Top 9 Gift Cards for Interns to Say Thanks

Are you working with an intern right now? Regardless of whether their internship is paid or unpaid, a little gift goes a long way! As interns are usually young professionals, a gift card is a great way to thank them for their work. The best part about gift cards is the ease with which they are used. You don’t have to worry about giving a gift that sits unopened or unused after the internship. Gift cards are a great place to start, but there are thousands of potential retailers. That’s where we come in. We’re here to cultivate a list of the greatest gift cards for interns with a brief description of the target audience for each card. 

In this article, we will cover the top nine gift cards for interns, with topics that include:

  • Gift cards for food
  • Gift cards for coffee
  • Gift cards for clothing

Earn Cash Back On Gift Cards for Interns with Gift Card Granny

As a quick reminder, we’ve pointed out all of the retailers on this list that you can find on Gift Card Granny as of this writing. Gift Card Granny makes it easy to buy and send customized gift cards online and earn cash back while you do. Gift Card Granny carries thousands of local and national brands, including Visa gift cards, Mastercard gift cards, and gift cards for many of the awesome spots on this list.

Text eGift Cards on GiftYa

Another popular gift-giving site is GiftYa, which also offers customizable eGift cards! GiftYa lets you add custom photos or videos to all your gifts in the form of a virtual gift wrapper. A GiftYa can be sent by text or email, so the gift is always delivered within minutes. You can also schedule the gift to be sent on a specific date, such as a birthday or holiday. With over 16,000 local merchants and 280 national merchants usable at over 230k locations across the US, you can find the perfect gift for anyone!

Now that we’re on the same page let’s jump right into our list!

1. Buffalo Wild Wings

A gift card to watch the next big game

Buy a Buffalo Wild Wings gift card

Buffalo Wild Wings is an excellent option for interns who love watching sports with their friends. There’s something special about heading to a sports bar, sharing a beer and some wings, and cheering on your favorite team. Your intern can save their gift card for the next big game and treat their friends to a round of excellent wings! 

Buy a Buffalo Wild Wings gift card

2. Red Robin

Give the gift of a gourmet burger

Get a Red Robin gift card

Going out for a bite to eat is a great way to meet up with friends and family. There are countless restaurants around the states, each with its own flair. Red Robin is one of our favorites for a cheap meal with friends. Many interns are money-minded and may not want a gift card to a restaurant where their bill for an appetizer, entree, and pop is upwards of $50. Places like Red Robin bridge the gap excellently, letting interns enjoy a fine meal without breaking the bank. 

Get a Red Robin gift card

3. Cheesecake Factory

A gift for a fine meal

Buy a Cheesecake Factory gift card

If you want a gift card for interns for a different kind of restaurant, may we recommend the Cheesecake Factory? This is a restaurant whose meals are a bit pricier than a Red Robin but are still affordable. Pricing in the teens for entrees is our sweet spot when getting gift cards for interns, and while the Cheesecake Factory is more expensive, your gift card will work wonders to lessen the overall cost of the meal. 

Buy a Cheesecake Factory gift card

4. Dunkin’ Donuts

A gift card for their next coffee run

Buy a Dunkin’ gift card

Coffee provides life to many interns. Their mornings start with zombie-like motions until the first sip of a delectable coffee drink hits their lips, then they are alert and ready to work. Do you know if your intern drinks coffee? As crazy as it sounds, there are some who embark on their daily activities coffee-free. They are all impressive people. That being said, even if your intern is one of the titans who doesn’t drink coffee, Dunkin is still one of the best gift cards for interns! Dunkin’ Donuts has donuts, refreshing drinks, tea, hot cocoa, and more! There is something for everyone. 

We bet that your intern, upon receiving this fantastic card, will jump with joy for one of two reasons.

  • Reason #1. They frequent Dunkin and know exactly how they will spend this card.
  • Reason #2. They rarely go to Dunkin, and they are excited with the incentive to treat themselves to a trip in the near future!

Whatever the case may be, we know that this is one of the best gift cards for interns!

Buy a Dunkin’ gift card

5. Caribou Coffee

A gift card for at-home coffee drinkers

Buy a Caribou Coffee gift card

Caribou Coffee is a great place to pick up coffee beans and other accessories. They create some delicious and affordable coffee bags that will spruce up any household coffee pot. If you know your intern likes to brew a pot of coffee before they come into work than a gift card to Caribou Coffee is an excellent gift. Caribou Coffee has coffee for everyone. 

This coffee store is full of fun and seasonally apt blends to turn that normal pot of coffee into something grand. We love gift cards to Caribou Coffee because it leaves the final decision up to the recipient. They can go with the standard Caribou blend or switch it up and go with a seasonal flavor. They can get coarse-ground coffee, fine-ground coffee, or whole-bean coffee! They have coffee accessories to fill out their coffee corner. They’ve got it all.

Buy a Caribou Coffee gift card

6. Nordstrom

A gift card for clothing as far as the eye can see! For interns who’ve been eyeing an article of clothing for months

Buy a Nordstrom gift card

A Nordstrom gift card for interns is perfect for those who need some nice work clothes in the near future. Kids can make it a long time with hand-me-downs, purchasing an item here and there when absolutely necessary, but there comes a time when they need to refresh their wardrobe. This department store is one of the best ones around, and a gift card is perfect for the kinds of people who shop here. 

There is, of course, a little risk with a gift card here, knowing that the intern will still have a big bill at the end of the trip. The clothes are expensive! You don’t want to push a shopping trip on an intern who does not shop at Nordstrom because that will increase the likelihood that their gift card will sit unused, slowly fading into obscurity at the bottom of their bag. Make sure to ask where they like to shop before purchasing a gift card from a clothing store. 

Nordstrom hosts a ton of high-end brands for its customers to choose from. They have an abundance of brands and items to entrance your interns as they walk down the aisles of clothing. If you know that one of your interns is a certified shopper, we cannot recommend this gift card enough! Nordstrom has men’s and women’s clothing, perfect for an intern’s first high-end outfit. 

Buy a Nordstrom gift card

7. Macy’s

The perfect gift card for affordable seasonal shopping 

Buy a Macy’s gift card

Macy’s is a much more affordable department store that houses fun and fashionable items. They open the door for your interns to go clothing shopping for new outfits to wear in the office or out and about. Macy’s has a larger range of brands than Nordstrom if there is less variety at the high end of the spectrum. Macy’s has an amazing selection of clothes and brands, so they have something for everybody. More money-minded clothing shoppers will love a Macy’s gift card because they can get a few items for the cost of one at Nordstrom!

Macy’s is a great store to shop around when you don’t have a specific item in mind. There are so many colors and styles laid out in a way where inspiration can strike at any moment. A Macy’s gift card is also a great choice for an intern who doesn’t love clothes shopping but is ready for a few new items in their wardrobe. Gift cards for interns make any chore better, as they can save on their bills. Seeing their total drop when your gift card is used is sure to bring a smile to their face. 

Buy a Macy’s gift card

8. Ulta

Personal-care products are always in! A gift card to Ulta could be a big hit

Buy an ULTA Beauty gift card

This gift card isn’t for everybody, but none of them on this list (except maybe Amazon) really are. The use of makeup and other personal care products is on the rise. Tons of people apply makeup before work or have a skincare routine that uses multiple products each! All of these people need product refills, and Ulta is a perfect place to do it! They have tons of brands that are certain to satisfy all manner of interns. The only intern who may not appreciate this card is someone who doesn’t use much of anything. 

We love gift cards to stores like this one because the recipient is likely to know better than anyone what products they need to be refilled. A gift card like this is not likely to sit forgotten or unused as long as your intern uses some sort of makeup or skincare products. These products are often rather expensive! They will guard that gift card with their lives, and isn’t that the best? This gift card is a sure bet to ensure that your intern will appreciate and enjoy their gift as well as put it to good use! 

Buy an ULTA Beauty gift card

9. Amazon

This is the gift card of gift cards for interns

Buy an Amazon gift card

Amazon gift cards will always be one of the best gift cards for interns. This gift card covers all your bases, as we are certain there’s not an intern out there who would have a hard time spending some money on their Amazon account. Alongside the ease of spending, it is easy for anyone to upload their Amazon card onto their account even if they aren’t going to use it right away. There’s no risk of them losing the card and they are in no rush to purchase anything. The next time they find something they need, it will automatically be subtracted from the total. 

This gift card is excellent in its far-reaching abilities, but it does not let them try something out-of-the-ordinary.

That’s it for our most popular gift cards for interns!

Gift cards make a fantastic gift for everybody. They, no shame, make great last-minute gifts and are amazing ways to get gifts for people, especially when you don’t know them too well. When you are getting a gift card for your interns, check with them (inconspicuously, of course) to gauge what kinds of gift cards they will like. We hope that this list has inspired you with the best gift card for interns!

Remember: Almost all of the retailers on this list are available at Gift Card Granny as of this writing. You can earn cashback when you buy a gift card with us!

From all of us here at Gift Card Granny: Happy Shopping!