In-store Gift Card Purchase Safer Than Online Gift Card Purchase?

By Suzanne Zitello

In-store Gift Card Purchase Safer Than Online Gift Card Purchase?

Are in-store gift cards any safer to purchase than online gift cards? Hmm. According to the latest Yahoo! poll “three out of four holiday shoppers will buy gifts online, and most are likely to purchase from small businesses. Shoppers expressed strong support for e-commerce with small businesses that offer a secure payment system, easy customer checkout and free shipping.”

According to Deloitte’s 2006 annual holiday survey (http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov) from the Office of Consumer protection in Maryland, 66% of consumers will purchase gift cards this holiday season. Wow! That’s a huge number and a thought comes to mind. The authenticity of gift cards purchased online and offline. Is it safe to purchase from third party vendors? How much more secure is a merchant gift card in-store on a rack with the card serial number exposed?

Online Gift Card Authenticity There are a number of gift card companies online and an array of new ones ringing up many new products and choices. If you want merchant cards, you can go directly to the merchant website. If you want used gift cards, third party vendors are good for discounts as well as selling and trading gift cards. How do you know which vendors are reputable? It’s not easy, but doing some research helps. Before you make a purchase, get confirmation from the gift card vendor that they verify card authenticity. If the answer is no, move on. It is also just as easy for a thief to post a gift card with money on it, wait for it to be verified, then spend it while it is on it’s way to the consumer. However, there are used gift card vendors that will return your funds, should such an unfortunate incident materialize.Www.plasticjungle.com is new to the online gift card market. They allow buying, selling and trading for free. The free is an incentive to build their member base. They also claim that the authenticity of used gift cards is verified before they are placed on the website and they will take full responsibility should you get an expired card or one with a zero balance.

In-Store Gift Card Security

With easy access to gift cards displayed on store racks, it is very easy for a thief to get a gift card serial number for later use such as the case of the Ohio gift card scam where cunning thieves were going into retail stores, getting gift card serial numbers calling to verify card activation and buying gifts on someone else’s dollar. Nice.

Thanks to the above, stores are changing the way they display gift cards. If you are going to purchase a gift card my advice is to ask a store manager what their policy is on stolen or lost gift cards and how they can ensure that you will not become a victim of gift card fraud.

All in all, purchasing gift cards online or in-store is a fun and easy way to give gifts without racking your brain too much trying to figure out what to buy everyone. Online shopping for the most part is safe and a great way to avoid traffic jams and long lines. Buying directly from the merchant online is private and convenient. Buying from a third party vendor online such as Plastic Jungle is great for purchasing used cards post holidays or cards that have never been used and you can usually get a discount. A person might sell a $50.00 gift card for $40.00 on a website like www.plasticjungle.com. It is no money out of their pocket because it was a gift.

Of course if you are the traditional type, like me, you probably don’t mind the crowds, or the traffic because you love the decorations, sweet smells and ambience of the holiday season.

Cheers

Suzanne Zitello is a freelance writer.