Top Ten Gift Cards for Christmas 2008

The following are the top ten gift cards that you could buy for anyone on your list for Christmas. They are not in any particular order because there can be no top ten, really, when it depends on exactly who you're buying for.

Visa Gift Card

- This is the ultimate best sort of gift card you can get anyone for Christmas. I feel safe to say that because it can be used anywhere that a credit card can be used, so it gives the most flexibility and allows the recipient to literally be able to buy just about anything they want from any store. It's ideal for people of all sorts of ages and various interests. This is, in all essence, the universal gift card. These can be bought online, of course, at a number of sites. This is a great site to buy customized visa gift cards, if you want to make it extra special by adding a picture or such to it. Otherwise, if you want to buy in person, this site has a very convenient store locator function in which you just type in your zip code and it will show you the closest locations that sell visa gift cards.

WalMart Gift Card/Kmart Gift Card

- I'm going to group these two gift cards together because they are virtually the same, just for two different stores. The best thing about these is that, while not as flexible as the Visa gift card, they still allow a great deal of freedom for the receiver. Because these stores are department stores, they can still buy whatever they like, whether it is clothes, jewelry, electronics, games, etc. It gives them a greater amount of choice. Both of these can be bought at their respective stores or online here for WalMart and here for Kmart.

Amazon Gift Cards

- Amazon is another one of those stores where people can get whatever they want in a convenient location. While it's got a large inventory than either WalMart orKmart, you have to take into account that whatever the recipient of the gift card wants to buy will be subject to shipping and handling as well. However, again, they will have greater liberty with what they want to buy and they should be able to find just about anything they could ever possibly want on Amazon. Gift cards for this site can be purchased here.

Game Stop Gift Card

- For all the gamers in your family, the Game Stop gift card is one of the greatest choices. These can also be used online if you don't have a Game Stop in your area, but then it's subject to shipping and handling, which might be annoying. So, if you're not sure whether there's a Game Stop close enough to make it worth getting this sort of gift card, you can check the store locater by going here and clicking in the 'store locator' link in the very top towards the right.

The reason I suggest this particular gift card for gamers over other game store gift cards is that I've had a lot of experience dealing with Game Stop (coming from a big gaming family and having dated into another one), so I am

constantly doing business there and I can tell you that they have a great selection of both new and used games to choose from and there is always a great sale on something or another.

For any gamer, though, this will be like paradise. It'll allow them to be able to choose any game (or game system, even, depending on the amount) and since a lot of gamers I know are very picky about what they will and won't play, there will be no doubts about whether or not they will actually play and enjoy the game. It eliminates the middleman and ensures that they will get exactly the sort of game they want.

Game Stop gift cards can be purchased at any Game Stop, or online here.

Borders Gift Card/Barnes & Noble Gift Card

- If you have an avid reader on your list, then a gift card from either Borders or Barnes & Noble is a must-have. Chances are you have one or the other near you somewhere, and if you don't then both can be used online. Their selection of books and other items is astounding and they have just about anything you could ever possibly imagine wanting to read, and then some things you would never even have thought of.

Not sure if you have these stores near you? Check the Store Locator for Borders here and the Store Locator for Barnes & Noble here. Both gift cards can be purchased at the respective stores or online here for Borders and here for Barnes & Noble.

Toys R Us Gift Card

- This is the perfect gift card for younger children on your list, probably about ten or under. Toys R Us is the biggest and greatest toy store I know of, and it's sure to make your child's head spin when they realize the amount of things they have to choose from. They will literally go insane with excitement.

Of course, there are other toy stores that will accomplish the same thing, too, but Toys R Us is one that is fairly common just about everywhere nationwide and it is the King of all toy stores.

As always, the store locator can be found here to make sure there is indeed one in your area. Gift cards can be purchased either at the stores or online here. If you buy online, you can also customize a gift card.

Neopets Gift Card/World of Warcraft Gift Card/Gaia Gift Card

- These gift cards are only convenient if the person on your list plays these games. Online games are becoming increasingly more popular and they've opened up a new market in gift cards where you can either pay to play or purchase additional special items with real money. There are a ton more than what is listed here, but these seem to be the most popular among different ages.

These gift cards can be purchased in a variety of department stores, such as WalMart, Target, and Kmart, in the electronics section, or they can be bought online at the websites of any of these stores. Here is the online link to the Neopets gift card from Target, here is one from Amazon for World of Warcraft, and here is the Gaia store with gift cards for Gaia.

Restaurant Gift Cards

- These are pretty generic gift cards. A lot of people enjoy eating out and can't always afford it, so this is a great way to give them a dinner out that they'll love. There are a variety of gift cards that can be purchased for restaurants around you. Most times they can be found near the checkouts at department stores like Kmart and WalMart.

If you'd like to find them online, however, here are some links to some of the more popular places to dine: Applebee's, T.G.I. Fridays, Red Lobster, and Golden Corral. Other restaurant gift cards can be found on the restaurant website under 'gift cards'.

Home Depot Gift Card/Sears Gift Card

- These are good especially for any handymen/handywomen you might be buying for that enjoy their power tools and hardware. Both stores offer a great variety of tools that one can buy, but Home Depot is better for strictly construction things. If they want to fix things up, build something, buy tools, paint, etc, then Home Depot is mostly the way to go. It's a store that's designed solely for that purpose, whereas Sears has other things available to buy there as well.

Here is the store locator for Sears and here is the store locator for Home Depot. Gift cards can be bought at both places either in the store or online. For online gift cards, go here for Sears gift cards and here for Home Depot gift cards.

Bed Bath & Beyond Gift Card

- Women, in particular, will enjoy this gift card so that they can pamper themselves a little. It's very popular in my family and is great because it can be used to buy a variety of things from the store and online.

If you'd like to buy this gift card in the stores, you can check the store locater here or you can order them online here.