December’s in full swing which means you’re probably contemplating what gifts to buy your family and friends this holiday season. This is also a good time to pickup a few gifts, i.e. gift cards for yourself. Gift cards are a great way to budget your discretionary spending, plus buying a gift card can come with some extra perks. For example, say you are a big Starbucks fan; you would like to limit your weekly Starbucks purchases to just a few dollars. By purchasing a gift card, you can lock yourself into that amount and earn rewards when you use a registered gift card.
During the holiday season, many retailers offer specials on their gift cards. I’ve seen multiple high dollar offers on iTunes cards over the last few weeks. Many restaurants also offer discounted cards during the holiday season. If you have a restaurant/store that you frequent regularly, these cards can be a great way to get a little extra bang for your buck. Just be careful to purchase cards for retailers you think will still be around in the time it will take you to spend the card.
If the retailer you frequent doesn’t have any special offers on gift cards, check out sites like Gift Card Granny and Ebay, where people sell their unwanted cards. At the time of writing this post, there are even Amazon gift cards available at an almost 17% discount. It’s free money! These sites will likely have even better deals after Christmas when people begin selling their unwanted cards. Just be sure to check out any sellers to make sure they have positive feedback from past buyers.
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