"We have seen in the last few years that they're available much more widely," said Claudia Lombana, PayPal's shopping specialist. More than ever, consumers this year will find no shortage of outlets for gift cards. Starbucks, which sold an average of 44 Starbucks cards a minute over the Black Friday shopping weekend - a record for a single weekend - expects one out of every 10 people in the United States will get a Starbucks card this season. The coffee chain expects to sell out of the 5,000 cards, said Linda Mills, a spokeswoman. The trade can be done on the Plastic Jungle site or at CVS stores.Īnd Starbucks began selling a premium Starbucks card on Thursday worth $450 and loaded on a steel card. Plastic Jungle has formed a partnership with CVS Pharmacy, in which consumers can trade unused gift cards- typically for 80 percent to 92 percent of the value - for a CVS gift card. Several new gift card offerings have emerged this year, including cards being offered as incentives when consumers buy a certain amount of merchandise or store gift cards, experts said. The store-brand cards, for purchases at specific retailers, usually have no fees and never expire, while general purpose cards from Visa, Master Card and American Express can be used anywhere those cards are accepted but charge fees to the buyer. 1, followed by Target, McDonald's,, Home Depot, Lowe's, Costco, Subway, Visa and, rounding out the top 10, eBay. The cards that are most in demand, according to a top 20 list put out by Ellicott City-based, another card exchange site, ranked Walmart as No. Plastic Jungle has bought and sold more than $50 million in gift cards in just the past few years, Mackenzie said. The secondary market for unused or unwanted cards is booming too, capitalizing on the estimated $30 billion in unredeemed gift cards in circulation. "Private-label cards are a good item for retailers or restaurants because it captures the funds." "If I like shopping at a particular store and think you will too, I'm not going to try to pick out your sweater for you."įor retailers, "gift cards do stimulate purchasing," said Brian Riley, CEB TowerGroup's senior research director. "It lets you give choice to someone," said Margaret Mackenzie, CEO of Plastic Jungle, a gift card exchange website. Nearly 60 percent of those polled in the NRF survey said they'd like to get gift cards this year, a slight increase from 2011. That per-person average spending is the highest in the survey's 10-year history, with total holiday gift card spending expected to amount to $29 billion. More than four in five shoppers - 81 percent - plan to buy at least one gift card this season and spend, on average, $156.86 for cards, a survey by the National Retail Federation showed. That's a 10 percent jump over gift card spending in 2011, and TowerGroup analysts expect similar growth through 2015, when sales are expected to leap to $138 billion. The category is growing quickly and moving toward a day when, some believe, the plastic cards could be replaced by electronic ones.Ĭards that can be used to buy at stores, restaurants, gas stations, spas, movie theaters and other outlets have become big business, with purchases expected to reach $110 billion in the United States this year, according to estimates from CEB TowerGroup. Gift cards continue to top lists of most popular purchases this season, spurring billions in sales for merchants. Unlike giving cash, which seems impersonal, Knauer said, "I feel like there is some thought in choosing what gift card to give."įinding nearly endless choices, consumers are embracing the idea of gift cards, making the presents people will receive this holiday season just as likely to come in an envelope as in a box. Knauer, director of media relations at McDaniel College in Westminster, said she's feeling less rushed this Christmas season because she can easily grab the gifts, even at the last minute. The Parkville mother of three told family members seeking ideas for her hard-to-shop-for 11-year-old to buy him gift cards too - maybe from Target or GameStop. Cheryl Knauer has a restaurant gift card in mind for her in-laws, a massage gift card planned for another family member and intends to pick up cards in smaller dollar amounts to Chick-fil-A and Starbucks for kids' stockings and teachers' gifts.
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