A new twist on an old gift idea

I like the Work & Life blog on Real Simple. A recent post by Julie Rottenberg on the ups and downs of giving a magazine subscription as a gift got me thinking.

As Julie points out, a subscription is fun to give initially, but can leave you wondering what to do when renewal time comes along. (Should you renew? Does the recipient want the magazine renewed? Will the renewal look lackluster as a gift or tie you into a long-term gifting arrangement?)

Instead, I suggest giving a gift card for a magazine subscription. The recipient can pick out which magazine to order and the renewal notice won’t come to you. It’s a one-time gift.

With that problem solved, I started thinking of fun ways to deliver a magazine subscription gift card–all starting with a store bought magazine. The recipient can order a different magazine, of course, but your gift ensemble acts as recommended reading plus something for the recipient to enjoy while he or she waits for the first issue to arrive.

Then I’d pick up accessories to go with the magazine like a bag of chips, sunscreen, and a reusable water bottle for poolside reading. Or do something in line with the magazine you’re giving. For example, Sports Illustrated and an energy bar for the athlete, Family Fun magazine and craft supplies for the toddler-age mom, or Real Simple with decorative push-pins for the organizer.

This is a gift that works for Him, Her, the Family, and for Kids. I love it and appreciate Julie’s post that kicked me into re-thinking this old gift idea.

No child's scrapbook left behind.

My mom made a scrapbook for all seven of us kids. So when I had my first child, I too embarked on the memory making journey. Within six months, Ally’s book was so full of photos and quotes, I had to buy her a second scrapbook. (You know where this is headed.) Baby number two has half a book. Baby number three has a box. No book.

Blurb.com Saved Me

As the pile of unscrapped photos, school papers, and artwork increases, so does my guilt. I swear (swear, SWEAR), one day I’ll get those scrapbooks caught up. Until then, I’ve been saved by Blurb.com.

With Blurb’s Booksmart software, every month I add pictures and stories to a family memory book. The pages are not as “pretty” as scrapbooked pages, but they aren’t as time-consuming either. And at year’s end, I order a copy of the family book for each child.

I do have a long range goal to give each child an individual scrapbook of their first years, but for now Blurb.com is helping me avoid the feeling that these precious days are flying by unrecorded.

Save Someone Else

Blurb.com also offers gift cards. If you know a mom suffering from scrapbook anxiety, why not give her this time-saving gift as well? A gift card to Blurb.com or any photo book service (e.g. Shutterfly, Snapfish, etc.) would also be great for New Baby, Wedding, Graduation, and other life events where you know photos taken are likely to end up in a pile after the party is over.

Savvy shoppers save money with gift card offers

With each holiday, I see an increasing number of bonus gift card offers. They go something like this: Buy a gift card for a specified dollar amount and get a lesser gift card for free. Savvy shoppers can take advantage of these incentives to save a few pennies.

For Example:

For example, my local Safeway is offering a $10 coupon on my next shopping trip if I buy $100 or more in Visa Gift Cards. Now, Visa gift cards typically have an activation fee. But if the activation fee is less than ten dollars, then I could earn a few bucks just by buying the gift card. But do I need a Visa gift card? Sure. Here is how you pocket a few dollars without buying unnecessarily.

Take Advantage:

• Buy a Visa gift card for your personal shopping–an upcoming vacation or just daily expenses. You’re spending the money anyway. Putting your money on the gift card first simply allows you to get the bonus groceries.
• Buy a Visa gift card to put kids on a budget. Got kids going off to college, in need of spending money, or wanting to do a little back to school shopping?  With a Visa gift card, they can shop anywhere they want, but have to stay within the limit of the funds on the gift card.
• Plan ahead and buy gifts early. Think about upcoming birthdays, weddings, or even holiday shopping. If you’re going to spend the money in the near future, might as well save on groceries while you’re at it.

Expiration Dates?

One word of caution is to check the expiration dates. Thanks to gift card laws changing in August, the gift card you buy will be good for at least five years so you don’t have to worry about shopping too early. But the bonus gift card (in this case coupon), is likely only to be good for a specified period of time. So check restrictions before you buy.

Think Ahead

If you’re buying more than one gift card, you might need to do it in separate transactions so you can get the bonus for each gift card purchased–rather than one bonus for the total number of gift cards you buy. Check with the cashier to see if there is limit so you don’t over strategize.

Gift card packaging used to be non-existent–just a stack of gift cards at the checkout counter. But with sneaky people doing stupid things, gift card manufacturers have had to get increasingly clever in packaging gift cards in ways that deter theft. I watched the above story on gift card fraud and wanted to share a few more words of caution. The news piece accurately says to inspect any gift card before purchase, but doesn’t really say what to look for. Here is my advice:

What to look for:

• On paper packaging such as what is shown in the American Express example above, check for the paper to be ripped, torn, glued, or otherwise disturbed in some way. Are any corners lifted or bent? Does the gift card holder feel thicker than the one next to it?
• On plastic packaging, like the two-part plastic gift card that the cashier has to break in the middle in order to swipe the magnetic stripe, check that the plastic is unbroken and the stripe hasn’t been tampered with in any way.
• Check the PIN scratch-off area. One way to steal the value of your gift card is for the thief to use the gift card online without actually taking the plastic. But it can’t be done without the PIN number. So be sure all scratch-off areas on the back of the gift card are in tact.
• Watch the cashier’s handling of the gift card the entire time and ask to have the card as soon as it is activated–just to be sure there’s no swapping. Sometimes gift card errors occur accidentally. For example, if two gift cards are stuck together, the cashier might activate one and hand you the other.
• Keep the activation receipt. If anything does happen, this record will help you prove your side of the story. Give the receipt to the recipient as well so he or she can offer proof of the card’s value in case there is a question.
• Pick from the middle of the stack. Gift card fraud has to be premeditated. The thief has to get the card data, lie in wait for you to activate the card, then use the card’s value before you do. Cards on the front of the stack are more likely to be the ones criminals are waiting for you to activate.

It’s a shame we even have to have this conversation. Gift card fraud is nothing compared to credit card fraud in which thousands of dollars can be spent before you even notice it, but I can’t afford to lose even 20 dollars, nor do I want to give someone a gift only to discover the balance is zero. 

So my advice is not to be paranoid, but to simply be cautious.

With the kids home for summer, my once quiet work-from-home mornings have turned into a swirl of Legos, Wii games, flying Nerf balls, flying Legos, and a constant barrage of tattle-taling (You don’t want to know about my new threat, ominously called, “The Tattle-Tale Treatment.”). I can barely remember what day of the week it is, much less get anything done. And just when I feel guilty about that, I remember that it’s summer–my kids are old enough to remember the days we share, and young enough to still want to share them with me. What a treasure.

Another Treasure

So today, I shook my head in shame and then threw my arms into a double fist pump when I found an unused movie theater gift card tacked to the bulletin board in my office. ME, the one who spends her days obsessing about gift cards, forgot I had one. Unacceptable!

Then the self-loathing mixed with euphoria turned to anxiety as I wondered if the unused gift card would still be usable. On the back of the gift card, I found a web address on which to check the balance. Thankfully, I still had $21 to spend at the movies. (Back to the fist pumping!)

No More Worries

The good news – as of August 22, 2010, gift card laws are changing in a way that you’re less likely to feel anxious about unused gift cards. The new law says that gift cards can’t expire in less than five years and you can’t be dinged a non-use fee for at least a year. Most importantly, in my opinion, terms such as these must be clearly specified on the card before purchase. No more wondering.

So if I ever find another unused gift card in my possession, I won’t have to worry or wonder about whether or not I can still use it.

Now, my friends…Shrek 3, Toy Story 3, or Karate Kid? Any help here?

Is it worth the effort? Let me know.

Though giving a gift card is sometimes viewed as too easy and showing a lack of effort, giving this gift card may be the exception.

I just read Eric Taub’s article on Home Depot’s new video gift card and I’m a little skeptical. Apparently this gift card enables the giver to upload a video or record one on the Home Depot website via web cam. Upon receipt of the gift card, the recipient enters a code online to watch the video. There are other tricks you can perform via web cam as well. Seems like a decent way to personalize a gift card.

But the reason I’m anxious about the idea is that technology, when not working as promised, can be frustrating. I imagine toiling over a video only to discover the file size is too big. (Been there.) Or sending someone the video gift card only to find that he or she doesn’t have the right browser, plug-in, or web cam to see the video. (Hello Aunt Vera.) My efforts to be creative could result in a phone call to tech support instead. Am I wrong?

If you have experience with the Home Depot Video Gift Card, give me the details. Who did you give it to…and how old or tech savvy is that person? Is the effort worth it?