That Target gift card you plan to mail to your niece in college may never get there if the envelope containing the card is not properly sealed or sturdy. According to the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), often times during the mail sorting process, gift cards are forced out of their envelopes, and onto the Post Office floor.

A Mesa, Arizona woman recently lost a $100 Best Buy gift card she mailed at a local post office. She found out when a check that was mailed with the gift card was returned to her in a postal service envelope. When she followed-up with the post office, they showed her the original envelope with a slit on the side, apparently roughed-up by the conveyor belt used in sorting the mail. And the $100 gift card? Nowhere to be found. The full amount was used up by someone a week later. Read the rest of this entry »

Card Details:

• No Fee
• No Expiration Date
• Redeemable Online & In-store
• Accepted by Multiple Merchants
• Not Replaceable When Lost

Note: Sam’s Club members can use Walmart Gift Cards at Sam’s Club locations. Lost or stolen Gift Cards cannot be refunded or replaced. However, if you have stored your Gift Card information, you may still use that Gift Card to make online purchases.

To see more Department Store gift cards, including reviews and ratings, click here

In what may be an acknowledgment of customer anger towards the company’s decision to suspend the redemption of gift cards after it filed for bankruptcy last month, and attempts by rivals to woo its customers, The Sharper Image announced yesterday that it will resume redemption of all Gift Cards for their full value after Bankruptcy Court approval.

However, there is a caveat: Gift Cards will be honored for their full value with two conditions – (1) they must be redeemed in full in one transaction; and (2) customers must purchase an item that costs double the value of the gift certificate or merchandise certificate.

For customers holding The Sharper Image gift card, this is a mixed baggage. While the company is providing some relief, they are clearly restricted on when and how to use their gift cards. To ask someone with say a $100 gift card to spend another $100 before they can redeem the card is quite excessive. I don’t think this offer by The Sharper Image makes the situation any better. If the goal was to woo back its customers, this offer may even turn them further away.

ThePurePro.com, a leading provider of air purification products announced yesterday that it will offer a $50 credit to holders of The Sharper Image gift cards towards the purchase of the PurePro® Professional air purifier. Only one gift card will be honored per order. The offer is valid online for purchases made between March 5, 2008 and March 31, 2008.

With a similar announcement by Brookstone earlier this week, it appears that rivals of The Sharper Image are trying to take maximum advantage of the recent misfortune of the company by snatching away its customers. For holders of The Sharper Image gift cards, these offers may be your only chance of getting some of your money back.

According to a story in the march 4^th edition of the Chicago Tribune, an estimated $75 million worth of gift cards are at risk of becoming worthless as the companies that issued them file for bankruptcy.

With 2008 retail bankruptcies and liquidations expected to reach the highest levels since the 1991 recession, consumers holding on to gift cards may soon find some of them worthless should the card issuers go under.

As explained in a previous post, when you purchase a gift card, you are essentially giving the card issuer an unsecured loan, which makes you a creditor to the company until you redeem the full value of the card. When the company files for bankruptcy, gift card redemptions are usually suspended and all creditors of the company must file their claims through the bankruptcy court.

As an unsecured creditor, your chance of getting your money back through the bankruptcy process is next to nothing. So, if you would rather not waste your money, consider using your gift card soon; especially if there are signs the company may not be around for long.

Card Details:

• No Fee
• No Expiration Date
• Redeemable Online & In-store
• Accepted by Multiple Merchants
• Not Replaceable When Lost

Note: Barnes & Noble gift cards can also be redeemed at any B. Dalton Booksellers.
To see more Books & Music gift cards, including reviews and ratings, click here

 

As a follow up to the previous story on the suspension of gift card redemption by bankrupt Sharper Image, Fox News is reporting that competitor Brookstone is offering current Sharper Image gift card holders an instant 25 percent savings off a Brookstone purchase. Customers who accept this offer must relinquish their Sharper Image gift card to Brookstone. 
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Brookstone would honor any valid Sharper Image gift card, regardless of value, and includes Sharper Image rewards cards, gift certificates or merchandise certificates. However, the real disappointment is that the discount does not apply to Sony, Celestron, Bose, Panasonic and Tempur-Pedic products.

But given that holders of Sharper Image gift cards may end up getting next to nothing through the bankruptcy process, a 25% discount on a humidifier at Brookstone may not be a bad deal.

Remember that $100 gift card you are still holding on to? What if you find out tomorrow that the gift card issuer is going out of business? What would happen to your card? Would you still be able to redeem it?

Consumers holding gift cards issued by The Sharper Image were given a rude awakening when the company suspended the redemption of gift cards and certificates after it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last week. According to a story by the Consumerist blog, some gift card holders were having trouble redeeming their gift cards online and when they called customer service, they were informed of the suspension. Read the rest of this entry »

Best Buy is offering a free $10 gift card with select game purchase. Click here

Check out the Free Gift Cards page for the current list of free gift card deals.

Lexus is offering a free $100 American Express Encompass gift card when you test drive any 2008 Lexus. You must complete a registration online and provide dealer and VIP codes. Offer available while supplies last. Click here

Check out the Free Gift Cards page for the current list of free gift card deals.