Top 10 Gift Cards / Certificates for Christmas

In this article I will be listing the top 10 gift cards or certificates to give someone this Holiday season. Granted that these may be a bit impersonal and not the best pick for close friends or family, they will definitely work for colleagues, coworkers, and just your basic friends. I have decided not only to include the traditional plastic gift cards, but also electronic gift certificates.

#1. eBay Gift Certificates

I know of few people that have not ever used eBay. These are great ways to get items cheaper than retail cost. They can buy practically anything they want with one of these. eBay offers the tradition plastic gift cards for $1.95 to be shipped, or you can print or email them a gift certificate. Some stores even offer the eBay gift cards. Just go to ebay.com to find a store near you. The only drawbacks that these have is that the person who will receive these must have or must obtain an account with eBay.

#2. Amazon Gift Card/Certificate

The Amazon certificates are very close to those of eBay. While amazon does not have as wide of a variety of items as eBay, the items do have a set price and they do have many great items and books. Great for college students who always need books. They are available in any amount from $5 to $5,000. You can either print out a certificate at home, send it to the recipient through email, or you can have amazon send them a gift card. Amazon does not charge shipping for their gift cards. Once again, the recipient must have or must obtain an account with amazon to use the certificate or card. No worries though, as with eBay, accounts are free.

#3. Visa/Mastercard Prepaid Credit Card

These are great because they can be used anywhere. They are basically credit cards (except no debt). You just put how much you want on them and that's how much the limit is. Also, these are protected with no liability if they are lost or stolen. These are offered at most retail locations. Plus if the person likes them, they can be reloaded and used again and again. Safer than carrying cash around.

#4. Wal-Mart Gift Card

Wal-Mart is located worldwide and of course is a well-known retail department store. A gift card for walmart will allow the recipient to buy whatever their heart desires, from food to tires, you can more than likely find it at Wal-mart. These gift cards can of course be found at all Wal-Mart locations. They now even offer eGift Cards which are emailed to the recipient. These are for on-line purchases only though. They can be loaded anywhere from $10 to $200. The $200 limit is a bit low, since most items purchased only will be a bit more expensive. The regular gift cards can be loaded from $10 to $2,500.

#5. Best Buy Gift Card

Best Buy gift cards are great for those electronic lovers out there. They too can be purchased on-line or in the store. The on-line cards have free shipping. They range from $5 to $500. There really isn't too much to say about these. Though I will say that these are only good in the higher amounts. Best Buy is quite expensive, a $5 gift card will buy you a pack of gum there, that's about it. I recently went and saw USB cables selling for $33, ridiculous. It still ranks at #5 though because there are plenty of people and college students willing to dish out that kind of cash. For those really desperate for "coolness" out there you can buy gift cards from Best Buy that will double as speakers. it has a plug in back to connect to a computer or music player. The card is free if you put at least $50 on the card.

$6. Target Gift Cards

Target is making the list for one reason alone: they too are offering "gadget" cards this year. Their cards will have digital cameras. These will have 8 MB and will take 1.3 mega-pixel pics. The card will also come with a coupon for 40 free prints at the Target Photo Center. The card is free if you put at least $50 on the card. No worries if you don't want to put that much on a card for target, they will still be offering their regular plastic cards too. They are available in all of their store locations. As with Wal-Mart they have eGift cards which are good for on-line shopping only. They are available from $10 to $1,000.

#7.Old Navy/GAP/American Eagle

Basically the clothing stores come in at #7. These can be a bit tricky since everyone has different styles. Old Navy is great since they are well known but their clothing is still relatively cheap. Abercrombie & Fitch stores are a bit more pricey(overpriced in my opinion). If you know the clothing style the potential recipient wears then these are great. Otherwise a $30 gift card from Old Navy may be useless to a person that typically pays $150 for jeans. These cards are available in their retail store locations.

#8. Fast Food Gift Cards

A superb idea for those college students in our lives. College students are always hungry and spend a lot of money on fast food. A $30 gift card from McDonald's will definitely be used by students or single guys. Some fast food joints offer certificates on-line, such as McDonald's.

#9. Barnes & Noble Gift Cards

These are great for those who are always reading. Barnes & Noble offers on-line gift certificates that are redeemable on their website only. They also offer gift certificates that are redeemable in their stores and their website. You can order the latter from their stores or on-line. They never expire and have no hidden fees. They are available from $10 to $250.

#10 Starbucks Gift Card

For those who love their coffee. The Starbucks card comes with rewards. It is available in values of $15, $25, $50, and $100. You order a customized or pick one of their pre-designed cards. Cards can be bought in the store or ordered on-line. While Starbucks does offer hot chocolate and other items, if the recipient does not drink coffee or has never been to starbucks, they might not know that. This is definitely a card for the hardcore coffee drinkers.

This is my list of the top 10. I am sure some of you may not like the order I put them in, or might have your opinion of ones that should have made the list. Fortunately, you did not write this, I did, so I can put whatever I want. Still, I think most will agree with at least some of the gift cards. I hope you enjoyed reading this and that maybe it helped you in making a decision in which gift card or certificate to buy.