Yes, unused gift cards are still a waste. It's hard to hit the magic number when spending and I'm often guilty of shoving them in a wallet or drawer to remember to use . . . until my memory fails me.
Then, when grabbing tea with my pal, GeekSugar, this morning, I noticed her handy trick. So you make the most of every last dollar and cent, wrap sticky notes around each with the remaining balance and take note of any purchases. In addition to being another more obvious use for your phone's calculator, it's a nice way to splurge on an afternoon yogurt without feeling like you've spent hard earned cash in the process.
V.I.K
H. Eich
Lanvin
This IS a great idea, but I am so over the VISA, AmEX, (even certain shopping center) etc gift cards and will only buy store gift cards from now on. This past year we have had so many bad experiences, from them deducting huge amounts from the balance, to not then letting them go through--it was way too much hassle!
1With store gift cards, my husband actually started writing the balance directly on the card with a sharpie. This works really well, too, and it stays on the card whereas sticky notes can unstick themselves.
2Too funny....I do the same exact thing!!
3i have no problem just asking the cashier "can you check to see how much money is on this" when i'm buying something, and just finishing it off...my mom gets all embarassed though...she was so worked up the other day when her visa gift card didn't work (totally the store's fault, not hers - the card worked fine elsewhere) but she always feels like they'll think she doesn't have enough money to pay for it or something...silly
4(like when a credit card or debit card gets declined for technical reasons not because of insufficient funds...i don't care, i just say "oh thats stupid, oh well, here's a different card...)
5These sticky notes would get destroyed in my already jam-packed wallet.
6I have the post it flags and use those so they take up less room/get ruined less.
7I just use sharpie as well. And it's wise to do so, especially with Visa/Amex giftcards. They won't go through if the transaction is for more than the amount, which is because of the card issuer, not the store. So, you have to make sure to know the exact amount and ask the cashier to do a split tender.
8I write the balances really small on the back with a permanent maker.
9Yeah, those Visa/Amex cards are the worst when it comes to having an unknown amount of money on them. I use the Sharpie idea as well, only because I don't carry post it notes in my purse.
10I use the post it notes but really like the sharpie idea.
11i always wrote the balance on the back with a sharpie, like everyone else it seems!
12as for the Visa/AmEx cards, i have either made sure to use the entire card (on something boring like groceries so i know i'm going to spend over that amount & will use the full $50 or whatever).
but i've also just used the Visa gift card to buy a gift card at Target or Amazon or another store i'll frequent soon (and i'm pretty sure won't go bankrupt & lose my gift card!)
I do this too.
13That's a great tip! I need to do this!
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