2010 Gift Card Study

credit cards

2010 Gift Card Study results

By Bankrate.com

2010 Gift Card Study » Study results

Bankrate.com surveyed gift cards from eight of the major card issuers and from 46 of the largest retailers and restaurant chains, for a total of 54 cards.

Compare features of the cards in the chart below, and be sure to check the terms and conditions of the individual card issuer if you need more information.

Legend

No expiration date
No dormancy or maintenance fees
Card and/or funds replaced after loss or theft?

PIN?*
Reloadable?
E-card available

Online balance check?
Free shipping/delivery?
Purchase fees?

Retailer gift cards										Other details
7-Eleven										Available in stores only.
Amazon.com										PIN must have four-digit number on card to make purchase; all other retailers just require it for checking balance.
Banana Republic, Gap, Old Navy
Barnes & Noble										Security code needed to redeem card online
Bed Bath & Beyond										No PIN, but security code on back of card needed to purchase online.
Best Buy										Must have card security code number to make any purchase.
Bloomingdale's
Borders										With $40 or more purchase.
Brinker Gift Cards (Chili's, Romano's Macaroni Grill, On the Border, Maggiano's Little Italy)
Costco
CVS										Cards with certain numbers (presumably old cards) require a PIN to check the balance; others do not.
Darden Restaurants (Red Lobster, Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Seasons 52, Bahama Breeze, The Capital Grille)
Dillard's
eBay										Replaced only in limited circumstances, such as if the card has never been used.
H-E-B
Home Depot
iTunes
J.C. Penney
Kmart
Kohl's
Kroger
Lowe's
Macy's
Marshalls, T.J. Maxx
McDonald's
Meijer
Nordstrom
Office Depot
OSI Restaurant Partners (Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's, Bonefish Grill, Fleming's, Roy's)
Overstock.com
Panera Bread										If card has zero balance for more than 90 days, it will become inactive and no longer reloadable.
Pilot Travel Centers										An inactivity fee of $1.20/month may be applied to balance if 24 months elapse in which card is not used; only sold in stores.
Pizza Hut										If a card is marked "reloadable," it's reloadable; otherwise, it's not.
Publix
RadioShack
Rite Aid Corp.										Only available in stores; to get a replacement, you must know the card number
Saks Fifth Avenue										Shipping free only if shipping with merchandise.
Sears
SpaFinder										Allows you to print out card or buy e-card, but to ship an actual physical card will cost you.
Staples
Starbucks										Only if card is registered
Taco Bell
Target
Toys R Us
Walgreens
Walmart
American Express										Valid through date, after which the physical card is invalid.
Chase Visa										Monthly card fee: A $2.50 monthly fee after the first 12 calendar months following the date of purchase; replacement fee.nbsp;
Discover										Has valid through date; will assess a $2.50/mont maintenance fee if the card is not used for 12 consecutive months after activation.
Fifth Third Bank MasterCard										Current cards expire in 2019; only available online.
Harris Bank MasterCard										Expires no earlier than five years after date of purchase; if card's lost, card won't be replaced -- you'll get a check.
KeyBank MasterCard										Valid through date; if card's lost, card won't be replaced -- you'll get a check. There is a monthly fee charged against any unused balance on the card beginning 12 months after the date the card was issued/purchased, or one month after the expiration date, whichever comes first; have to buy at branch.
U.S. Bank Visa										Monthly fee: After the first 12 calendar months following the issue date of the card, a $2.50 fee will be charged to your gift card each month until the card expires; $15 replacement fee.
Wells Fargo Visa										Expiration depends; replacement fee.
*PIN defined as a cardholder-created security code needed to conduct a transaction involving a card, whether it's checking a balance, making a purchase or something else.