Yes, all Brits want for Christmas is … a gift card! Gift cards and voucher have never been so popular with sales soaring during the pandemic and one in four of us predicted to purchase one this month alone.
Shop gift vouchers
In fact, the UK’s biggest and most popular gift card and voucher brand, Love2shop, saw record sales last December, a whopping 42% higher than December 2019.
And women are the biggest shoppers of gift cards thanks to the variety and stacks of options they bring - from fashion brands like River Island to TK Max, and experiences like day trips. What’s not to love?
And the trend is continuing as UK shoppers embrace the new generation of super handy digital gifting card and voucher products - from contactless gift cards that are uploaded on to your smart phone, to e-gift cards which can be emailed or texted to friends, family and colleagues.
Best of all, in these uncertain times, they are one of the most Covid-friendly, safe and convenient ways of gifting each other, as there is minimal contact. If you buy online, you can then spend your card from the comfort of your sofa too.
For the green-gifters, they are also pretty kind to the environment too as they hugely cut down on the waste and avoid the issue of unwanted gifts.
They also are the perfect solution to ‘gift-typing’ thats when loved ones get given the same presents year after year and you guessed it, women are the worst culprits according to a recent YouGov poll.
So, here for those of us who love the freedom a gift card brings, check out this quick guide below on what to look out for when giving and receiving one.
Gift Cards - the Do's and Don’ts: what to watch for - getting the best out of gift cards and vouchers this Christmas
DO: check the expiry dates. Even with half of recipients redeeming their gift voucher within a month, the experts at Love2shop recommend UK shoppers double-check any expiry dates, which can range from 12 to 24 months depending on the product and retailer.
DON’T: limit your choice to just one store if you are not sure what your receiver would like – multi-retailer cards are often the best option for those who are tricky to gift. Remember gift-typing, when people are gifted the same thing year after year is a real things with nearly 40 per cent of us being gift-typed, so always go for variety, so loved ones get what they really want.
DO: pay by credit card. If you’re buying a gift card with a value of more than £100, pay on a credit card if you can. If the retailer you buy from goes bankrupt, your card provider will be jointly liable for your purchase under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, which means you’ll have a better chance of getting your money back.
DON’T: Panic if a retailer goes bust, as happened during the pandemic with some high-street shops like Top Shop and Debenhams going into administration. Some single store cards may be invalid if this happens but the good news is that customers can make a claim for their unused card and a big gift card product retailer like Love2shop will work with their customers experiencing any problems, often offering alternative products or expiry extensions.
DO: try to purchase online and ideally in digital form to be super-protected. This way you have a record of your purchase instantly and also can’t lose or mislay your voucher or card as you would with a physical plastic credit card style gift card or paper voucher.
Love2shop’s retailer list is regularly updated so check out which card or voucher can be spent where, here: www.love2shop.co.uk