Gift Card Blog - ScripSmart

A Great Gift Card Feature: Also Redeemable At

Did you know some gift cards are redeemable at locations other than the brand printed on the card? It's true and it's a great feature because it results in more redemption opportunities.

For example, the Sears Gift Card can also be used at Kmart and Land's End. Sears can do it because all three brands are owned by Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ:SHLD). You'd think all companies operating multiple brands would take advantage of their structure and offer such a feature in their gift card program.

We recently scored the Cheesecake Factory Gift Card and discovered you can not redeem the card at their Grand Lux Cafe or RockSugar Pan Asian Kitchen locations, too bad. It's a missed opportunity to strengthen their gift card program and Cheesecake Factory is not alone.

Thankfully several companies, such as, Darden Restaurants get it; their gift cards can be redeemable at any Darden restaurant chain. Think about this: you just received a Red Lobster Gift Card from your brother-in-law (he doesn't know you hate seafood). However, you're happy because you discover dinner doesn't have to be seafood because you can also redeem the gift card at the Olive Garden!

Or perhaps your that brother-in-law who is unsure what to give; if you stick with giving a gift card which is redeemable at multiple brands, the chances are better you're recipient will enjoy the gift and you won't look like an impersonal, self absorbed, lazy...you get the picture.

Simply put: a gift card which can be redeemed at multiple brands makes for a better gift. Here's a list of all the 'Also Redeemable At' Gift Cards we've identified on ScripSmart.

Toys "R" Us Offers A Savings Gift Card, 3% Bonus

Toys "R" Us is taking a new approach to selling gift cards.They call it the 'Christmas Savers Club'. Basically, consumers can buy a special gift card, add value to it at any location and on October 31, 2010, a 3% bonus will be calculated and added to the card. More details in the fine print. 

This is a different approach to selling gift cards; and aside from being innovative, I like the fact this gift card actually increases in value. At ScripSmart we're so used to gift card balances reducing over time, it's refreshing to see the opposite. I also like how the program is tied to the many benefits of the Toy "R" Us gift card who's current Gift Card Score is 76 out of 100. The card holder can use it online, in-store or at Babies "R" Us and there are no fees or expiration.

While some might suggest 3% on a $50 gift card ($1.50) is nothing to crow about, I believe the fact a gift card is giving money back is cause alone for recognition. I'd like to see more gift cards in the market place which gain in value and believe the team at Toys "R" Us may have a winner on their hands.

Cheers to the folks at Toy's R Us for giving us a gift card which gives, not takes.

Gift Cards And Private Transactions, Just Don't

In short, a dog breeder sold a dog to a couple in exchange for a $150 Tractor Supply Gift Card.

This is a bad idea for several reasons, and intuitively I would consider the gift card, it's value (and any of it's inherent risks) transferred at the time of sale. But that's not how the judge saw it.

The judge compared the payment of the gift card to be the same as using counterfeit money or a bad check. In fact, she didn't even care whether or not the buyer was aware the card would soon to be worthless. At the end of the day, the seller never received payment for the dog. I can follow, but I'm not sure I agree because the questions remains:

If the gift card had expired after the purchase of the dog, would the judge still consider the payment to be unreceived?

The answer is:

Who cares? Just don't ever use or accept a gift card as payment with anyone other than the company who issued the card. It's just not gift card smart!

Announcing ScripSmart Alerts

I'm excited to announce ScripSmart Alerts is now live! I think it will be a big help to consumers looking to get the most out of their gift cards.

It's a simple idea: add cards you own to your ScripSmart Account and we'll send you helpful information via email. Initially we are offering 4 types of alerts and you can configure any combination of the four in your account.

1. Bankruptcy Alerts - We monitor the gift card landscape and will automatically send you an email when we discover a company who issued a gift card you own is in financial trouble.
2. Expiration Alerts - If you provide a purchase date or expiration date for any of your cards we'll automatically send you a note 1 month and 1 week prior to expiration.
3. Nag-me Alerts - for those of us who have gift cards in our wallets, but never seem to get around to the point of redemption. Nag-me alerts send you an email at predetermined intervals.
4. Monthly Summary - While this one is not so much an alert, it is a helpful email you can receive each month. The summary will provide an overview of the gift cards in your wallet and gives some basic stats such as total value of all gift cards, the average gift card score and more.

ScripSmart alerts are designed to ensure you get the most out of each gift cards you own. Best of all, the service is free and you can remove alerts at anytime under you account profile.

Getting started is easy:

1. Create a ScripSmart account.

2. Add gift cards you own to your wallet (either using the ScripSmart Gift Card Database or add a custom item)

3. Configure the alerts you'd like to receive and start getting smart with your gift cards!

Enjoy!