January 15th is ’National Use Your Gift Card Day’ - Get Your Cards Ready!
National 'Use Your Gift Card Day' is on January 15, 2022! Look in your wallet, check through your drawers, search your emails, and think about where else you might have stowed your gift cards. Collect all your gift cards, organize them and store them where you’ll remember to use them.
Stash away gift cards, thinking we will have more time later to use them. Instead, they collect dust and disappear into an abyss somewhere.
National 'Use Your Gift Card Day' reminds Americans to use billions if money in unused gift cards each year. On the third Saturday in January, take stock of the gift cards you received over the holidays. Then, make the most of each one of them before they’re forgotten for good!
This day aims to stop the loss of billions of dollars in forgotten gift cards: a whopping $3 billion, according to the Mercator Advisory Group, which provides data on the payments industry.
“Most of us received at least one or two gift cards this holiday season,” said Tracy Tilson, Founder of the national shopping holiday. “National Use Your Gift Card Day is a reminder – right after the holiday gift card giving season – to rescue those unused gift cards and use them before they are forgotten.”
According to Pitney Bowes BOXpoll survey, most consumers who receive a gift card (58%) plan to spend it either within days or a few weeks after the holiday, and nearly one in three (30%) consumers spend gift cards months after the holidays—if they remember them at all.
Around a decade ago, new rules added consumer protections to gift cards.
By law, gift cards cannot expire for at least five years from the date of issuance...
Still, you should use the card sooner rather than later, experts say.
Inflation can eat the value of the gift, retailers can go out of business, recipients can move to a place which makes the card difficult to redeem; And certain cards, like Visa and Mastercard, still might expire, although these cut-off dates can typically be extended. (*and some gift cards also have inactivity fees)
Try to make your gift card purchase add up to a little more than the balance so that you don’t get stuck with a tiny amount on the card you’ll wind up not using.
If you received a gift card for a store at which you don’t shop, you have options:
You can sell the card on the online exchange Cardpool, re-gift it or donate it.
Swapping gift cards with a friend or family member is another way to get rid of unwanted cards.
We discover them as we clean and often don’t remember how much was on the card or if we used a portion of it. Those partial balances add up, too! So the first step is to collect the cards together and see what you have.
You know where to look:
Every pocket of every purse and wallet you have
The infamous junk drawer
Glove compartment of the car
Bottom of the toy box (Someone probably used it to scrape goo off a toy.)
The other junk drawer
A gift bag with the tissue paper still in it
The toolbox (We know what happens when you can’t find a flathead screwdriver.)
Once you have your gift cards, get organized. Where do the gift cards work? Restaurants, retail, and services all offer gift cards. Some gift cards are designed to be used just about anywhere.
Merchants are taking note. Retailers and restaurants supporting the national shopping holiday include:
Applebee’s
Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s
Bonefish Grill
Carrabba’s Italian Grill
Chick-fil-A
Chipotle
Levenger
Macy’s
Melting Pot
Panera Bread
Smashburger
*** Gift Card FAQ ***
Q. Do gift cards expire
A. Gift cards should be used within five years of the date they are activated. Federal law prevents retailers from expiring their gift cards in under five years. However, the retail may charge a fee if the card isn’t used within 12 months.
Q. I received a gift card for my birthday. Should I let my friend know what I buy with the gift card?
A. It’s not required for you to share how you use the gift card. However, sometimes a gift card allows us to finally purchase something we’ve been wanting. Telling your friend that the gift card went toward something meaningful lets know their gift was appreciated.
Q. I received a gift card that I’m probably not going to use. Is it ok to re-gift it to someone else?
A. So you received a gift card for a coffee shop and you don’t drink coffee. Or maybe it was for a sports equipment store and you prefer books. Consider this before giving the card to someone else:
Visit the store’s websites. They may have a product that interests you after all.
Purchase a gift for someone else with the gift card, someone who loves coffee or sports.
See the answer to the first question. If you are going to re-gift the card, be sure to give it to someone within a couple of months of receiving it to avoid reducing the value of the gift card.
Pinot’s Palette Gift Certificates
JOIN US! As we said this is the perfect time to use those Gift Certificates, whether you just recieved them for the holidays OR you’ve been holding on to them for a while! Stop in for a painting class OR paint from home with our virtual lessons and take-home paint kits!
A gift certificate for a painting class is the best thing to give someone, as there's truly nothing like the gift of an experience! The recipient can enjoy a class with you, their family, or alone as they unwind from a long day; They can paint in a studio near them if they aren't in the same area as you... OR they can paint from literally ANYWHERE with our virtual classes! Step-by-step directions will be available online to paint along with on the day and time that works for you!
See All Of Our Locations: https://www....com/locations
Didn’t even know that Pinot’s Palette offered gift cards? Well here’s your chance to grab some for gifts today!
Buy One: https://www....-certificates
Share View Our Calendar! | Shop Our 'Paint From Home' Options