Gift Card Bargains

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sweetpumkinpye

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Now is the time to start buying gift cards and storing them for Christmas. DH gets gift cards to the local big hardware shop and I normally get him about $250. Mum gets him about $100. Gives him plenty of money to buy bits and pieces for the farm. Need to get a few more each time I am there, at this stage I only have a $50 one.
Supermarket rewards are up to $30 hoping to hit $40 in the next few weeks. You get $10 for every 2000 points and I think I am up to 900 or so.
 

PamelaG

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Watch for promos on gift cards when the holiday items start appearing in the stores. I think it's in November that Barnes and Noble offers a $10 gift card to be used after Christmas for every $75 in gift cards you buy. I usually buy $150 for us and for my nephews so that gives us $20 to use after the holidays.
 
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sweetpumkinpye

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Pamela, our gift cards rarely go on sale so when they do it is a good thing.
Just watch the service fee on cards, that can wipe out any savings. The service fees here can be up to $10 a card:mad:
 

PamelaG

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Pamela, our gift cards rarely go on sale so when they do it is a good thing.
Just watch the service fee on cards, that can wipe out any savings. The service fees here can be up to $10 a card:mad:
Yes, I paid a $10 fee for a $50 card last year :(, It was last minute so I will plan ahead this year. Found out my bank issues them without any service charges. They are VISA cards and you can have them imprinted with the recipient's name and chose from a variety of holiday styles. You just have to allow a couple of weeks to order and they come in the mail, directly to your house with no shipping charge. I'll definitely be buying those from now on.
 

sweetpumkinpye

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They are VISA cards and you can have them imprinted with the recipient's name and chose from a variety of holiday styles. You just have to allow a couple of weeks to order and they come in the mail, directly to your house with no shipping charge. I'll definitely be buying those from now on.
They sound like a great gift, especially if you can customise them. I might see what VISA do here and see if there is something similar.
 
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Holiday_Mom

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Ugh! I got a $25 Visa gift card Christmas 2017. I will never give them out as a gift after what I just went through this summer. I misplaced my card but found it in June. I went to register to use it and all that was left was $12.50. When I went to actually use it, it was declined. There is nothing left on it. It was infuriating. :mad:

Schools and other non-profits around here have a "Scrip" program set up online for purchasing gift cards. Depending on the gift card, a certain percentage will go back to the non-profit for each card bought. If I buy a gift card for the local grocery store, the school/non-profit gets 2% back. Other times, there is an incentive program for a week where the non-profit might get 4% back. Sometime I buy a bunch for shopping at specific stores on Black Friday.
 

PamelaG

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Ugh! I got a $25 Visa gift card Christmas 2017. I will never give them out as a gift after what I just went through this summer. I misplaced my card but found it in June. I went to register to use it and all that was left was $12.50. When I went to actually use it, it was declined. There is nothing left on it. It was infuriating. :mad:
How on earth did that happen? Did someone else have access to it and used up all your funds? That really is infuriating.
 

Holiday_Mom

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How on earth did that happen? Did someone else have access to it and used up all your funds? That really is infuriating.

I was wondering the same thing. I know that there was a scam going on before where numbers were taken off the cards before being sold at the stores and then being used for online purchases.
 

sweetpumkinpye

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Mary, how frustrating.
DD bought BF a gift card to a local massage place for Christmas 2018. The shop that she bought the gift card from as just gone into receivership and they have closed their doors. BF will not get to use the voucher and what ever DD paid has gone. The infuriating thing is that the shop was selling gift cards up to the day before they closed. So unethical.
 

sweetpumkinpye

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YAY, just hit $50 on my grocery store reward card. Was going to use it for DH father but not appropriate now. Will use it to buy GC for DS to give to DD for Christmas. I will buy it and he can pay me back.
 
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sweetpumkinpye

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I suppose that now that we are into the second half of the year it is time to start purchasing GC. I have bought one $50 card from the hardware warehouse for DH, still need to get a few more. I will write a list of what cards I need and start getting one every pay to avoid GC shock closer to Christmas.
The good thing about the GC I buy is that they can be used online if the stores are not opened.
 

sweetpumkinpye

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Supermarket rewards card has now got $20 on it. It will help with groceries for Christmas or I will buy a GC with it. Hope to have another $10 on it by December.
 

halimer

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I use a Citibank CC that gives points that can be redeemed for gift cards from places like B&N, BB&B, Starbucks, Red Robin, Panera, HomeGoods.etc. They're not all places that I use but I do get a lot of GC's and use them as holiday gifts. It is quite a savings.

I also use them to buy actual gifts!
 

sweetpumkinpye

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Debbie, I am all for saving where we can. My supermarket gives points for dollars spent. 2000 points equals $10. It takes a while to save the points but it is my local supermarket and I have to shop somewhere so I may as well get the points. You can select to bank the points for Christmas and I find that I can redeem the points for a GC so I am happy with that.
 

missjane

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I give GCs in the stockings. I need to start picking up a few each month. I'll have to watch for discounts.
 
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PamelaG

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I'm making a GC Advent calendar for Sophia this Christmas. All her favorite stores, places she can get preschool supplies, food stops (Panda Express, Buffalo Wild Wings, etc.) for nights she doesn't feel like cooking. I have an idea how to put it together but I'm still refining it. I have a stack of dated sleeves from a Christmas scrapbooking project; I'm thinking of stacking them interwoven with ribbon so she unties one each day and the rest of the stack stays intact.
 
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sweetpumkinpye

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Pamela, that is a really wonderful idea. I am sure that she will be thrilled with it.
 

halimer

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Great idea! I am working on an advent calendar for DS and DDIL. I could intersperse the GC's with candies and other small items.
 

missjane

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Dollar General has 15% off select GCs through 8-22-20.
 
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PamelaG

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I know we've talked about this before - beware of businesses that are not going to last through COVID-19. JCPenney and Macy's are in trouble and of course, Pier 1 is already closed.
 
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