Did you read this? Wrapping Gift Cards 

There are some cool ideas there. I've never been that creative with gift certificates, but now I feel challenged! I saved a light weight metal "presentation" box from an old AOL CD for a couple of years, then tossed it... wish I had it now. Any other ideas on how to present a Gift Certificate so it looks impressive?

Gift cards seem so...well, uncreative and thoughtless. And that is exactly what I am going to do for my adult children!  I am going to buy gift gas cards. My SIL, who works at a credit union, mentioned it, and was telling me the different ways in which I can carry this plan out.

Your post is timely, because I was thinking of ways to present this gift. I was thinking of making or buying a wallet and placing it in there. The felt pocket sounds really cute as well. I suppose I could put it on a stuffed animal like a (dog) tag. I never thought of putting a small hole in it. I have tapped cash to a box of goodies, why not a gift card?

The article gave some really nice ideas. It is making me realize that a gift card can be creative. Thanks for posting it.
 

Gigi:

Gift cards seem so...well, uncreative and thoughtless.

Those were my feelings exactly, although, like you, I give them anyway. This article was kind of an eye opener: My gift giving has been boring!  

Bake a loaf of bread with flavored butter such as honey butter, cinnamon/sugar butter, or garlic parmesan butter OR bake up some goodies.  Package the food up and enclose the gift card with it.  

I have given gift cards inside greeting cards, bought the special envelopes or boxes for them, wrapped them up inside regular-sized boxes, hidden them under a plate of cookies, put them in gift bags, etc. The ways to present are endless. Although gift cards are  considered no-effort gifts, I do give a lot of them because that's what the recipients want. And I love gift cards. They're just big coupons to me.

Jill

Well there comes a point that unless someone wants to clean your house,car etc for you etc (I have tried that one, only dh takes me up on it!) as a gift...there can not  be much to buy someone. 

my mom and inlaws are at a point that either they can't eat certain things like choc and have everything so unless it is something they tell me they want, they get gift cards for restaurants.  they give us money.  

I do try to find things to go with the gift cards.  making mil cotton dishcloths for xmas as something to go with her presents.  now though the few things I used to get them, I give them from the kids to them.  like fil crossword calendar.

 Are you giving a gift card as a present this year?

I am giving several this year. I bought 5 of them to Toys R Us for nieces and nephews 5 & under. I stuck them inside gummy Life Savers story books and wrapped them. I will be there to see them after Christmas this year so I'm going to take them shopping to use their cards and then out to eat at McDonalds. I also purchased cards for a co-worker and her DH who has helped me out several times this year. I made each of them a stocking and I filled the stockings with some candy and placed one card in each stocking. 

I also always buy them to different restaurants, movies, stores to use as fillers for the family stockings, along with scratch off lottery tickets. 

 DH will get a card to his favorite burger and shake restaurant (which I got from MyPoints).  We usually give a grocery card to DN, since he isn't quite out of the starving-student phase ...

We give cash as we want grandkids to understand what cash is! :) Gift cards seem too much like credit cards. Don't want them to get into bad habits! For adults, it may be another matter, although, according to Dave Ramsey, maybe not! JMO!