NCP Blog: Gift Card Tips & Tricks: How to Stay Organized and Get the Most Value

Do you love gift cards as much as I do? They’re a great gift idea for almost anyone: family, friends, teachers, co-workers, and especially those people who are so hard to buy for. Gift cards are also fun to receive; I love to treat myself to something special with a gift card, or maybe check out a new restaurant or store that I haven’t tried before. And of course, our panel members can redeem reward points for digital gift cards!

 

But as much as I love gift cards, they can sometimes be hard to keep track of and use. I often forget which cards I have, or inevitably I realize I forgot to use a gift card after I’ve been to a store or restaurant.

 

One of my New Year’s resolutions is to find all my gift cards- both physical cards and digital gifts!- and figure out a way to organize them. Then, make a plan to use them after they’re organized!

 

 

Tips to organize gift cards

 

I found some great tips online from websites like Organized Buddy. Check out some of the organization tips I’m using below.

 

Round them all up: Check your purse, wallet, junk drawers, car, and any other places you may have stashed cards. Don’t forget to check your email for any electronic gift cards you may have forgotten about!

 

Pick a dedicated place to keep all your gift cards together. Use a wallet, business card holder, small pouch or cosmetics case- you probably have something like this already in your home. Earmark it for gift cards and decide on a place to keep it. Maybe you keep it in your purse or your car, or perhaps you have a spot in your home that makes more sense.

 

Check the balances. Do you know the balance on your gift cards, especially the ones that are partially used? Dedicate some time to checking the balances of each gift card. Then, use a marker to write the balance on the card. You can also use a small strip of masking tape on the card to write down the balance.

 

Load gift cards to websites or apps. Many large retailers allow you to load the balance of a gift card to your online account on their website or in the app. This can make it much easier to use a gift card, plus you don’t have to keep track of the gift card and remember to use it! Check your gift cards to see which ones can be loaded to your account with that provider.

 

Print electronic gift cards. If you have electronic gift cards in your email inbox that can’t be loaded to an online account or app, print them out and put them in your dedicated space. You’re less likely to remember a gift card if the information is buried in your inbox.

 

Purge at least once per year. Go through your gift cards and toss any that are expired. Be sure to check the rules about their expiration dates and fees. Some merchants deduct fees from the balance of gift cards that aren’t used within a certain amount of time.

 

 

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