Gift cards can be physical—meaning a plastic card—or digital. Digital giftcardmall/mygift  gift cards have no physical form; instead, you’re assigned a unique gift code number that you can  use to redeem at online retailers when making purchases. Physical cards remain the most popular kind of gift cards, but that is expected to change in the near future. Don’t click or respond to online ads or websites offering free gift cards. Don’t provide personal information over the phone for an unsolicited request and never give gift card numbers over the phone or in an email to a stranger. Secondly, other businesses do not accept payments in the form of the home depot gift cards.

And if saying that makes me gauche, then I’ll be gauche. Your friends and family should be able to recognize and empathize with a tough financial situation. And if they were to give you grief, they’re hardly masters of etiquette themselves. View money services business disclosure for information about addressing complaints regarding our money services business, lists of our money services business licenses and other disclosures.

In a 2013 poll, 100% of respondents admitted they had gifted at least one gift card in the past year. On the other hand, many people find them to be gauche – that polite society simply doesn’t give gift cards as gifts. But if so many people are using them, how can they be wrong? Is there a gift card etiquette that you can follow to avoid offending a gift recipient? In addition, you should immediately report the scam to the merchant or company that issued the card and ask if they can refund your money. Most issuers have toll-free telephone numbers available online, so you can call to report a lost or stolen card.

Because inventories and discounts vary by site, there’s no one best choice for buying discounted gift cards. Giftcards.Com, cardpool, raise, and cardcash are just a few of the many websites that sell discounted gift cards. A 5% discount at starbucks sounds great, but when that means getting a $15 gift card for $14.25, you have to ask yourself if it’s worth the  trouble just to save 75 cents. At larger denominations, your dollar savings become more significant, but even if you buy a $100 gift card with a 5% discount, you’re only saving $5.

Our clients include industry and business leaders in all segments of the market and at various stages in the growth of their businesses. We have built our reputation on our commitment to our clients' success and the experience, expertise and collaborative approach for which we are recognized. We believe that our success is a reflection of our clients' success. Amy fontinelle has more than 15 years of experience covering personal finance, corporate finance and investing. Sign up to receive the latest news, promo codes, and offers from american express.

As with other sites, only a couple of gift cards were available for certain retailers. Some retailers’ gift cards were in abundant supply. There were dozens of petco gift cards available, ranging from $25 to $100, with a 4% discount. Restaurant chains subway, red lobster, and tgi friday's had gift cards discounted anywhere from 4% to 17%. There were no gift cards available for quite a few merchants, including costco, walmart, and target. There’s one gift that is guaranteed to fit every time—a gift card from the home depot.