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Not sure what to buy a relative this holiday season? A gift card is likely your fallback gift idea.

Fortunately, as Bankrate's 2010 Gift Card Study revealed, most retailer gift cards don't expire or have any fees. Gift cards that bear a credit card brand, such as American Express or Visa, must comply with new rules on fees, disclosures and expiration dates under the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009. Rest assured, your loved one will have plenty of time to use the gift card before the funds expire or monthly fees, if applicable, start depleting the balance.

New gift card ... from Facebook?

Don't be surprised to see gift cards on sale this holiday season for a certain social networking behemoth. Walmart and Best Buy started selling Facebook gift cards last week, according to Reuters. Target has been offering Facebook Credits gift cards in its stores since September.

Unlike other retailer gift cards, which you typically would use for tangible items such as clothing or home furnishings, a "Facebook Credits" gift card can only be redeemed towards virtual goods in Facebook applications and games, such as "FarmVille" and "Mafia Wars." You can't redeem the card for real-world goods or services.

According to Reuters, Facebook Credits gift cards will be available in values of $10, $25 and $50 at Best Buy and $5, $10 and $25 at Walmart, with a $50 card available online. At Target, the cards come in $15, $25 and $50 denominations.

Personally, I don't see the value, pardon the pun, in a gift card that I can't use at a store or restaurant, but then again I'm no Facebook gamer or application fanatic. There are a number of folks who are, however. The Facebook profile page for Facebook Credits has more than 1 million "likes."

Have you ever received an odd gift card? Share your strategy for using or getting rid of the card in the comments section. I may post your tip in a future blog post on dealing with unwanted gift cards.

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