Gift Cards Recipient Finding Perfect Make Money Paid

Many Americans enjoy giving and getting gift cards because they "ensure" (guarantee; make sure something happens) that the "recipient" (the person who receives the gift card) can pick out exactly what he or she wants to have. With a gift card, no one needs to worry about "pretending" (making something seem to be true when it really isn't) to like a gift when they would really prefer to have something else.

However, people have begun to realize that there are many "pitfalls" (hidden problems) to using gift cards. Some gift cards have "hidden" (not easily seen) "fees" (money that must be paid), such as "activation fees" (money paid to begin using a card) or fees that are paid each time the card is used. Other gift cards "expire" (cannot be used after a certain date), so if the recipient doesn't use the card before that expiration date, the gift card loses all of its "value" (the amount of money something is worth).

In addition, studies have shown that many gift cards are never used. According to Consumer Reports magazine, in 2006 there were $8 billion in unused gift cards. Gift cards might not be used because they are lost or forgotten, or because the recipient doesn't want to buy anything at that particular store.

Gift cards can still be good presents, but it's important to make sure that the gift card is for a store where the recipient enjoys shopping. Also, it is a good idea to buy "retail cards," which are sold by a particular store, instead of "bank cards," which are sold by a bank and can be used almost anywhere, because bank cards "tend to have" (usually have) higher fees.