Do You Put the $ Amount on Gift Cards?

[kyphysics]

If you buy someone a gift card, do you put the dollar amount value on it somewhere (usually on the sleeve it comes with)?

I've done both before, but don't know what the "custom" is. I've given cards to friends without writing an amount and just talking to them later to confirm they got it and it is loaded correctly (wouldn't want some weird demagnetizing of my cards and them not getting anything or an incorrect amt.). Thus, I don't feel a need to write anything.

Other times, I've written it if it's not someone close to me and that I'd call every week.

I guess, in general, I always thought it was tacky to write like $50 (on, say, a Chipotle gift card). I always thought the card/entity (Chipotle) should stand out for itself and a money figure kind of takes away from the "thought" of the gift. It's like...if I bought a friend a computer, I wouldn't write the price tag on the computer! That'd be weird on so many levels. But, I get it...this is a gift card, so like, it's not an actual gift yet...so maybe it'd help them know the amount on it or that should be on it? Is that the logic?

My natural intuition is to think written amounts are tacky. How do you handle these things?

 

[mcastillo356]

Hi kyphysics! I really don't know, never give, but in case, why tacky?
Merry Christmas!

 

[Drakkith]

I would write it down for them so they know immediately and don't have to ask if I forget to tell them.

 

[StevieTNZ]

It would be wise to put down how much is on the card, otherwise they won't know. When they go to purchase and it gets declined because it is over the limit, 'Merry Christmas!'.

 

[kyphysics]

Hi kyphysics! I really don't know, never give, but in case, why tacky?
Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays to you too!

Well...I guess it always felt like it violated the sentiment that "It's the thought that counts." (not the price of it). In American culture, there is this saying/sentiment.

You NEVER write a $ amount on any other gift you give based on American custom. But, with gift cards, people often do. ...Again, I understand it can help the recipient know the amount, but I figure all they have to do is check the amount online/phone to verify it is loaded later.

I think I'm in the minority on this view, though. Most people do write $ amoutns. A few close relatives of mine do not write them. We just talk about it later. The $ doesn't matter. It's the "thought" that matters. That's what I'd want them to focus on immediately (not some $ amount).

 

[kyphysics]

It would be wise to put down how much is on the card, otherwise they won't know. When they go to purchase and it gets declined because it is over the limit, 'Merry Christmas!'.

There's always some code you can enter online or a phone number you can call to find out when you want.

 

[StevieTNZ]

There's always some code you can enter online or a phone number you can call to find out when you want.

It is just common sense to be upfront and tell how much is on the gift card instead of them going on some endeavour to find out how much you spent on them. plane @ simple

 

[Drakkith]

A gift card is similar to cash, but cash has the amount already on it. So why not write it down on the card?

 

[JT Smith]

Maybe add some creativity, make it a math puzzle or Roman numerals.

 

[mcastillo356]

"It's the thought that counts."

Lovely reason

 

[Drakkith]

Maybe add some creativity, make it a math puzzle or Roman numerals.

My girlfriend just put a bunch of gift cards and cash into some plastic cases that force you to move a small ball through a maze to the end to be able to open and get the gift.

 

[rsk]

In the old days, it was paper vouchers as gift tokens and they had the amount printed on them.

Given that they're going to find out sooner or later how much is on it, it makes no sense to not put that on it somewhere, but I understand what you mean.

 

[kyphysics]

Given that they're going to find out sooner or later how much is on it, it makes no sense to not put that on it somewhere, but I understand what you mean.

Yeah, I'm just a weirdo with this, I guess. lol. Most people agree with your logic. I guess I'll just put it in smaller numbers or something.

I remember as a kid my parents would sometimes give me money in a birthday card. I'd FIRST look at the money and then MAYBE read the card. I swear I was such a crummy kid at times that I didn't even read the card for a while at times! I'd just grab the cash and run. It's like I judged the gift by the dollar amount. That sort of attitude sucks!

I guess maybe I was slightly reminded of that part. Nowadays, I don't care what is on a gift card. I don't care what the cash portion is...I'll leave it in there and not look. I read the card and words first.

 

[Drakkith]

I remember as a kid my parents would sometimes give me money in a birthday card. I'd FIRST look at the money and then MAYBE read the card. I swear I was such a crummy kid at times that I didn't even read the card for a while at times! I'd just grab the cash and run. It's like I judged the gift by the dollar amount. That sort of attitude sucks!

I think most people have that attitude, especially when young.
I'm think I remember my Dad telling me, "Always read the card first before looking at whatever is inside."
Good words.

 

[DennisN]

If you buy someone a gift card, do you put the dollar amount value on it somewhere (usually on the sleeve it comes with)?

I have no preference.

My natural intuition is to think written amounts are tacky. How do you handle these things?

You can send me two gift cards, one with the amount written and one without the amount written, and afterwards I can tell you which one I liked the most.

 

[JT Smith]

Yeah, I'm just a weirdo with this, I guess. lol. Most people agree with your logic. I guess I'll just put it in smaller numbers or something.

I feel the same way as you. I think it's a little tacky to put the number there but at the same time realize that they will want to know and will find out eventually.

I just bought a gift card for my niece yesterday. It was a cosmetics place she likes and I was thinking about this thread, what am I going to actually do? Well, they solved the problem for me. They told me they include a little slip of paper with the amount on it in the sealed envelope.

So no chance for creativity with the seeing the amount as it will be right there and easy to read. But just for fun I made the amount an odd number of dollars and cents.

 

[kyphysics]

I think most people have that attitude, especially when young.
I'm think I remember my Dad telling me, "Always read the card first before looking at whatever is inside."
Good words.

I guess I've changed. When it's someone I know who doesn't have a lot of money, it makes it very different. I literally don't care what they give. I know they can barely afford it. They may have even had to save up. I'm just thankful for their card and want to see what they wrote. When it's a person close to me + they are kinda poor...oh man, I've actually left a Target gift card unchecked for one month. Just read the card, put it on my desk and didn't care. I value the person.

It was $40...but who cares.

 

[StevieTNZ]

This discussion reminds me of this song released in 2009:



And yes, I prefer money as gifts than anything else.

 

[russ_watters]

Well...I guess it always felt like it violated the sentiment that "It's the thought that counts." (not the price of it). In American culture, there is this saying/sentiment.

You NEVER write a $ amount on any other gift you give based on American custom. But, with gift cards, people often do.

For a non-cash gift the monetary value doesn't matter. For a cash gift, the monetary value is the value.

...Again, I understand it can help the recipient know the amount, but I figure all they have to do is check the amount online/phone to verify it is loaded later.

Because it's thoughtful to make the recipient do extra work to use the present?

 

[kyphysics]

For a non-cash gift the monetary value doesn't matter. For a cash gift, the monetary value is the value.

Because it's thoughtful to make the recipient do extra work to use the present?

Your last sentence is why I ultimately do write it on there 90% of the time.

My family/close friends don't care...everyone else, yeah, I do it so they partially don't have to work to find the value.

 

[StevieTNZ]

For a non-cash gift the monetary value doesn't matter. For a cash gift, the monetary value is the value.

Because it's thoughtful to make the recipient do extra work to use the present?

It might be useful to have a tool handy to check how much of the spent gift card is remaining. Otherwise declare the amount loaded onto it. As Chooky would say, 'plane @ simple'.