3 Places to Get Last Minute Gift Cards + Save Some Coin
Christmas is only a mere 3 days away.
But if you’ve been watching the news then you know these three infamous words very well:
Supply chain issues.
And if you find yourself to be a typical last-minute shopper, then I’m sure you’ve come to realize that there’s not much left for the picking either at stores or online.
So, what are you supposed to do now?
While I know it’s not always fun or ideal to give a gift card to someone on Christmas, there are actually a ton of (surprising) environmental benefits that can come from giving a gift card instead of an actual gift.
Did you know that Americans return over $90 billion of holiday gifts?!
And what’s worse is that many of those items actually do not get returned to their supplier. Many of those returns are actually ending up in landfills, with The New York Times reporting that as much as two million tons of returned items gets thrown away each year.
To visualize that amount, it is the equivalent of filling 200,000 garbage trucks!
(I highly recommend watching the clip above. I learned SO much from that Samantha Bee episode).
So, instead of getting your cousin or your stepmom those cheap bath and body sets that you know they’re just going to return the next day, why not opt to get them a gift card instead?
Not only will you be doing the universe a solid, but I can actually show you how to get your gift cards for less money!
Use Discounted Gift Card Sites
For the last three years I have been using online discounted gift card sites as a way to make my coins stretch a little.
For those of you that are new to the world of discounted gift cards, there are websites where people can either sell their unwanted gift cards at a discounted rate for cash. They sell both physical gift cards that will be mailed to you or some stores have e-codes that you can download and print out that same day.
The great thing about this is that their unwanted gift card could be the exact gift card you need and you’ll be able to get it at a discounted rate!
And then on top of those discounted rates, some sites will offer special promotions throughout the year that can get you even more money off.
While the hot-button stores line Target, Amazon and Walmart will either have limited stock or low discount rates, I’ve gotten close to 30% on gift cards from stores like Francesca’s, Forever 21 and AMC.
And while that might not sound like a lot, depending on the gift card amount you purchase, that could mean an extra $30 or more!
What is also great is that many of these sites have great customer protection policies on the off chance that someone tries to sell you an empty gift card.
But I have to say personally as someone who has been doing this for the last three years, and that has purchased both e-gift codes and physical cards, I’ve never had an issue.
So, if you’re ready to do a little shopping while saving some money in the process, here are three great discounted gift card sites!
Card Cash
Card cash is the site that first got me into looking at discounted gift cards. I don’t exactly remember how I found them, but I have gotten great deals over the years on gift cards at Target, Forever 21, Francesca’s, AMC, Southwest and more!
They also tend to offer an additional 5-6% off at special times of the year.
And if you are signed up for Rakuten, you can get an additional 1% cash back on your purchase! Don’t know what Rakuten is? Check out this post I wrote on cash back shopping apps and start earning today!
Raise
I discovered Raise about a year ago and I love that they offer a 15% off new member special that can save you up to $20 on your gift card purchase in addition to the discount on your gift card! They feature similar retailers to Card Cash, but also include Walmart, Home Depot, DSW, Apple and more!
And if you are signed up for Rakuten, you can get an additional 1% cash back on your purchase! Don’t know what Rakuten is? Check out this post I wrote on cash back shopping apps and start earning today!
Gift Gard Granny
Gift Card Granny is the last discounted gift card site that I discovered and I have found that they don’t as great of a discount as the other two sites mentioned. While I have yet to purchase a gift card from them, they feature a number of gift cards for purchase from highly desirable retailers like Old Navy, Uber Eats, Hulu, Sephora, Air BNB and more!
You can also create Visa + Mastercard gift cards there as well if you don’t want to get brand specific.
Happy Shopping!