Gift vouchers/cards as presents for children is generally a shit idea

[Fatasbuggery]

Am I the only parent who ends up swapping gift cards for cash and then ends up with a load of cards that are pointless and more difficult to spend than is necessary?
I have a few and every time I remember they are in my purse and I try and spend them it either takes ages because the cashier has no idea how ro process them or I have to know exactly how much money is on them for them to even be looked at. These tend to be the ones you can use in various shops so not even a card for a place they know my children love.
You know what else you can use in various shops ? Actual cash !!

I know I am the luckiest human to have people in my life who want to give my children a present but it is a pain if it just causes me a load of admin.

But they are actually asking you what shops they'll spend them in - why not just tell them a shop they'll actually use rather than swapping them for cash?

I like them if they’re a shop my kids will want to spend them in or Amazon as they’ll always get something there. When I buy them for others, I always try and get one that will definitely be useful rather than a random one. One relative always gets them vouchers for a very specific shop that we don’t often use, so that can be a hassle and I often end up swapping them for cash and using them myself so the kids can get something they actually want.

Another relative recently asked what one of the kids wanted for their birthday so we suggested a very specific voucher. For some unknown reason they got an All4One voucher for them instead, so again I spent it on beach towels in Primark and gave them the money to spend in the shop we had suggested in the first place!

I agree - but it depends where you live, where we live (quite rural) it is almost impossible to spend a gift card unless it is a book token or WH Smith ... even the Post Office which sells those generic gift cards doesn't accept them . Cash is so much easier - a £5 or £10 note can be spent anywhere or saved ... my DS is now 21 and has loads of savings from cash gifts (or from me buying a voucher off him).

Very ungrateful. Money is being spent. That should be enough to be grateful.

And this is it, isn't it... So many threads with people complaining about actual presents bought for their kids. And now complaining about gift cards too. Although I do understand people's points, I wonder what the answer is?

The gift vouchers are a good idea - particularly the book vouchers or Amazon. I’m sick of getting plastic tat tbh.

I would far rather a gift card than a load of stuff that no-one wants and ends up being thrown out.
And for all you rural types - do you never ever venture into a town unless there is a gift card to be spent?

Multiple shop gift cards (love2shop etc) are annoying for anyone but I think book tokens are a great present for children. I used to love getting them, and still would!

@Lou98

@Lou98 Because they don't have favourite shops. They might see a trend on tic toc/YouTube and ask for something that has to be shipped from America. But they're not into toys and I buy their clothes. Any clothes vouchers, would annoy them. They prefer to bank their money into their isas. Taking them out bowling or on a day trip is preferred by them, over buying stuff in shops.

@Somethingsnappy the answer is that people actually talk to each other and discuss potential gifts.
But on Mumsnet world giving a wish list is considered 'grabby' 🙄

Cash is better. If a shop goes into administration the gift cards are a long way down the list when it comes to getting your money!

www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/can-i-use-my-vouchers-if-a-company-goes-into-administration-aOhrV9O7vKFQ

Yes!!! One of my husband's family keeps giving me these and I've learnt the hard way that you often can't use them for part payment (and I get getting lots of low value ones, can't even combine all of them together!), you can only covert them to certain store gift cards and even better, if you don't spend it within a year or 18 months or something they start deducting money from it each month! Utter pita.

No one has ever given either of my dc a gift card, but wish they would. We could then buy something useful that wouldn’t just add to all the plastic clutter!

Aside from the One4All cards, I've never had a problem spending any gift card online. One4All cards need to burn in hell.

I don't think gift cards are an issue, but it does make you sound greedy by demanding cash instead.

@Yodaisawally The all4one cards are awful, almost impossible to actually spend. Primark take them.

@mummabubs you can you use them for part payment in stores just not online.

My ds loves getting Waterstones vouchers. He spends time every weekend buying books and having the funds to buy extra ones is always popular.

It Depends on the age but I'd prefer store specific shops. DS had cash this year ages 7 and he's enjoyed picking some toys himself. Entertainer and Smyth vouchers also work for us or Waferstones. I'd be less impressed if it wasn't something in our town or hard to use. For kids under 4ish it's just more parents work

I live in a small town. Have a larger one about 20 minutes away. Both have a lot of independent stores which a relative from 200 miles away wouldn't be able to get gift cards for.

The larger town has primark and WHSmith and Tesco and sainsburys and Asda. Our primark is quite small.

To spend John Lewis or entertainer cards for example I would have to drive to Exeter Plymouth or Bristol. Hardly seems worth it for a £10 voucher.

Oh and I don't do shopping for fun... I work in retail (supermarket) so don't want to spend my days off wandering round more shops. Generally if I can't get it locally I don't bother. I like to head to Exeter for the Christmas market with friends but barely buy anything there.

@HouseofHolbein you can usually use store-specific gift cards online. JL you definitely can.

My children love getting book tokens. And it saves having to return or re-gift unsuitable presents.

Tbh it's not applicable to me now. Relatives transfer some cash into my account for the kids and I dish it out as cash. They don't want the hassle of shopping to get cards these days and don't trust the post. So everyone is a winner 👍

I'm worried now! I always buy book tokens for out local bookshop for class party presents... I thought it was better than random crap and they could choose their own books rather than risk duplicates... plus books are small and don't need a lot of storage space... but do all the other parents all hate me?!