Manage Gift Cards Online
GiftCardTracker.com Developed so Gift Card Holders Never Lose Again
More than $8 billion dollars in gift cards were lost in 2006. Never lose again with GiftCardTracker.com, a website to help gift card holders manage their cards.
Gift cards are a popular and convenient gift. According to the National Retail Federation, $26.3 billion in gift card sales were anticipated during the 2007 holiday season, however, TowerGroup published findings indicating more than $8 billion in gift cards were lost in 2006 due to expiration dates, lost cards and unredeemed value. GiftCardTracker.com is a website created to help gift card holders manage their cards by making them aware of service fees, restrictions, expiration dates and reminding them where their cards are located.
GiftCardTracker.com Launched so Others Never Lose Again
Ken Hawkins received a $50 gift card to an office supplies store and tucked it away for more than two years. In October 2004 he went to redeem his gift card and was disappointed to find the card had no value due to the merchant’s gift card policy. After 24 months of dormancy, a $2 per month service fee was deducted from the gift card, leaving it worthless.
Hawkins launched GiftCardTracker.com in October 2007 to help gift card holders manage their cards. Appropriately, the site’s tagline is “Never lose again.” During his research, Hawkins purchased more than $3,000 in gift cards to determine processing and shipping fees along with any other hidden fees.
How GiftCardTracker.com Works
GiftCardTracker.com is a comprehensive website free for users to register and utilize. Site registration is quick and simple. Once registered, users input their gift card data including merchant name (which can be selected from an extensive list or manually inputted), gift card number, value of the gift card, when the card was acquired and where it’s stored. The user is responsible for updating the entry when the gift card is used. When the user returns to GiftCardTracker.com, they can quickly view their gift card inventory and keep tabs of expiration dates and balances.
GiftCardTracker.com Features
GiftCardTracker.com’s section called “Retail Radar Screen” posts newsworthy information about merchants and if their outstanding gift cards will be impacted. The “State Laws” section lists state dormancy fees, service charges and other fees and restrictions pertaining to gift cards and gift certificates. Entertaining and useful nuggets about gift cards and the gift card industry are updated monthly in the section called “Bytes from the Card Shark.”
The “Gift Card Report Card” is the most elaborate portion of GiftCardTracker.com. This section evaluates more than 1,000 gift cards and lets users know whether the cards have expiration dates, if dormancy fees are applicable, if freeze funds is an option (if a card is lost or stolen, some merchants will freeze funds on a card and issue another card with the old card’s balance), if the gift cards can be purchased online and if any specials are being offered.
Have a gift card about to expire? "GiftCardTracker Cares" is a program where gift card holders can donate unwanted and partially used gift cards to select not-for-profit organizations to reduce their out-of-pocket expenses.
Forget about tying a string around the finger, GiftCardTracker.com has the capabilities of sending email reminders about the registered gift cards. Site creator Ken Hawkins said, “Emails are sent for haircuts and oil changes, why not gift cards?” This reminder service is a great way to use the gift cards before dormancy fees or expiration dates take effect.
Is GiftCardTracker.com Worthwhile?
Absolutely. While the site is a bit text heavy, all of the information is important and useful. GiftCardTracker.com is free and easy to use. It helps gift card holders maximize the most value from their cards and serves as an excellent resource for purchasing gift cards.
"Giving Gift Cards," "Buying and Giving Holiday Gift Cards" and "Turning Gift Cards into Cash" offer additional gift card information.
