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Buy gift cards for yourself and save money

November 29th, 2008 at 11:34 pm

I posted a thread about this on the forum but thought it would be a good topic here, too, as I know not everyone reads both.

We went out to lunch today at a local restaurant that we like. They were having a special deal on gift cards: buy $100 worth and get $20 free. So we did just that. Not only that, but I charged them to my Discover card which has a 5% cashback bonus at restaurants through December, so I'll get $5 back on the purchase. That means I actually spent $95 and got $120 worth of gift cards. Coincidentally, our meal today came to exactly $25.00 which means the meal was basically free. We spent $95 (after the Discover cashback), got lunch for the 3 of us and walked out with $95 remaining on the gift cards.

A local mall also has a deal on gift cards. Buy 3 $20 cards and get a $15 gas card.

A few years ago, we took advantage of a deal on Marriott gift cards. I don't remember the details but I think we got $50 free for buying $200.

So be on the lookout this holiday season for gift card bonus offers, not to use for gifts, but to use for yourself to save money on things that you would be buying anyway.

7 Responses to “Buy gift cards for yourself and save money”

  1. fern Says:
    1228002658

    Good idea. I don't usually pay attention to gift card deals, but i think i will pay attention now.

  2. creditcardfree Says:
    1228002686

    Thanks Steve! That is a great idea to be on the lookout for.

  3. lizajane Says:
    1228008706

    That's a great deal, as long as it's for places you would normally go anyway (or know someone that would enjoy the gift cards as a present).

  4. disneysteve Says:
    1228015234

    It can also be good to turn around and ebay the gift cards. Most gift cards sell for close to face value (for reasons I'll never understand). If you can buy $120 of cards for $100, you could then sell them for, perhaps, $115, making a profit of $15. It needs to be a national, or at least large regional, company, though, not a little local shop or restaurant.

  5. swimgirl Says:
    1228026535

    Costco is selling five $20 Starbucks cards for $80. I buy ground coffee there and make my own at home. Pretty good deal!

  6. disneysteve Says:
    1228057177

    Buca di Beppo is giving a $25 extra card when you buy $100 worth.

    http://www.bucadibeppo.com/giftcards/

  7. SicilyYoder Says:
    1255102749

    Steve,
    Discover is doing the 5% cashback at restaurants until December 31st of this year, too, plus another program coming up, too!! Can't mention it just yet.

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