As you may know, I am very much against gift card fees and expiration of all forms. That is one of the reasons why i created the Gift Card Guide to help keep you informed before purchasing a gift card. Below is a YouTube video from ABC affiliate station WISN in Milwaukee,WI about how gift card issuers are raping consumers with gift card fees and expiration. The report is from last november but the message is still relevant. Take a look.

What has been your experience with Gift Card fees? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

During the past week or so, I have been on Yahoo Answers responding to user questions about gift cards. I must say that it has been an exciting and interesting experience. It has also given me a good sense of what questions are on people’s minds when it comes to gift cards. I am seeing some questions asked over and over again and as a result, I have started to compile a list of the most frequently asked gift card questions which I will be featuring on this blog.

I have not yet figured out how this will be presented but I should be posting the first question and answer in the next couple of days so stay tuned. If you have your own gift card questions, you can email them to me at editor@giftcardblogger.com and I will respond directly to you in 24 hours and also post your question on the blog if it has not already been asked.

To see my Yahoo Answers profile, click here

Curiosity got the best of me today so I decided to find out what the 10 most popular gift cards are. I figured the best way to do this was to see which gift cards feature the most on searches. Since I am biased towards Google and Yahoo, i decided to use a keyword research tool to find out which gift cards are popular on these two sites. It turns out the most popular gift card according to Google and Yahoo Search results is the Visa gift card. The top 10 is made up of the following:

• Visa
• Walmart
• Target
• Home Depot
• American Express
• Lowe’s
• iTunes
• Best Buy
• MasterCard
• Simon Gift Card (Visa)

The result was surprising to me. I was expecting to see more department store and clothing store gift cards. I am not sure why i had that thought. It is interesting that the bank issued gift cards (Visa, American Express, and MasterCard) feature prominently in searches because these cards are laden with fees and have expiration dates. Does this mean people want the convenience of being able to use these cards everywhere and don’t care about the fees or expiration? Let me know what you think. Post your comment below.

Gift cards are more popular than ever, and with their increased acceptance comes a surge in gift card fraud. Over the last few years, a secondary market has sprung up targeted at unused gift cards, providing several options for customers to unlock the value in their gift card. These sites allow customers to swap gift cards, sell them for cash, or donate them to charity. Before you buy a gift card from one of these sites, here are five (5) tips you should know.

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I am excited to share with you a new and exciting feature on this blog - The Gift Card Guide.

The Gift Card Guide will make your next gift card shopping a breeze by helping you make an informed decision. With the Gift Card Guide, you can search for the perfect gift card by card name, category, or feature. For example, under the search by category, you can select Restaurant, Electronics, or Entertainment and only gift cards that fall under each category will be displayed. Under the search by card feature, you can search for gift cards with no fees or cards that are accepted at multiple stores as an example.

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photography by giantOne

As gift cards have become increasingly popular in recent years, so has the hidden fees charged against unsuspecting customers. Gift card fees are typically listed on the back of the card or on a separate sheet of paper that must be given to you when you purchase the card. They can also be found on the merchant’s website. However, many gift card buyers do not read the fine print on the card and end up paying a steep price in fees. Before you buy your next gift card, be sure you understand all the fees that come with the card and when they are assessed. Below are the different types of gift cards fees: Read the rest of this entry »