The Best Gift Cards to Give Out This Holiday

Buying a gift card for someone is super easy, but is it a good enough present to give for the holidays? The answer depends on several factors, including how the person feels about gift cards in general (Do they consider them thoughtless? What if you get one from a store they never shop at?).

More times than not, however, a gift card can be a reliable and solid gift. I, for one, love shopping at Amazon and Etsy since they have a bit of everything, but I also love receiving local gift certificates to my favorite restaurants, nearby shops, or other experience-based treats. I enjoy the freedom to buy things that, normally, I might not want to pick up on my own dime. And if I tell multiple people that I want a gift card from the same store, I can rack up more money towards a bigger purchase – I once used a few Amazon gift cards to get myself a record player.

TL;DR: The Top Gift Cards

Etsy Gift Card

Target Gift Card

Best Buy Gift Card

Amazon Gift Card

If you are shopping around for your loved ones, consider getting them a gift card or two. As a bonus, there will likely be gift card deals for Black Friday and Cyber Monday like there were , so keep an eye out for discounts from big retailers this month.

The Best Gift Cards to Get Anyone on Your List

Big retailer gift cards usually don't have any expiration, and come in the form of digital or physical gift cards. Plus, you can even schedule out emailed gift cards to get ahead of the holiday craze.

Etsy

Etsy Gift Card

Discover extraordinary finds from independent sellers. From clothing to art to homemade collectibles.

Target

Target Gift Card

For a store that has an infamous $1 section and even has groceries, you can find everything you need, AND some, at Target.

Best Buy

Best Buy Gift Card

For folks who love tech. Best Buy has free 2-day shipping on thousands of items across electronics, laptops, appliances, phones and video games.

Amazon

Amazon Gift Card

An obvious gift card option for all who love to shop online and enjoy Prime perks including fast delivery.

For the practical person in your life:

Some of these may be no-brainers, but these are also good options for folks trying to save money on every day items. Everything from a Visa prepaid card to Walmart to Uber+ UberEats, there's a little something for everyone.

Visa Prepaid Card

Walmart Gift Card

Uber + UberEats Gift Card

GrubHub Gift Card

Door Dash Gift Card

Airbnb Gift Card

Home Depot Gift Card

For the geeks and gamers:

For the hardcore gamers or collectors in your life, to the newcomers who just got a console for the first time, you can't go wrong with these gift cards. Also, don't forget to support your local bookstores and your local comic book store!

Steam Gift Card

IGN Store Gift Card

GameStop Gift Card

Nintendo eShop Gift Card

Barnes & Noble Gift Card

PlayStation Store Gift Card

Xbox Gift Card

AMC Gift Card

Bookshop.org Gift Card

There are thousands of gift card ideas to consider based on your giftee's favorite stores and hobbies, but we narrowed down these picks based on what’s the most practical, readily available, and fun ones I’d recommend for friends and family overall.

Gift Card Deals

Prime Members Only

Xbox $100 Gift Card

10% off deal is available on from $100 to $10 gift cards. save 10%

Looking for more deals on gift cards or other freebies? Be sure to keep an eye out for early Black Friday deals this month from places like Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy and more. Last year, when you bought select physical or digital gift cards from merchants like Apple Store, Uber and more. And, there will likely be gaming deals, such as PS Store credits and Xbox digital gift cards at 10% off (via Walmart last year). There are also discounts on Fortnite V-Bucks, Xbox Game Pass Core, and Roblox Digital Gift Cards.

More Black Friday Deals to Explore

Each week leading up to Black Friday on Nov 29th, retailers will roll out more and more deals. In case you missed it, Nintendo officially announced its Black Friday Switch deals for 2024, with incoming discounts on Joy-Con controllers, Switch games and loads more. For more, see what you can expect from Black Friday 2024 deals.

Lindsey (she/her) is IGN's Director of Audience Development and Commerce. She's been at IGN since 2021 and has a background in SEO, especially in the gaming, entertainment, and tech media spaces. Find her on Twitter at @LindseySalzer.