates for good measure. I can get the smaller ones at the dollar store for 5 bucks.

I leave them in the holder. It makes them harder to lose.

agree with blfenton...ask me how I know, having apparently thrown one away in the trash this week :(

Jmck , oh no! Whoops.

I leave them in the cardboard it came in. And pop them in a gift card tin to wrap.

Lots of cute boxes or tins made for them.

I take them out of the holder, and put them in something I think is nicer (a card, a letter, etc).

I don’t know how computer savvy your recipients are but generally there is a website on the cards where you can go, enter the card number (which is often long) and the balance will be shown. Helps when I find random gift cards around the house.

I have a Costco gift card that is a substantial amount because it was a refund for a mattress. I took a picture of the back of it. If I ever lose it, I can use the card number and PIN for online orders. Won’t work in the store. I tried when I left the card at home.

I leave in the holder and also include the activation receipt too. I’m always paranoid that a gift card that I give somebody will not work for some reason, and I want them to have the receipt just in case.

This year I accidentally bought season's greetings cards that were actually money cards, and they had slots for holding gift cards or money. Since I was not sending money or cards, I had to X out the text that said "Insert money here." I did send a few pesos to a couple of people because I found them in my wallet from my last trip to Mexico, and I thought they were pretty, although not worth much.

Lars, put a stick of gum in the slot!

I work at a food bank and we adopted a family that came to a partner agency desperate for help. I didn't have time to shop for the girls so I bought mom a $25 Visa gift card, left it in the package and stapled it into a gift bag so it wouldn't get lost. But as someone else said I should have included the receipt. Hope it works...

Our food banks often ask for gift cards for grocery stores. Nice idea.

I bought five cars and only got one receipt. Ill have to look at it and see if I can cut it apart.

be careful with gift cards, many scammers.

"I’m always paranoid that a gift card that I give somebody will not work for some reason..."

Can definitely happen.

This is a genral inquiry not just for dedtired, but why not just people give cash? Why bother with a gift card and a receipt? If the gift is for someone you know, a caregiver instead of for the food bank to distribute, why take the extra step to convert your cash into a gift card that they will then have to convert into an item? I don’t understand, and would prefer cash, in case any of you are sending me a gift. 😆

I agree that cash is generally a better gift, and I especially dislike gift cards for specific stores that force me to go to a store to buy my own gift. I've gotten gift cards that I've never used because the stores were not convenient. And I'm much rather receive a $50 bill than a $50 debit card, but perhaps some people prefer debit cards.

Maybe a gift certificate seems more like a gift to some people and then they will buy something that they would not otherwise buy.

I only exchange gifts with my sister, and so if I sent her $20 and she sent me $20, what would be the point? This year I sent her a silk pillow that I made, and she had already told me that she did not want that because too many children visit her house. She sent me a box of assorted dried fruit and candy that came directly from Amazon with no card, and so I was not even sure it was from her. I do like it, however. Last year I had Amazon deliver her package, and this year I found out how expensive shipping really is.

I give cash to my hairdresser, my wonderful mailman and the woman who cleaned for us. But I have know all of them for years. The Family Shelter where I donated the gift cards doesn't want to deal with cash. They actually requested Target gift cards because that allows the recipient a fairly wide choice - food, clothing, personal items etc. either in the store or online. They would have taken Visa gift cards too.

A few months ago a friend gave me a $100 Visa gift card for taking care of her cats while she was away. I didn't really want to deal with checking balances and having to use multiple cards, so I bought an Amazon gift card for that amount, paid in full with the Visa gift card, and gave it to myself. That gave me a $100 credit on my Amazon account which I use all the time.

"This is a genral inquiry not just for dedtired, but why not just people give cash?"

Believe it or not, a lot of people don't like (or use) cash very much. Also, I think people want to give something that will be a "treat" for the recipient, and not just used to pay bills. I always use cards to places that I know are convenient and/or favoured by the recipient: grocery or hardware stores, Starbucks, Tim Hortons.

What if they would prefer cash? Do you respect their preference or still buy a gift card?

Somehow it feels crass to give cash to these women. I dont know why that is, but I am more comfortable giving a card than an envelope full of cash. I know when i get cash, I stick it in my bag and it gets used for everyday stuff. Of course they can use it however they want, but i hope they will buy a gift for themself. I never asked them their preference, they dont even know they are getting it.

Somehow I can't imagine these women announcing to dedtired ahead of time that "if you give us a holiday tip we'd prefer cash." It's very nice of her to think of them. And I agree that it seems a little crass to hand cash to people too, even in a card. I give cash to my hairdresser and house cleaner because that's how I pay them for their services anyway.

No, no, I meant gift card vs cash for family members or others, not dedtired’s specific situation.

I think I’m curious about gc because I’m dreading what has become the annual exchange of gift cards on Saturday. It’s so pointless and wasteful.

"It’s so pointless and wasteful."

I think that depends entirely on your perspective. I appreciate receiving gift cards to retail establishments I already frequent. I find picking out something myself that I specifically want or need is a far more satisfactory method of gifting than receiving unwanted/unnecessary stuff that may not fit or suit your taste or otherwise never get used.

My family knows me and my habits and so provides gift cards that cater to those habits. A couple of favored, high end grocery stores, TJMaxx et all, my favorite local nursery.

Personally, I think giving cash to family members as a Christmas gift is crass and shows a lack of thought or care in the giving........unless the family member recipient has in mind a high ticket item they are saving for specifically. Like a teen saving for their own car.

Oh sorry - I went off in a different direction. I'm not a big fan of gift cards in general, especially ones that tie you into one specific restaurant or store. I've had a few bad experiences where the cards went unused - in one instance the restaurant closed unexpectedly and I still have one for the Rittenhouse Spa that DH gave me the Christmas before Covid. I can still use it but just haven't felt inclined to book it.

Now that the kids are older we've tried to simplify things. They own their own homes and two have children. They have repeatedly commented that they don't need stuff. I don't have a problem with giving them money and we give them checks on Christmas and their birthdays and it is definitely what they want and can use. A few years ago one of the kids set up Elfster- an online gift exchange that his wife uses with her large, extended family. It resembles a Pollyanna - you're matched up with one other family member, a price limit is set and each participant has to suggest things that they would like to receive and they can even include a link to the actual item. This is the third year and it's worked out well and is helpful in eliminating the 'stuff' factor.

Yes, my perspective is they are pointless and wasteful. Even after all these years, they give me cards to stores and restaurants I don’t frequent. Once I was told ”I know you don’t really like it there but it was convenient for me.” Oh, okay, thanks.

I’d rather have cash to spend where and how I see fit. I’d actually most prefer they donate the same amount to a charity but they've only done that twice. Instead they buy me cards, I thank them, and I give the cards away.

I think the best gift cards are the ones that are flexible and not specific to a store. That said I know my DD and dsil goes to Starbucks so I often will give them a gift card for that!

I do give cash though I admit however crass it may be. My DS lives in a rural community and has no options for shopping. This way she can go into the big city and shop at a shop that she chooses with her cash. It makes sense to give her cash. Plus she hates gift cards so I think it's an individual to individual thing.

What I'd really like is a less cumbersome classy way to put money in someone's bank account so they can just use the debit.

Maybe people could put money in the recipient's debit account by touching their phones together and a cheerful Christmas or other jingle could come up when they receive it so they know they've received the gift.

I think the best gift cards are the ones that are flexible and not specific to a store. That said I know my DD and dsil goes to Starbucks so I often will give them a gift card for that!

I do give cash though I admit however crass it may be. My DS lives in a rural community and has no options for shopping. This way she can go into the big city and shop at a shop that she chooses with her cash. It makes sense to give her cash. Plus she hates gift cards so I think it's an individual to individual thing.

What I'd really like is a less cumbersome classy way to put money in someone's bank account so they can just use the debit.

Maybe people could put money in the recipient's debit account by touching their phones together and a cheerful Christmas or other jingle could come up when they receive it so they know they've received the gift.

"Once I was told ”I know you don’t really like it there but it was convenient for me.” Oh, okay, thanks."

Ick. How rude!

You could always sell them to friends, to get cash, or regift them. That kind of attitude would definitely put me off, and I would tell them not to give me a gift at all.

I prefer specific store/website cards just because sometimes the VISA or Mastercard cards charge a service fee per use......but I try to make the stores and websites large enough that they offer multiple different types of things, or things I know everyone uses (like a gift card to a local grocery store).

Is it common for VISA or MC to charge a service fee per use? I have been given a few VISA gift cards from contractors as a thank you and I use them at the supermarket. I know that there is usually an activation fee paid by the purchaser but I've never been charged an additional fee to redeem. I've bought a few over the years but my bank doesn't charge me an activation fee.

^^^ that is why I never buy those - the usable amount is less than the purchase price.

Good advice about the receipts; I bought a couple of Playstation gift cards, and discovered that they somehow came up as already redeemed. Fortunately I had the receipt and was able to get a refund from the retailer - Playstation was no help.

Yeon, you can transfer cash to someone via the Venmo app. When funds are received, the recipient’s phone makes a ka-ching sound like an old cash register! 😁

However, both the giver and the receiver must have a Venmo account and the app on their phone. It’s free and easy enough for me to use.

"Is it common for VISA or MC to charge a service fee per use?"

It could have changed........it was 4 or 5 years since I wanted to buy one in the US to use for US companies.