How to give a gift card that doesn't feel impersonal: choosing the card, what to write and how to present it

To give a gift card that doesn't feel impersonal, choose a card the recipient will actually spend, write one or two sentences about why you chose it, and present it as a gift: in a good envelope, inside a greeting card, or tucked into a small present it pairs with. For a digital gift card, send it at a time you choose with a personal message rather than the retailer's default text. Then hand over the receipt so the balance is protected if the card is lost.

Gift cards have a reputation problem they don't fully deserve. Lizzie Post, co-president of the Emily Post Institute, has said that "some people think it's rude to give a gift card, but in today's day and age, we have found at Emily Post that they are very welcome." What makes one feel cold is usually the delivery, not the card. This guide covers the four decisions that change that: which card, how much, what to write and how to present it, plus the practical rules that keep the gift from going to waste.

Is a gift card a good gift?

Often, yes. A gift card lets the recipient choose the size, color or title, so nothing goes back to the store, and it suits people whose taste you can't predict: a teenager, a colleague, a new parent, a host who has everything. It is also the easiest gift to send to someone far away, because a digital gift card arrives in their inbox the same day.

The risk is that it never gets spent. In a Bankrate survey of 2,373 U.S. adults (August 2024), 43% said they had at least one unused gift card, voucher or store credit, with an average unused amount of $244 per person. In the same survey, 34% said they had lost money on a gift card at some point, including by letting it expire (20%), losing it (17%) or having the store close before they used it (12%). So the real job when you give a gift card is to make it easy and appealing to redeem.

When a gift card is the right call

• You know where they shop or eat, but not what they'd pick there.
• Sizes, colors or editions matter and you'd be guessing.
• The recipient asked for one, or a group wants to pool money toward something bigger.
• You're sending a gift across the country or at the last minute and want it to arrive on time.
• A workplace or school limits what you can give, and a small card from a coffee shop or bookshop is the accepted norm.

When to choose something else

• A close partner on a big occasion who would read a card as a lack of effort. Pair it with something, or plan an experience instead.
• Someone who already has an unused balance at that store.
• A card for a shop they would never visit, chosen because it's your favorite.
• A small business you're unsure will still be open in a year.

How to choose the right gift card

The most useful research here is counterintuitive. Marketing professors Mary Steffel (University of Cincinnati), Elanor Williams (UC San Diego) and Robyn LeBoeuf (Washington University in St. Louis) found that "recipients took longer to redeem gift cards the more specific they were," while givers expected no difference. Givers also chose more specific, less versatile cards for romantic partners than for friends, yet recipients preferred versatile cards regardless of how close they were to the giver. Their advice, in short: focus on what recipients would like, not what they are like.

In practice that means a card for the whole bookshop rather than one shelf of it, the restaurant group rather than one location, the department store rather than a single brand counter. Specific still works when you know it's somewhere they already go: a Starbucks card for someone who stops there daily will get used; a card for a specialty tea shop across town may not.

How much to put on a gift card

Spend what you would spend on a physical gift for the same person and occasion; the card doesn't need a premium to make up for being a card. Round amounts ($25, $50, $100) read as deliberate. Make sure the amount buys something real at that retailer: $25 at a coffee shop covers several visits, while $25 at a furniture store buys little. Our guide to how much to spend on a gift has ranges by relationship and occasion.

What to write when you give a gift card

The note does most of the work. A gift card with no message says "I ran out of ideas"; the same card with one specific sentence says "I thought about how you'd use this." Keep it short and concrete: why this store, and what you picture them buying or doing with it.

• For a reader: "For the next three books on your list, and a coffee while you choose them."
• For a new parent: "Dinner is on us one night this month. Order whatever sounds easiest."
• For a host: "Thank you for a wonderful evening. Something for your next trip to the market."
• For a colleague or teacher: "Thank you for this year. Enjoy a quiet coffee on me."
• For a group gift: list the names, and say what the pooled amount is meant for ("toward the new coat you mentioned").

Write it by hand in a greeting card or on a note card when you can. If you're sending a digital gift card, replace the default message with your own words; a personal message also helps the email look less like spam.

Creative ways to present a gift card

Presentation turns a gift card into a gift. You don't need crafts: a few good materials and a little thought about the store it's for are enough. These are the ways that work, from simplest to most involved.

1. A good envelope and a handwritten note

The simplest presentation is often the best. Put the card inside a heavy, lined envelope or a folded note card with your message, close it with a ribbon or a small sticker, and write their name on the front. It looks finished and fits in a pocket, a bag or a work mailbox.

2. Tucked inside a greeting card

Many greeting cards have a slot for a gift card; if not, a small dot of removable glue or a paper corner holds it in place. Choose a card that suits the occasion and write the message on the facing page so the gift card sits beside your words.

3. Paired with a small gift

Give a small object that hints at what the card buys: a good mug with a coffee shop card, a bookmark with a bookshop card, a pair of cocktail picks with a restaurant card, a nice pen with a stationery card. The object is the thing they unwrap; the card is the part they choose. It costs little and solves the "nothing to open" problem.

4. Inside a box, wrapped like any present

A small box with tissue paper, wrapped in good paper and finished with a ribbon or bow, hides the shape of the card and gives the moment of opening. It also works for multiple gift cards: one box, several cards, each with its own short note. Our guide on how to wrap a gift beautifully covers paper, folds and ribbon.

5. A small themed basket or gift bag

For a bigger occasion, build a small themed set around the card: a cinema card with popcorn and a throw for a film night, a grocery card with a good olive oil and a recipe you love, a spa card with a candle. Keep it to two or three items so the card stays the main gift.

6. A digital gift card, delivered with care

Schedule a digital gift card to arrive on the day itself, in the morning, and send a text or message saying it's coming so they don't mistake it for spam. Double-check the recipient's email address before you pay. If you'd rather hand something over, print the code onto a note card or write it inside a greeting card and give that in person. A digital card is also the zero-waste choice: no plastic, no packaging.

How to give a gift card safely

A gift card is close to cash, so a few precautions protect the balance. They take a minute and prevent the most common ways money is lost.

• Buy from stores and websites you know. The FTC advises sticking to stores you know and trust and avoiding online auction sites, where cards may be fake or stolen.
• Check the card before you buy. Make sure the protective sticker is intact, the PIN isn't exposed and the packaging doesn't look tampered with; if it does, choose another card and tell the cashier.
• Keep a copy of the card and the receipt, and give the recipient the original receipt in case the card is later lost or stolen.
• Read the fine print for purchase fees, expiry dates and where the card can be used.
• Never pay a bill, a fine or a stranger with a gift card. As the FTC puts it, "No real business or government agency will ever tell you to buy a gift card to pay them."

Do gift cards expire?

Under federal rules in the United States, money on a gift card generally cannot expire for at least five years from the date it was bought or last loaded, and inactivity fees can be charged only after a year without use, and then only once a month. The card must disclose its expiration date, and the card or packaging must disclose any fees. Loyalty, award and promotional cards are excluded from these rules, so check the terms on any bonus card you pass on, and your state's own rules.

Is it safe to send a gift card by mail?

It can be, if you keep a record. Photograph the front and back and keep the receipt, so the card can be traced if it goes missing. Send it in an envelope that doesn't advertise what's inside, and tell the recipient it's on its way. For larger amounts, or if the mail is slow, a digital gift card avoids the problem.

Gift card etiquette, briefly

• It isn't rude to give a gift card, but it is rude to give one carelessly. The delivery is what people remember.
• Don't leave the price sticker or a visible balance on a card meant as a gift unless the amount is part of the message.
• For children, choose something they can actually use, and help them redeem it.
• In the workplace and in schools, follow the gift policy; a small card from a coffee shop is a common choice. Our guide to gifts for teachers covers school limits.
• If someone gives you a gift card, thank them for the thought and, if you can, tell them later what you bought with it.

If a gift card still feels too impersonal for the person, the alternative is a gift they asked for, an experience or something that gets used up. Our method for choosing a gift for someone who has everything walks through those routes.