Top Five Christmas Gift Cards for College Students

With Christmas and other related holidays fast approaching, you may be wondering what to give to the college-aged person on your gift list. Money is a welcome choice, but your college student may spend it on less than worthwhile pursuits, like partying. Giving gift cards for Christmas is a great way to show you care, while limiting the purchases to sensible items the student can really use. These days it seems that every store and restaurant sells gift cards. Some big chains, like Target and CVS, sell cards for other stores. Be advised that there are some restrictions on cards so be sure to read the fine print on the card. Many cards expire after a year or two, and some will penalize you certain percentage points for not using them within a year. Many elementary, middle and high schools sell gift cards through SCRIP as a fund raiser, and if you have younger children, accessing this resource not only gives you the cards you need, but also kicks back a percentage for the school to use. Take some time to speak with the college student and find out what their interests or wants may be. A studious person may not appreciate gift cards to trendy clothing stores. Also, gift card giving can depend on the lifestyle of the student. Those with meal plans in dormitories may not need gift cards from local grocery stores. There are several gift card choices that make great Christmas or Hanukkah gifts, and include the following:

Food - Gift cards to fast food establishments are as many as the places themselves. In the past, I've given college students gift cards to Starbucks, Del Taco, Burger King, Wendy's, Arby's and Subway, just to name a few. Fast food gift cards usually come in $5 or $10 denominations, although Starbucks offers a $25 card for the caffeine challenged. If you want to treat the student to a nicer meal, great choices for gift cards include chain restaurants like Olive Garden, Outback Steakhouse, P. F. Chang's, Applebees and California Pizza Kitchen. These come in $25 cards. For those students with kitchen access, gift cards to a major grocery store will always be appreciated. Safeway and Kroger are just a couple of national chain stores that offer gift cards.

Gas - My children are in college in California, where the price of gas is always at a premium. If your child has his or her car at college, a gas card is a great gift card item. Gas cards are available from most gas companies, including Speedway, SuperAmerica and Shell. These come in $25, $50 or $100 denominations.

Office Supplies - Staples and Office Max also offer gift cards, and these come in handy for students who have to buy their own office supplies. Printer ink, blank media like CDs and DVDs, paper, pens and other items are expensive but necessary college items. Staples now comes in a $100 card, but they also provide smaller denominations.

Entertainment, and other stuff - Of course, just because your child is in college doesn't mean they won't be enjoying themselves on the weekend. Perennial favorite gift cards include Borders (books and music) and iTunes (downloading music). Borders gift cards come in $25 increments and up. iTunes gift cards come in $15 increments and up. Many of the big superstores like Target, Walmart and Meijer, also sell gift cards.

Clothing - For those who are fashion savvy, a gift card to a favorite store is always appreciated. Major stores like Nordstrom, Macy's, Sears and J.C. Penney all sell gift cards. The smaller trendy stores like J. Crew, Abercrombie and Gap also provide them. These come in any denomination you can think of.

Of course, the standby is to give a VISA or American Express gift card for Christmas, which can be used anywhere. These can be purchased from your local bank.

Keep in mind these favorites, and you can't go wrong with Christmas gifting for the college student on your list.