The Gift that Won't Get Returned – Gift Card Mall Review & Giveaway

I’ve shared my stories of how difficult it is to shop for gifts for members of my family. One time I bought my mom a sweater that ended up being about 6 sizes too large. My dad has received coffee from Starbucks for at least three years in a row. I’ll admit that even I can be a little picky when it comes to gifts from my parents. I don’t care what you say, Mom, your feelings WILL get hurt if I tell you that the shirt you bought for me isn’t quite my style, so NO, I will not return it with you on the next visit to the mall. Fortunately for me, I’ve come up with a wonderful solution that has enabled my family to start giving gifts that are actually used instead of being secretly returned for store credit. The wonder gift? A gift card to their favorite store!

You might have seen the Gift Card Malls at the ends of your grocery store aisles. They are tall displays that show hundreds upon hundreds of pre-paid gift cards from over 100 different vendors (134 if I counted properly.) From grocery stores to movie theaters to popular retail stores, there is a wide variety of brands (and gift card values) to choose from, allowing you to do one-stop gift card shopping for your gifting needs. This saves a lot of time because you don’t have to visit 3 or 4 different stores when you need to shop for different people.

If you want to save even more time (and gas) you can also shop for gift cards online at GiftCardMall.com. Their website is a very clean and easy to use site that helps you find the perfect brand and card for your gift recipient. You can search by recipient (her, him, kids & teens, and babies,) gift occasion (such as weddings, holidays, or birthdays), category of gift and even drill down to specific brands. Many of the gift cards have preset values ranging from $25 to $200. Some stores, such as Bed Bath & Beyond and Sears, allow you to select from several different designs in addition to being able to set your own gift card value (within a given range.)

One thing that is unique to the website, which is something that  I love, is that you can create your own personalized Visa Gift Cards. I have some big plans for this little blog, and though I won’t get into specifics, I will say that the fact that GiftCardMall.com will allow me to create a custom Visa Gift card using my own image and branding will be very useful. The cost to create a custom card is about $5/card.

If you’re shopping for a last minute gift, then another option that GiftCardMall.com offers is the ability to send an e-gift card. There are fewer stores participating in their e-gift card program, but there are enough where you could find something for everyone and many of them also offer the ability to select your own gift card value. E-gift cards are emailed to the recipient within 24 hours of the order.

Gift Card Mall also offers several different shipping options for your plastic gift cards. I think that’s actually a pretty important thing to note when it comes to gift cards, namely because some stores and vendors out there give you very few options and/or are very expensive, (like IKEA, which had me pay $11.95 to FedEx a gift card…they didn’t even offer a cheaper shipping option!) Shipping rates start at $1.99 per card.

If you’re looking for a gift that your recipient won’t be returning, if you’re shopping for a gift at the last minute, or if you just don’t know what to get, then GiftCardMall.com should be one of your first stops. With so many stores and price options to choose from, you’ll easily be able to find a gift card that is perfect for your recipient (and your budget.)

To learn more about Gift Card Mall, you can visit their website at www.giftcardmall.com. You can also follow Gift Card Mall on Twitter and fan them on Facebook to stay up to date on their latest news.

What’s Cooking at DD Gift Card Mall Giveaway!

The Prize: One winner will receive a $75 gift card bundle which includes the following gift cards:

To Enter:

1. THIS ENTRY IS REQUIRED FOR ALL OTHER ENTRIES TO BE VALID (+1): Remember to post this as a comment. Visit www.giftcardmall.com and tell me which store you would like to give (or receive) a gift card from.

Use this ENTRY FORM to earn credit for the following extra entries! I will be diligently removing non-qualifying entries from the comment section. Consider yourself warned.

2. Follow Gift Card Mall on Twitter (+1)
3. Like Gift Card Mall on Facebook – Feel free to let them know What’s Cooking at DD sent you! (+1)
4. Post this giveaway on your blog (+3)
5. Tweet about this giveaway using the “retweet” link at the top of this post or by tweeting “I want to give the perfect gift that won’t be returned with the @WCatDD and @GCMall Gift Card Giveaway! ” (+1)
6. Subscribe to WCatDD (+1)
7. Follow WCatDD on Twitter (+1)
8. Fan our WCatDD Facebook Page (+1)
9. Follow us on Google Friend Connect (+1)
10. Follow us using Network Blogs (+1)
11. Add the WCatDD button to Your Site (+2)

The Rules:

One winner will be selected at random for this prize. (*Note: Number of winners corrected 5/18.)

Giveaway ends at 11:59 PM EST, May 31, 2010.

Visit our Giveaway Rules page for general giveaway rules that also apply to this giveaway.

Disclaimer: This post consists of my (and/or fellow tester) opinions only. No compensation was given for this review/giveaway. This did not affect the outcome of this review.

Filed under: closed giveaway, Gifts, giveaway, review