It’s Never Too Late For Gift Cards!

Got a family member who is notoriously hard to buy gifts for? Don’t worry, we all do. This year for me, it’s my brother-in-law, whose only Christmas wish is new flooring for his basement. Right. Hmm. Wish that I could, buddy.

Go from holiday zero to holiday hero - finish your Christmas shopping when you buy gift cards online!

Or maybe you have put your online holiday shopping off  for so long that the last day for guaranteed delivery by Christmas has come and gone. And between all of the holiday parties, rotten weather, cookie baking and all of the other things we do every day, you just don’t have time to schlep it out to the mall, never mind looking for gift inspiration.

In any case, it’s crunch time, my fellow deal seekers! Don’t be tempted by the picked over shelves at the discount stores! Don’t wait any longer lest you find yourself desperately spinning through the creaky rack of cheap sunglasses at the 24-hour gas station at 11pm on Christmas Eve!

Never fear! These gift giving scenarios of doom are why the online shopping gods invented gift cards. So if you’re out of ideas and well past the holiday shipping deadlines, You can still give your friends and family the one thing they really want – even if you have no idea what it is. Gift cards give their recipients the freedom to buy the most coveted items on their wishlists, and you’ll no longer be stressing out about getting your shopping done or feeling uninspired as a holiday gift giver.

Most of us know gift cards can be bought in the store, usually in the checkout aisle. However, for the truly last minute gifts, nothing beats an eCard that can be purchased online and sent directly to the recipient’s email. Or you can print it out and tuck it neatly into a Christmas stocking. A few retailers, like Target and American Eagle, offer mobile eCards that can be sent to a smartphone and scanned by a cashier directly from the phone’s display screen. And Amazon and Sephora will even let you post an eCard on the recipient’s Facebook wall!

To help streamline the process for you, we’ve put together a table featuring some of our favorite retailers with handy links for making those last minute gift card purchases. What’s even more effortless than buying a gift card online? Why, having all of the links ready to go in one place, of course! So grab some eggnog, find your favorite fuzzy slippers, and go from holiday zero to hero with these last minute gift card links.

About the Author: Rebecca Lehmann

Rebecca is BradsDeals' resident data geek, keeping the team up-to-date on the latest shopping trends from a data perspective. She loves finding online deals on shoes, knitting supplies, and anything that lets her spoil her nieces rotten.