Top 6 ways to use your unwanted gift cards

We’ve all been there: Great-Aunt Lucy hands you a dollar store birthday card perfectly themed for the 14-year-old she seems to think you are. If you’re lucky, it contains a crisp $20 bill. If, as you suspect, she still thinks giving cash is oh-so-tacky, inside lies a gift card to your hometown steakhouse three hours away (even though you’ve been a strict vegetarian since you were that 14-year-old she still thinks of you as). Sigh. Gift card it is.

Wondering what to do with your unwanted gift card? Before you toss that cash substitute in the junk drawer, hold on. There’s a better option than throwing away your unwanted gift cards. First and foremost, check the gift card balance. You’ll never know how much Great-Aunt Lucy loves you until you see the balance on the gift card. Over $20? Ooh! You must be the family favourite.

Looking for other ideas on what to do with those gift cards you’ll never spend? We got you:

1. You COULD save it for a rainy day... but you’re all about the ‘now’

Didn’t you know? Unwanted gift cards are ideal for patching up leaky ceilings.

2. You COULD find a friend who’s into everything you’re not... but who’s got that kind of time?

While many of your friends may share the same interests as you, including where to shop and what to eat, it’s likely that you have a few friends who prefer to live life in their own, shall we say, ‘unique’ ways.

Consider your colleague Susan, for example. While your team is kicking off the weekend with a trip to the pub, Susan can be found online, browsing the web for a new studded leash for Thunder, her 15-pound Persian cat. Nothing wrong with that. So, here’s what you do: check your gift card balance, then trade Susan your present to Cats ‘R’ Us for something other than a very overpriced dog sweater.

3. You COULD play games… but you’re not 14 anymore

Still have the stack of gift cards tucked away in the odds-and-ends drawer? Call up your neighbour for a friendly game of gift card Go Fish! It’s the game where everyone is disappointed, and nobody wins.

4. You COULD do some good with a donation… but where’s the fun in that?

Alright, we’ll let this one through! There are many organizations that accept gift cards as donations. Before you donate to a good cause, check the gift card balance, and if it’s a VISA gift card, check for any VISA gift card fees. This way, you can let the coordinator know what to expect when they’re using them or handing them out. Those surprise fees are the worst!

5. You COULD thoughtfully regift… but wasn’t this a gift for you?

You might be the vegetarian of the family, but rest assured, Uncle Ravi takes his steak as blue as the sky on a summer’s day. Check the gift card balance to see exactly how much you love your relatives before regifting your cards to someone else. The downside? You’ll end up empty-handed.

6. Or, you could try GiftCash and earn money

Yes, you read that right. With GiftCash, you can sell the gift cards you don’t need, and get the cash for the things you want. To sell your gift card, tell us the card’s merchant and balance (and if you need to check the gift card balance, we can help with that), then accept our offer and walk away with some sweet cash to spend somewhere you actually want.

The time has come to say goodbye to gift card clutter. Clean out that drawer to make room (and money) for the things you actually want. Don’t have time for a game of Go Fish with the neighbour? No one to regift to? No worries - we’re here to help you out, every step of the way.

Happy selling!