Vegas Free-for-All - Gift Cards

wrosie

Dec 20, 2012
12:10am

How many of you purchase gift cards for yourselves to get the bonus value at places you frequent? For example buy $25 get $30 card value. Buy $100 get $125 card value.

Secondly, a suggestion from someone who has gotten a lot of gift cards as tips.

Please don't give store/restaurant specific gift cards unless you know the receiver frequents those establishments.

I have gotten gift cards to places I've never set foot in which wasn't the best gift to receive. I also got a $50 Morton's gift card which wasn't enough to cover the cost of my meal.

I'd much rather receive an AMEX or VISA gift card which can be used where I want to use it.

Thoughts?

Roulette Man

Dec 20, 2012
1:23am

Block User

Quote

Originally posted by: wrosie
How many of you purchase gift cards for yourselves to get the bonus value at places you frequent? For example buy $25 get $30 card value. Buy $100 get $125 card value.

Secondly, a suggestion from someone who has gotten a lot of gift cards as tips.

Please don't give store/restaurant specific gift cards unless you know the receiver frequents those establishments.

I have gotten gift cards to places I've never set foot in which wasn't the best gift to receive. I also got a $50 Morton's gift card which wasn't enough to cover the cost of my meal.

I'd much rather receive an AMEX or VISA gift card which can be used where I want to use it.

Thoughts?

Check out Costco.com. You can buy almost all of the gift cards they carry (except for a Costco gift card) for 20% off. In other words a $100 gift card will usually be $79.95, and so on. The best deal used to be the Vegas.com cards. I would buy them and use them to book hotels. Costco has since stopped carrying them.

Blade

Dec 20, 2012
5:29am

Block User

Great idea about the added value, Jean Scott would approve.

RoadTrip

Dec 20, 2012
3:05pm

Block User

I buy quite a few at discount, for my personal use. Just purchased a VISA $250 GC from a "broke" poker player late Thursday night. He'd won a drawing for 3 x $250 cards, and than went broke on a hand. I seized the opportunity. (Than won the next drawing an hour later!!!!)

So far this year I've purchased McD's, Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, Office Depot, Shell, Amex Ex, Visa, CVS, Papa John's Pizza, and several others. Most "save" $5.00-$10.00 on small amounts through online "deals" (ie: $10 gets $20, etc).

I do not buy them for use as gifts. I buy and use them for myself to save $$$ during the year, and they add up.

Julie

Dec 21, 2012
1:01am

Block User

I'm not a huge fan of gift cards. It seems like when I have them the stuff I want is on sale somewhere else or if it's a visa card the cashiers only seem to know how to use it if the balance on the card will cover the whole purchase.

Here in Washington it is illegal for a gift card to expire. I wish when they passed that law they would have added a requirement for the retailer to cash your card out if requested. I'd have no problem paying a small fee for that privilege.

orchid

Dec 21, 2012
2:42am

Block User

Just purchased a Southwest Airlines gift card for my sis. This will help cover the cost of her next trip to LV. This was so easy since she will get it via email.

Roulette Man

Dec 21, 2012
3:07am

Block User

While I don't think gift cards show as much thought as other gifts, economics are economics. Why wouldn't you want a card that you could purchase at 75% or 80% of its face value?

O2bnVegas

Dec 22, 2012
3:22am

Block User

$10 Chick-fil A gift cards for the work gifts were a big hit this year. People actually stopped to thank me. I guess lots of folks like 'chikin.'

Geez...a $50 gift card that didn't cover the cost of your meal. What a jerk that person must be

Blade

Dec 23, 2012
11:13pm

Block User

Quote

Originally posted by: O2bnVegas
$10 Chick-fil A gift cards for the work gifts were a big hit this year. People actually stopped to thank me. I guess lots of folks like 'chikin.'

Geez...a $50 gift card that didn't cover the cost of your meal. What a jerk that person must be

Agree, people like that chickin'... also Subway and any Gas Card are popular.

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