If you receive a gift card do you use it right away or save it?

I usually hold onto my gift cards for a little while. Now though since a lot of stores are going out of business it's probably a good idea to use them up right away.

i do both, depending on what the card is for. i have a sears card from xmas, but i dont shop there often, so i'm holding onto it in case i ever want something there. the bs fees they have kill me though, inactivity fees and the like. those suck!

i dont get them terribly often but we did get some tim hortons ones for christmas (its a donut place here in canada) which we have used for over the last few months. we saved them for breakfast on sunday mornings when we have been super rushed and gotten up late for church. i think saving walmart cards are a great idea!

I went pretty quickly to Target and spent my $60 bucks, but I saved my walmart cards and used them to get gas

We always ask for WalMart or Target gift cards for the holidays. My hubby and I pooled ours together and bought a new stainless steel pot and pan set along with a few other things for the house. We watched one of our neighbors children a couple of days after school. They knew we wouldn't accept $$ for watching/feeding them dinner, so they went and bought us gift cards to the local food store...it was very thoughtful (and it was stuck under our door & we didn't know who they came from for a few weeks)When we have a few extra dollars, we like to buy one from the food store or WalMart and stick it in the drawer. They always come in handy during the months when money is a little tight. How quickly we use them depends on what we need at the time. If we don't have a major need, we hang onto them for awhile (the state we live in requires the gift card to specify if the card loses value each year if not used...those that don't state this info retain full value) I just checked the drawer and we have over $50 for WalMart and $67 for our local food store... I'm going food shopping tomorrow...whooo-hooo!

I have never used these cards. I just wanted to let you know around holiday time the local news here said not to save thoses cards but spend them. The reason being that some people had saved some and when they went to used them they couldnt because they had expired. I guess there were also not dates on them.

I rarely spend gift cards right away. Usually I keep it and think about what I want to buy for awhile first. I try and use gift cards for things that I want rather than need. I figure it's a gift and that I should use it to buy myself something nice. I can always use my own money to buy the things that I need.

It depends on where it is from. I just had two giftcards from applebees and I saved them up and used them for special nights out. If I get them from Walmart I try to use them right away because I tend to forget about them I just the other day found a giftcard from Burger King that I think is over 1 yr old! I took my daughter there and it had over $5 on it.

I'll use it when I want to, gathering them up is a cool idea. Clerk: The total is $124.00 Me: Here are my gift cards. Clerk: Geez. Me: Geez away baby, just start swiping them. By the way, what's your manager's name?

i usually save it for a bit until i really find something that i want and i use the gift card to buy what i want. i don't like spending it just to spend it

Whether or not I use a gift card right away really depends on where the gift card is for. If I get one for someplace like Wal-mart or Target, odds are it won't last very long. I'll go ahead and use it for the day to day items that we need. Now, alot of times, with gift cards for department stores or specialty stores, I'll stash them until I need something, or want to buy a present for someone at one of those stores. My favorite are gift cards to restaurants. I always feel guilty going out to eat, but gift cards take all that guilt away.

Our credit cards have rewards programs so that you can redeem points for gift cards. I usually save the points in order to get gift cards for certain things. For instance my husband has to take his car in to be fixed and it might take a couple of days. He will need to rent a car so I just ordered gift cards for a rental place. We put as much as we possibly can on the credit cards so that we can get the most return on our money. You are smart to keep the cards for emergencies and ones for Walmart will go far! Good luck to you!

I normally take the gift card or coupon directly to the store and spend it. very easy to be hooked customer, am i ?

It depends on the store the gift card is for really. If it's something like Gamestop I'll go and use it staright away. There's always gonna be something I want to buy there to spoil moyself a little heh. But if it's somewhere where you can buy everyday items like groceries, then I'll just keep it aside until I actually have to grocery shop, and then I'll use it instead of cash. Then put the cash in the bank heh

I use them right away because they can expire even if they are gift cards. I usually have something I need any way.

It depends on what all is going on in my life, and a lot where the card is good for. I really like Walgreens cards. We love to hit their sales and tend to use our gifts cards then. I like the idea of not paying reg. price, even when using a gift card. Be sure to watch for expiration dates on your cards.

When I got one, I really needed a belt so when I had the chance to use it, I went and took a belt of sorts and used it. It was something interesting as the situation suddenly favored to my predicament. Next time, if I need something and I do have something to help me about it, I might as well use it again, if not, I will set it aside but keep in mind for how long I am able to keep it.

I usually save them for a bit and use them when I need them or for something special when I do need it....like last mother's day I got a gift card....a month or so later my watch quit....so I used the gift card towards my new watch. I really prefer getting gift cards...I like picking out my own gifts! LOL

I got some of the gift cars most of them were target s and actually i used them right next day, because the reason i got them was to moving a new house, so people bought all gift cards instead of a house present, so i prefer to go next day and bought what ever i needed. I guess gift cards are the great gift ideas. Have a great day!

Yes it definitely depends which store it is for. If I can use it to buy food and essential supplies I do tend to use it straightaway because it makes more sense that way and means I can hold onto any cash in my pocket for a bit longer! If I have a giftcard for a store, I will tend to hold onto it until I see something which I really do want to buy, or have been saving up for over a while.