Issue No. 2 - Nov 26, 2007
The Gift Card Holiday "Bonus" Offers Abound... Read the Terms and Conditions, and use carefully... so not to end up "Out of Bounds."
It is that time of the year again when many retailers roll out an almost endless number of offers involving gift cards... either as a reward for spending a specific dollar level in the product line they feature, or, as an inducement to purchase more gift cards. Here are a few examples I recently ran across:
- In all of the "clutter" that falls out of my Sunday paper, a TOYS "R" US supplement with their offer front and center: a "Free $10 Gift Card with ANY purchase of $75 or more to be used on your next visit." (The emphasis on ANY was theirs... not mine!)
- When visiting a local FUDDRUCKERS, encountering three signs before I even reached their order counter, promoting their offer: "Buy any Fuddruckers Holiday Gift Card worth $25 or more and receive a Holiday Take $5 Card FREE!"
- An email offer I received from MOE'S SOUTHWEST GRILL: "...when you buy a $20 gift card, you'll get a $5 Moe Buck for yourself."
But each of these offers has a caveat... one that is not nearly as prominent as the offer pitch. In the case of TOYS "R" US, the fine print on the second page of the ad supplement read: "Purchase of $75 or more does not include diapers, wipes, formula, video game hardware, Phone Orders, and "R" US Gift Cards." (Funny... I thought "ANY" means "ANY!") It goes on to state: "Gift Card will be accepted on future visits until 12/31/07."
The restrictions noted at the bottom of the FUDDRUCKERS posters and counter cards is: "Holiday Take $5 Cards can only be used between 1/1/08-2/29/08. Limit one per customer, per visit. Not valid with any other discount or promotion."
The MOE'S SOUTHWEST GRILL email legal mumbo-jumbo reads: "Limit one free $5 Moe Buck per person. $5 Moe Buck is only valid January 1-February 29, 2008."
Most of the restaurant offers I have come across all feature similar date ranges on the validity period of the "bonus" gift cards. These restaurant operators are not stupid: they know that the New Year's Resolution usually at the top of most lists is to "Lose Weight." In fact, it is the number one resolution found at the USA.gov website on "Popular New Year's Resolutions," found at: http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/New_Years_Resolutions.shtml
(This brings up something that someone else may want to write about: why does our government need to have a website on New Year's resolutions?)
These same restaurateurs also know that most of us will tend to keep those resolutions, at the least, through January and February. (Have you ever tried to get time on a treadmill or elliptical trainer at the health club early in the new year?!) Maybe it's a conspiracy to keep over 65% of American adults overweight or obese: many restaurant chains restrict the terms of use for these bonus gift card offers to this same time period, when we need as few distractions as possible towards meeting a healthy lifestyle goal. But, by March, when many of us have fallen off of the "diet" bandwagon, the gift cards are no longer valid.
Getting back on point, know all of the details before you buy. Don't get me wrong: when the price of a gallon of gas, or a gallon of milk, is approaching that of a 16 oz. Grande Latte at STARBUCKS, any time you can get something for free is something to consider. Just ensure you can use the bonus gift card in the time-frame available (in the case of TOYS "R" US and other retailers), or want to use the promotional gift card (with the restaurant chain gift cards) when they direct you to.
Attempts to utilize one of these cards before or after the valid period will almost always be turned down, as each retailer's "Mission Control at Gift Card Central" has the capability to restrict the card's use. (So try not to come down too hard on the local manager if he or she can not override any date restriction.)
Each year there are billions of dollars in gift card value that are not used, many times because an expiration date has come and gone. Make it one of your New Year's resolutions to not let this happen to you... to maximize the value of any special offer you are entitled to... before an expiration date that sends those gift card dollars off to a black hole in cyberspace. Our website offers a simple solution (OK... here's our sales pitch, but since it is being offered for free, we're not really selling you anything!): set-up your own account in My Gift Cards. With this account, you can select any number of email reminder dates, to prompt you to use a gift card before it expires or should a dormancy fee be involved. Or, write it down on a desk or wall calendar, store the date in your PDA, or tie a red string around your finger. Just don't let the value expire. Select your gift cards, and bonus cards, wisely.
The consumer holds all of the cards...
Ken Hawkins
The Card Shark
Please feel free to submit your thoughts and ideas to KHawkins@GiftCardTRACKER.com