Get the best deal when you sell or buy gift cards on Gift Card Granny with these discount gift card tips. Learn the ins-and-outs of the discount gift card industry, including pitfalls to avoid and strategies to take advantage of.
Also, stay tuned for gift card giveaways, sweepstakes and more from your favorite gift-giving granny!
March 1, 2012 | Add a Comment
Oil stocks have gone through the roof of late, which is great news for investors and bad news for consumers.
Global oil prices hit nine-month highs last week, with the average cost of regular gasoline in California zooming to a jaw-dropping $4.29 a gallon. That’s 57 cents higher than a year ago and a surge of 26 cents in just seven days. The average nationwide price, as of Feb. 27, was $3.29, up 13 cents from the previous week and 34 cents in a year, according to the Los Angeles Times.
On the ever-so-slightly brighter side, higher prices means bigger rewards for those who use credit cards with cash-back programs. After all, if you’re going to spend a fortune commuting or just tooling around town, you might as well see a return on your investment. An examination of the various available programs revealed the following cards offer your best bet.
January 6, 2012 | Add a Comment
Love giving gift cards but find them too impersonal? Then perhaps you’ll find customized gift cards more worthy.
For the fifth-year running, gift cards were the most-requested present of the holiday season, comprising 18 percent of total holiday spending this year. In fact, the National Retail Federation said 80 percent of shoppers planned on buying gift cards, for a grand figure of $27.8 billion in just a few short months.
Finally cottoning on to this trend, e-retailers moved links for gift cards front and center on their homepages. Every merchant newsletter of the season trumpeted what great presents they made.
December 14, 2011 | 2 Comments
Just in the Nick of time, retailers and restaurants are trying to pull in extra business by offering free gift cards, swag bucks or whatever you want to call them. Buy a certain amount in gift cards or merchandise and you’ll get a gift card for your own use. Now that’s what I call an incentive!
Of course, free doesn’t always mean entirely free and standard federal laws don’t apply to these bonus cards. For example, some are non-transferable, must be used between specific dates, or can’t be resold. Others require you register to receive e-newsletters, so check the rules before you buy.
1. AllPosters.com - $5 card for every $50 gift certificate you purchase.
2. Benihana - $10 promotional card with every $50 purchased in gift cards through Dec. 31. Redeemable Jan. 2 through March 31, 2012.
3. Best Buy - $10 gift card with online purchase of two select, sale-priced video games for Xbox 360 or PS3 consoles.
4. Dressbarn - $10 savings card for every $50 you spend on gift cards. Usable Dec. 26 through Jan. 31, 2012.
December 9, 2011 | Add a Comment
For the fifth year running, the National Retail Federations says gift cards are the most desired gift for the holidays. In fact, eight out of 10 shoppers plan on buying gift cards, whether for personal use or as presents. They’ll likely spend $155 each on gift cards, for a national total of $27.8 billion.
No doubt a few people you know have added these plastic presents to their gift list. They’re easy to buy online and easy to give. As an added bonus, many merchants ship them for free with no minimum purchase required.
Here are 55 merchants who offer this deal for the holidays. Most are delivered free via standard shipping to the 48 contiguous United States.
Aeropostale
Amazon
American Eagle
Ann Taylor
Ann Taylor Loft
Banana Republic
Bath & Body Works
Bebe
October 17, 2011 | Add a Comment
Remember the old days, when you would get a gift card and your only option was to use it or lose it? Well times have changed, thanks to recent government legislation and more than $60 billion in unused gift cards each year.
These days you can buy, sell and even trade gift cards online. While this sort of exchange seems like it’s pretty straight forward, there are a surprising number of technical terms involved. Whether you're new to the world of gift cards or just feeling a little lost, we've created this Gift Card Glossary to put you in-the-know about essential lingo.
ABC Gift Cards: A website where gift cards can be bought, sold or traded. Founded in 2006 with headquarters in East Windsor, N.J.
Balance Checker: A tool merchants use to let gift card holders check the card's remaining balance online. Most balance checkers require you enter the card number and security code or PIN to get balance information.
Buy Gift Cards: The process of purchasing a gift card. Gift cards can be bought directly from the merchant for their full face value, or they can be bought from a third-party at a price lower than or equal to the card's face value.
August 14, 2011 | Add a Comment
Selling your unused, or partially used, gift cards on GiftCardGranny.com is a great way to bring in some extra cash while helping someone save on the items they need. We work with several gift card resellers who will buy your card and sell it at a mark-up (but still below the remaining value on the card) to someone else. Visit our Sell page to see what each reseller is offering for your card at the moment. You can also sell the card yourself, and perhaps keep a larger portion of the proceeds, by listing it on eBay. Gift Card Granny will usually find your eBay listing automatically and list your card for sale on www.GiftCardGranny.com.
Read MoreJuly 22, 2011 | 2 Comments
Borders CEO Mike Edwards yesterday emailed Rewards Plus members with a fond farewell, a glance back at the past, and several aspects of the liquidation that customers should know.
Edwards promised the chain would honor Borders gift cards through September, the final closing date. In addition, the chain will accept Borders Bucks through July 31 and all Rewards Plus discounts are good through Aug. 5.
July 11, 2011 | 1 Comment
Say goodbye to forced smiles and fake enthusiasm. Forget about gushing over gifts like personalized beach towels and spice racks. Card Avenue is a novel new way for you to get the things you really want using its free gift card registry.
What's a Gift Card Registry?
Instead of asking for small gifts you can combine small gift cards denominations to make one big purchase. Goodbye toaster-oven, hello new television! Gift cards can also be exchanged for cash, and are easily mailed.
May 20, 2011 | 1 Comment
There are several different ways to sell gift cards but did you know you can both buy and sell gift cards on eBay? The online-auction behemoth allows you to sell gift cards from nearly every merchant, but there are a few restrictions designed to protect both buyer and seller.
Check out the following guidelines and see what you think.
1. Travel Services
You can sell gift cards for such travel services as airline tickets, hotels, travel packages, etc. These cards must be listed in the Travel > Other category as there are many state restrictions on arranging and selling travel services. For more details, see the eBay travel policy page.
2. Paper-based Gift Certificates
Paper or plastic? It’s really pretty much the same thing for eBay. You sell these as you would a gift card.
3. Phone Cards
You can sell phone cards that are loaded with minutes. Those for a dollar amount must follow the restrictions for selling all other gift cards.
May 6, 2011 | Add a Comment
As with any good thing, somebody has to ruin it. Bogus gift cards are spreading on the Internet like bed bugs in New York City. According to PC World, con artists earlier this year convinced more than 40,000 Facebook fans to sign up for a free trial offer to receive a $1,000 Ikea card. Naturally, the cards never existed but the fans became susceptible to identity theft, computer hacking and other financial consequences. Previous rackets invited fake gift cards of $250 and $500 for Target and Best Buy.
"The best way to protect yourself is to trust your own good sense," said Gift Card Granny founder Luke Knowles. "You know Macy's isn't going to sell an $80 gift card on Craigslist for $15. Companies do promote themselves, but they're not going to take a huge loss to do so."
How can you avoid being taken in by these schemes? Follow Granny's four tips and never be conned again.
1. Know the Source
If you're buying a gift card from a discount seller, research their reputation. You can depend on such legitimate sellers as Plastic Jungle, ABC Gift Cards, Cardpool, GiftCards.com and Gift Card Castle. Many cards also are sold on eBay but, again, you should keep an eye out for deals that are too good to be true.
All designated trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners. No claims of affiliation are made about the stores on this site.
© 2012 The Frugals
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