Americans spend more than $130 billion on gift cards each year. They’ve found that gift cards are perfect for almost any occasion.
But more often than not, they simply stick gift cards inside of greeting cards when they’re giving them to their family members and friends. It’s not exactly the most personal approach to gift-giving.
There’s nothing wrong with giving someone a gift card for their birthday, graduation, or anniversary. Giving someone a gift card is also a great way to say, “Thank you!”, to them.
However, there are more creative ways to give gift cards than sticking them inside greeting cards. You should consider other options before deciding to take gift-giving in that direction.
Here are some of the most creative ways to give gift cards as gifts to those in your life.
Stick a Gift Card Inside a Small Gift Bag or Box
Part of the fun of getting a gift from someone is opening it up to see what it is. It’s why giving someone a gift card inside a greeting card is such a drag.
When someone opens up a greeting card, they’re not anxiously trying to figure out what could be inside of it. But they will be filled with wonder when you hand them a small gift bag or box with a gift card in it.
Granted, this might not necessarily be the most creative idea on this list. But it’s a much better idea than giving someone a gift card in a greeting card.
If nothing else, stick the gift card that you’re going to give to them in a small bag or box with some tissue paper and provide them with the opportunity to open it. It’ll make them even more excited to receive the gift card from you.
Insert It Inside a Wallet
One survey after another has shown that the average American isn’t carrying around much cash these days. In fact, the majority of people walk around with less than $50 on them.
This might lead you to believe that wallets have gone out of style. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. Just about every adult has a wallet for the purpose of carrying around ID cards, credit cards, debit cards, and, yes, gift cards.
If you’re giving a gift card to someone who you’ve spotted with a wallet that has seen better days, why not put their gift card inside a new wallet when you give it to them? It’ll be two gifts in one!
You might be able to get a gift card discount to keep your costs low while buying these two gifts for someone special in your life.
Place It Inside a Coffee Mug
When people aren’t sure what kind of gift card to get for someone, they usually opt for a gift card to one of the many coffee shops scattered across the country. And it’s hard to blame them for doing it.
Coffee gift cards are a great choice since just about everyone either drinks coffee or lives with someone who drinks coffee these days. Approximately 65% of Americans can’t get enough coffee in their lives.
It’s also easy to find creative ways to give gift cards to coffee shops. You can stick them in coffee mugs, a bag of coffee beans, or some other piece of coffee-related merchandise.
Coffee lovers will love all of these ideas. They’ll also love the coffee that they’re able to drink thanks to your gift card.
Hide It Inside a Jar Filled With Candy
Here’s something that won’t surprise you at all: Americans have a not-so-secret love affair with candy. Even though most people know that candy isn’t great for their health, they continue to eat it in droves year after year.
With this in mind, you could easily get away with filling a jar with candy and giving it to someone as a gift. That alone would make them so happy.
But you can also take a jar filled with candy to the next level by hiding a gift card in the center of it. People won’t be able to contain their excitement when they crack open their candy and realize that their gift gets even better once they see what’s inside the candy.
Put It Inside a Box of Popcorn
People aren’t going to the movies as often as they used to. Movie theater attendance fell by more than 4% in 2019.
This is due in large part to the rise of streaming services like Netflix and Hulu. But it’s also due to the rising movie ticket prices that have made it difficult for most people to afford a trip to the movies.
If you know a movie lover who hasn’t been able to go to the movies as much as they might like, give them a movie gift card. And rather than just tossing it into a greeting card, put it into a box of popcorn.
They’ll probably be a little bit confused when they first open the popcorn. But it won’t take them long to see what’s in it. They’ll thank you so much for such a thoughtful gift.
Cover It Inside a “Card-igan”
Do you enjoy knitting? If so, try knitting a “card-igan” sweater for a gift card before giving it to someone.
They won’t know exactly what the “card-igan” is when you first hand it to them. But once they open it up and see the gift card that’s in it, they’ll appreciate the time you took to create the tiny sweater for their gift card from scratch.
Use One of These Creative Ways to Give Gift Cards to Your Advantage
If you choose to put a gift card into a greeting card before giving it to someone, you’re usually going to pay at least a few dollars for it. And you’re not going to get much of a return on your investment since most people aren’t going to be blown away by the greeting card.
So instead of wasting your money on a greeting card, try putting a gift card into something like a coffee mug, a jar of candy, or even just a gift bag. These are all more creative ways to give gift cards than putting them in greeting cards.
Read the articles on our blog to find more great gift-giving ideas.
