Have you ever looked for a gift card that someone gave to you and discovered that you'd lost it?  Have you ever tried to use a gift card only to learn that it had expired?  Have you ever gone to a store to use a gift card and discovered that there wasn't anything there that you wanted?

I don't know why, but I have had some of the worst luck when it comes to gift cards.  My biggest problem is losing them-I would be embarrassed to tell you the number of cards that I have misplaced.

Retailers know this.  Just like the credit card industry, they are counting on human error.  There are 972 million reasons why retailers love gift cards!

One out of five consumers never used their gift cards last year.  The dollar value of those unused gift cards is approximately 972 million dollars of pure profit for the retail community.

Why such a large number?

So think about it for a moment.  Are you really doing anyone a favor by giving them a gift card?  If you are going to go that route, consider an American Express gift card that can be used anywhere.  Worst case scenario-they can use it to buy gas or groceries.

There is another thing that retailers don't want you to know about gift cards...

You might get the balance stolen before you even have a chance to use it!

I am aware that this has been referred to as an urban legend.  But it has actually happened...to me!  A compnay gave me a $250 gift card for shooting a commercial-what can I say, I'm cheap labor!  When I tried to use it, there was nothing on the card.  According to a recent fraud alert, this is how it happens:

If you buy gift cards from a display rack that has various store cards, you may become a victim of theft.  Crooks are jotting down the card numbers in the store, they wait a few days and call the company to "check the balance".  When they find that the card has been activated, they start shopping!

This is definitely something you should be aware of when purchasing gift cards.  If the card number is clearly visible or the scratch off section has been tampered with-think twice!

How about this for a solution:

There are many times where a gift card makes the most sense.  However, there are times whe giving a gift card is more of a matter of convenience.  Make Christmas special for the people in your life and take the time to be thoughtful in your approach to gift giving.