Never forget to put your gift cards to good use. These easy tips can help you remember to utilize your gift cards on a regular basis. This article is for your customers, and you of course. Learn tricks remembering your gift cards. EZ PIN helps you all the way to choose, order, deliver and sell different types of gift cards, easy and fast.
Gift cards that are not utilized within three to six months after receipt, are at risk of joining the one billion dollars unused gift card statistic. Though the CARD Act provided customers with some protection to ensure that the value of unused branded gift cards did not deteriorate, the legislation offers little to aid you if you lose your gift cards and are unable to use the protected balance. Furthermore, this law does not apply to bank-issued gift cards, which means that if a Visa, MasterCard, or Discover gift card is not used within a year, dormancy fees may be charged. So, we’ve come up with a better solution…use your gift cards!
Treat Gift Cards like Cash
Gift cards should be treated like cash, according to experts, but what does that mean?
It implies that you set the gift card in a certain location and make plans to utilize it. If you opened a greeting card and discovered a $20 bill inside, you would quickly remove the money and place it in your wallet. You wouldn’t put money in a greeting card because you’re afraid you’ll throw it out later.
You should do the same thing with gift cards… Despite this, consumers frequently leave gift cards inside greeting cards, dump them into drawers, or put fresh gift cards into a stack of old ones. Then, regrettably, they panic out when the gift card is accidently thrown away or is subsequently discovered to be worthless for whatever reason. As a result, don’t do that.
8 Tricks for Remembering Your Gift Cards
Here are some suggestions for remembering to use your gift cards. Simple fixes, such as changing where you store your gift cards, to purchasing products to assist keep your gift cards available are among the suggestions. I also have some suggestions for employing technology to automate the job of remembering to utilize your gift cards.
Here are some ideas for keeping track of your gift cards:
Store Gift Cards with Credit Cards
Though it may seem apparent, keeping your gift cards available and with you at all times is the easiest way to remember them. Placing gift cards next to your most often used debit and credit cards is great because you’ll be reminded of their existence every time you go for your wallet to pay for something.
Buy or Make a Gift Card Holder
Invest in or build a gift card holder to keep several gift cards organized. You may find a variety of gift card organizers on stores or websites. Order one and keep all your gift cards in one place.
Keep a Gift Card Log
Because there is minimal chance of recovering gift card funds if the physical card is lost or stolen, gift cards should be treated like cash. Keep track of the gift card numbers you get (including any PIN or sequence number found on the back of the card). If you write down the cards on a regular basis, you’ll be more likely to remember to use them, and if you can’t find the plastic, you might be able to redeem them online or over the phone. Depending on the gift card issuer’s policy, you should be able to receive a replacement card as long as you have the card details.
EZ PIN Mobile Application helps you track and log all your gift cards. You can download it easily on Android or iOS and manage your gift cards.
Take a Picture
Take a photo of the front and back of each gift card you receive instead of writing down the information on paper. Delete the photo of the card after using it. You can tell which cards haven’t been used by looking at photos of them in your photo library. Also, if the actual cards are lost or stolen, you should be able to use the card online, potentially in stores, and certainly over the phone if you contact the issuing business for a replacement. (Of course, before snapping the image, scratch off the personal identification number (PIN).)
Use a Gift Card App
Gift card apps allow you to store and check gift card balances electronically. Transferring your plastic gift cards’ care and feeding to a digital version of the same cards is a terrific approach to ensure that you always have your gift cards on hand and ready to use.
Store Gift Cards in a Mobile Wallet
Keeping the gift card PINs in a mobile wallet on your smartphone is even better than recording them. You don’t need to carry the plastic to keep the gift cards accessible because the gift card numbers are safely stored on your phone. Gift cards kept in mobile wallets may be redeemed online, over the phone, and at cash registers.
You can add gift cards to your Apple Pay mobile wallet if the shop permits you to do so straight from their app. When there is a connection, this is excellent, but you can’t use it if the card isn’t connected.
Samsung Pay wallet allows you to keep existing gift cards as well as purchase new gift cards using the app–and occasionally even get a gift card offer.
Buy eGift Cards
One of the best things about eGift cards is that you don’t have to worry about them getting lost. If you delete the email or SMS that delivered the eGift card by accident, you can call the company and request a replacement. Though not everyone guarantees they will, you should be able to confirm ownership by providing your delivery address.
Add Gift Cards to Store Accounts
If you receive a physical or digital gift card, the simplest method to keep track of it is to apply it to your store accounts as soon as possible. You can, for example, apply a gift card to your account at Amazon.com as soon as you receive it. Every time you check out, Amazon will prompt you to redeem the gift card. Keep your gift cards near the desktop you use most often to purchase online if you can’t add them to store accounts.
What other methods do you employ to ensure that you remember to utilize your gift cards? Please let us know in the comments section or on Facebook (@EZPIN-INC). We’re always looking for teaching customers tricks for remembering gift cards and methods to help them get the most of their gift cards.
