Gift Cards » Compare Gift Cards » Retail Gift Cards

To help consumers compare gift cards this holiday season, CreditCards.com, a Bankrate-owned website, surveyed gift cards from 63 major restaurants, retailers, airlines and other businesses. The study included eight "open-loop," or general-purpose, gift cards and 55 "closed-loop," or store, gift cards. CreditCards.com gathered data on nine different aspects that can affect the consumer, ranging from expiration dates and fees to e-gift card availability and free shipping.

For easy comparison, Bankrate.com grouped closed-loop gift cards, which can only be used at a particular merchant or group of merchants, into subcategories for retail, restaurant, airline and gas cards. Open-loop gift cards, which are issued by banks and carry a credit card brand such as Visa or American Express, were listed as general-purpose gift cards. These cards can usually be used anywhere that brand is accepted. To view the other card categories, click on the tabs.

• General
• Retail
• Restaurants
• Airlines
• Gas stations

2011 Gift Card Survey

• Expiration date?
• 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?

Retail gift cards										Other details
7-Eleven										Gift cards only sold in stores.
Amazon.com
Banana Republic, Gap, Old Navy
Barnes & Noble
Bed Bath & Beyond
Best Buy
Bloomingdale's
Costco
CVS
Dillard's
Retail gift cards										Other details
eBay										Card or funds can be replaced with proof of purchase and if the card has never been used before.
H-E-B										The card is now reloadable. There is a $2 service fee after 12 months of nonuse. Any balance remaining after 36 months of nonuse will be forwarded to the Texas Comptroller's office. The service charge will not apply where prohibited by law.
Home Depot										Gift cards purchased with cash will not be replaced.
iTunes
J.C. Penney
Kmart
Kohl's
Kroger
Lowe's
Macy's
Retail gift cards										Other details
Marshalls, T.J. Maxx
Meijer
Nordstrom
Office Depot										Reloadable only in stores.
Overstock.com
Pilot Travel Centers										A $1.20 monthly fee is charged if inactive for 24 months or more. Cards only sold in stores.
Publix
RadioShack
Rite Aid Corp.										Gift cards are only sold in stores.
Saks Fifth Avenue										An expiration date is present, but the card can be reactivated. Shipping charges do not apply to gift cards when they are purchased with merchandise going to the same address. If gift cards are the only items going to an address, then charges apply.
Retail gift cards										Other details
Sears
SpaFinder
Staples
Target										Free shipping is only for online purchases.
Toys R Us										There is a $1.95 purchase fee for the physical card when bought online.
Walgreens
Wal-Mart
* 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. It does not include PINs that are found on the back of a card. ** Free shipping/delivery is only for physical cards. Being able to send an e-card for free doesn't qualify. Source: Survey conducted by CreditCards.com from late September through early October 2011.