17 gifts cards, all with less than a $3.00 balance…what can I do?

Now that the holidays are over, do you find yourself with a wallet full of gift cards that have only a few dollars remaining on each of them?  You try to use them but unless you know the exact remaining balance, the card will be declined and even if you know the balance who wants to ask the cashier to put $3.17 on this card, $6.32 dollars on this card, and $.57 on this one. The people behind you are going to start throwing things at you and the cashier is going to think you are nuts. Skip the embarrassment and the hassle and do what I do. 

Call the 800 number on the back of the card and get the exact balance of each card, then write it on the card with a marker.  Cards that carry the a Visa®, MasterCard®, or American Express® logo can be used to make an online payment for a utility bill, cable bill or even your cell phone.

Cards that do not have a major credit card logo will have to be used at the designated store. Since it is unlikely that you would have several from the same store you can ask the cashier to run the cards for the exact amount or you can always add money to the cards so that next time you want to go shopping it won’t affect your budget.

Now that you have used the gift card you can take it out of your wallet but don’t throw them away. Search the web, there are hundreds of ways to recycle and reuse these little plastic cards. You can use them to make guitar picks, book marks, or level an unstable piece of furniture.  Keep one in the kitchen to scrap food off pots and pans. Make a cheap cell phone stand or a business card holder that is sure to be the topic of conversation with your clients.  If you have children they will love having old gift cards in their wallet. After all, isn’t having a “credit
card” a sign that you’re all grown up? My kids love to charge their groceries at their pretend market. 

This post is written by Tom Swan, owner of Live Financially Smart. We offer financial educational services that provide hope and encouragement to those who want to stop living paycheck to paycheck and improve their quality of life. To learn more about us visit us on the web at www.livefinanciallysmart.com.

Visa®, MasterCard® and American Express® are registered trademarks of their perspective companies.