Wait, Don’t Throw Away Your Empty Gift Cards! Use Them!

You probably got a ton of gift cards for Christmas, right? After you use them, you'll probably just throw them out, right? Wait, don't throw them out just yet!

I do the same thing I'm sure you do. I get a gift card, I use it, I empty it, and then I throw it out. According to Delish, though, you may want to save them because they have more of a use than you think they do.

The most interesting thing I didn't realize was that you can use the gift cards as credit cards. Did you know that popular websites recognize universal Visa gift card numbers as actual credit card numbers? That's important because you can use these numbers to sign up for free trials. Even though you're signing up for a free trial, a lot of these popular subscription websites still require credit card numbers to charge you after the trial is over. You've been there before, you get the trial, forget to cancel before it ends, and then you're charged a huge fee you weren't expecting. Next time, sign up for the trial with a universal Visa gift card number and you won't have to worry about the surprise fee.

Next, you may actually need them again. Stores have different policies when it comes to returns, but how can you be so sure of them all? Some stores ask you to present the card you paid with and if you've already cut up that gift card, you're out of luck. That also applies to rebates as well so be careful!

Last, it's also just more environmentally friendly to find a use for the cards instead of just dumping them. Maybe you could even make it into a bookmark or a craft of some kind as a gift for someone next Christmas!

https://www.delish.com/food-news/a25684057/save-empty-gift-cards-why/