But shop carefully. A gift Visa from one bank might have better terms than one bought at another, cautions Robert McKinley of Ram Research. Shop by going to favored retailers or at Visa.com and MasterCard.com, and check the fine print. Some cards carry activation or purchase fees, for example, and others expire if they’re not used in a year or two.
Offer a little advice with the card, too: use it up. Most gift-card users leave an average of 11 percent on the card when they stop using it, says The Nilson Report, a research firm. On the other hand, be careful not to go over. Some stores have occasionally forced through charges beyond the balance, and the issuer comes looking after the fact for more money.
Granted, minding the fine print is a lot of work just for a gift. But the payoff comes when you get your loved ones exactly what they want–the freedom to buy their own gifts.
