WebProNews

Tag: Gift Cards

  • Gift Cards: Creative Ways To Give Them For Christmas

    Some people try really hard to find the perfect gifts for friends and family members, but some people are just picky and hard to buy for.

    If you have one or more people on your Christmas list like this, the best thing to buy them may just be a gift card.

    Gift cards might not be the most creative or personal gifts to give, but they are a great option when you are in a hurry or just can’t think of the right gift.

    If you want to give gift cards as a gift this holiday, but want to get a little creative, try one of these fun ways of giving them.

    Wrap Them
    If you want to surprise a child, teenager or anyone with a little patience and a sense of humor, wrap the gift card over and over again to make it hard to find. Put the card in an envelope and then in a very small box. Place the small box in a box that is a little larger and repeat until you have several boxes inside a very large one. Wrap the last box and watch when the recipient has to go through several boxes to find their tiny gift card.

    Add To A Gift
    If you still feel the need to give someone a gift and a gift card, be creative and package the gifts together. Buy a simple gift, such as a book, a box of candy or a pair of socks or mittens. Slip the gift card in the book as a bookmark or slide it down inside the gloves and socks. Make sure you tell the recipient to look for the gift card so they don’t accidentally drop it or throw it away.

    Hide It
    Gift cards are small and easy to hide, and instead of just handing one over this Christmas, you can hide it in the tree or somewhere in your house and let them find it with a fun holiday scavenger hunt. Kids and adults alike will enjoy finding their gift cards this way.

    Just because you are giving a gift card, doesn’t mean you can’t make it a memorable gift. Just be creative with the way you give it and you won’t have any complaints.

  • Square Launches New Gift Cards For Sellers

    Square announced a new gift card offering, so sellers using its Register product can run gift card programs from their point of sale. Merchants can offer, redeem, and track gift cards within Square Register.

    Square began offering digital gift cards that could be redeemed with the now defunct Square Wallet app two years ago, but these new ones are real, physical cards.

    “Square is making it possible for businesses like ours to compete directly with large corporations,” said Regeania Coleman, owner of Jungle Juice Bar in Detroit. “Gift cards from Square offer the professional look and feel that customers expect without being unbelievably pricey for us to offer. Without Square, we wouldn’t be in business.”

    “When a customer purchases a gift card, the funds from the activation are automatically deposited into the seller’s account just like other sales,” Square said. “Sellers don’t have to wait for the gift card to be redeemed. To redeem a gift card, sellers simply swipe the card like any credit or debit card, and the balance on the card automatically updates. Cards can be reloaded with additional value at any time.”

    Sellers can order the cards from the Square Dashboard. They run $1.50 per card, and have no additional fees associated with them. Sellers can even customize the design of the cards or choose from available templates.

    Image via Square

  • Netflix Earnings Out As Company Prepares To Expand In Europe

    Netflix Earnings Out As Company Prepares To Expand In Europe

    Netflix just released its earnings report for the second quarter, and announced that it has surpassed 50 million global members. That means they’ve added roughly two million since last quarter. 36 million of them are in the U.S. The company expects to add 1.3 million in Q3.

    Revenue was $1.34 billion. Here’s an overview of the financials.

    In a letter to shareholders, CEO Reed Hastings and CFO David Wells talked about forthcoming European expansion:

    Outside the U.S., we generated continued growth in all of our markets. We ended Q2 with 13.8 million international members, growing 78% y/y. In September, we’ll be launching Netflix in Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, and Luxembourg. This launch into markets with over 60 million broadband households will significantly increase our European presence and raise our current international addressable market to over 180 million broadband households, or 2x the number of current U.S. broadband households.

    Our international contribution loss of ($15.3) million has been rapidly approaching contribution profitability as we see improvements across all existing markets. Our broad success from Argentina to Finland has convinced us to further invest aggressively in global expansion. Our European expansion this quarter will add new expenses to the segment, so we expect a consolidated contribution loss of ($42) million for the international segment in Q3. Even after our upcoming expansion in Europe, we’ll only address about one-third (271 million of 728 million1 ) of current global broadband households, providing a great opportunity to build on our international success beyond 2014. As explained in our Long Term Letter, our plan remains to run at about global break-even to fund investment in global expansion.

    They also talked about the recent price changes, saying that they had minimal impact on membership growth, and that the two screen HD plan continue to be the most popular option.

    Coming up next month on the original content front are the final season of The Killing, the debut of BoJack Horseman, and Mission Blue, a documentary from the director of The Cove.

    They also announced that they’ll be introducing in-store gift cards in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Germany later this year.

    Netflix continues to have 6.3 million DVD members, and the segment contributed profit of $92.8 million during the quarter. During the second quarter of last year, they lost 475,000 DVD memberships. This past quarter, they only lost 391,000.

    You can find the rest of the financial info here.

    Image via Netflix

  • Google Wallet Gets Some New Features

    Google Wallet Gets Some New Features

    Google announced some new features for Google Wallet on Android and iOS, including the ability to manage gift cards and redeem them in stores with the app, request money from friends, and send money with your debit card.

    Google Wallet already offered the ability to store loyalty cards, so the addition of gift cards is the next logical move. You can add cards to Wallet by taking a picture of them or by typing in the card info. Then, you can just show the cashier at the store your phone with that info on the screen. Participating stores include AMC Theatres, Best Buy, Nike, Sephora, Toys R Us, and Whole Foods Market, to name a few.

    It will also store gift cards sent electronically, of course. Those participating in this include Sephora, TGI Friday’s, and Whole Foods, and will have emails with a “Save to Google” option.

    Google Wallet product manager Glenn Thrope says, “For all those times when your friends forget to pay you back for dinner, you can simply request money using the Google Wallet app (for U.S. users, 18 years and older). They will receive a notification and can instantly pay you back. If they need a reminder, you can send them a friendly nudge from within the app. You can also send your friends a message right within Gmail, and request money just like you would attach a picture.”

    “You can now send money for free in Wallet by using your debit card. No more searching around for a checkbook or waiting for your funds to arrive. With Google Wallet, your money is at your fingertips,” he adds.

    There’s also good news for Spanish-speaking users. Those that have the Spanish language settings activated on their devices will start seeing the app in Spanish.

    The update is rolling out this week in the U.S.

    Image via Google

  • Gift Card Deals For Everyone On Your Christmas List

    If you are like me, you will have those one or two people that are extremely hard to shop for. Or, you are again, like me, and procrastinate on buying Christmas presents. Either way, if you don’t know what to get someone, or you have simply run out of time to go shopping, I have the perfect solution that will save you money and make that special someone happy!

    Each holiday season, different businesses will offer special deals when you purchase gift cards. I have compiled a list of some of the best gift card offers that I have found this year. Take a look at some of these great restaurant deals below:

    Applebee’s: Receive a free $10 bonus gift card when you buy $50 in gift cards online or in restaurants.
    Bonefish Grill: Now through December 31, get a free $20 bonus gift card when you purchase $100 in gift cards online from Bonefish Grill. They will be shipped for free, and will be valid from January 1, 2014 through February 10, 2014.
    The Cheesecake Factory: When you purchase a $25 gift card, you will receive a free slice of cheesecake.
    CiCi’s Pizza: When you purchase $25 in gift cards you will receive a free buffet at participating CiCi’s Pizza, valid in January 2014.
    Chili’s: Purchase a $50 gift card and receive a $10 bonus gift card. The bonus card is valid January 1, 2014 until February 10, 2014.
    Dairy Queen: Receive a free small smoothie when you purchase a $15 gift card.
    TGIFridays: Purchase a $25 gift card and get a $5 bonus gift card.
    Outback: Purchase a $100 gift card and receive a $20 gift card, valid through February 10, 2014.

    If none of these sound appealing, head on over to GiftCardGranny.com, where you can buy gift cards at a discounted rate, and sell all those unused gift cards you have stashed away.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Groupon Now Provides ‘Grouponvelope’ For Holiday Gifts

    Groupon announced the launch of two new holiday gifting features for local businesses: the Grouponvelope and the digital gift voucher.

    “We’re giving local merchants who do not have a gift card program the ability to reach millions of customers looking for last-minute but thoughtful holiday gift ideas,” a spokesperson for the company tells WebProNews.

    When the customer starts the purchasing process on Groupon, and clicks “Give as a gift,” they can choose “Electronic Style” or “Print Style”. The former will let them choose from four different electronic envelope themes and select a delivery date for an animated e-card. The latter will let the customer print out a “Grouponvenlope” that can be cut and folded into a holiday-themed envelope and card.

    The features are available for “virtually” every deal on Groupon.com, including Groupon Getaways and Groupon Goods deals.

    “Many merchants don’t have the resources to invest in the same digital gifting solutions provided by national retailers, and they miss out on sales that are important to their bottom line,” said Groupon CEO Eric Lefkofsky. “Our new gifting solutions create a level playing field for local merchants and effortless last-minute holiday shopping for consumers.”

    Seaworld is hoping customers will take advantage.

    Image: Groupon

  • Last Minute Gifts for the Frugal Holiday Shopper

    Christmas is fast approaching and I’m sure a lot of you didn’t take advantage of the Thanksgiving and Black Friday shopping craze.

    Hey, I understand that things happen and you couldn’t find the time or money to go holiday shopping. Well, for all of you who are slackers, here are five ideas of last minute gifts that would surely save the day and your wallet.

    1. Gift Cards-This is one of the most obvious gifts, of course. Plus, it’s allows your gift recipient to use the card on any purchase from the associated store. Amazon’s gift cards are some of the most popular and easiest options available online. Also, if you’re looking to give your recipient a little bit more free will, look into the Visa gift card provided at stores like Walgreens.
    2. Flowers-This is a very endearing gift usually for a special someone. Although sending flowers are customarily intended for someone’s Birthday, Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day, it could also be a perfect gift to receive on Christmas day. It’s a way of saying “I’m thinking of you even during the holidays.” I’m sure you would touch the heart of the person who receives this kind gesture.
    3. Baked Goodies-Who doesn’t like to be treated to some homemade Christmas cookies? Whether it’s brownies, a pie or cake, you could place the treats in a cute woven basket dressed in a red holiday bow and present it as a thoughtful yummy gift.
    4. Stocking Essentials-You could either buy a new stocking or recycle one of your own and stuff it with basic necessities you assume the person needs. This could include: soap, facial tissue, hand sanitizer, socks, etc. The possibilities are limitless.
    5. Christmas Cards-Although this sounds like a lazy way out, a lot of people really do enjoy the thought that people put into buying them the perfect card. No matter if it comes from the Dollar Tree or Hallmark, you could include money, a cute note or even one of those Amazon gift cards!

    Here are a few online stores specializing in other last minute shopping ideas:

    As long as you’re not waiting until Christmas day to finally get your gifts together, being a last minute person has its perks.

    Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

  • Gift Cards: Ways to Save Money This Year

    Gift Cards: Ways to Save Money This Year

    Once again, gift cards are the most requested gift, making Santa’s sleigh lighter this holiday season.

    If you are looking to buy gift cards for friends and family, here are a few tips to help you save some green on those plastic purchases.

    1. Buy Discounted Cards

    Sam’s Club and Costco sell a variety of gift cards for discounted prices.

    You can also check out online gift exchanges like GiftCards.com, Cardpool, and Cardhub.

    Marc Ackerman, co-founder of CardCash.com, said, “You’ll pay less than face value, so you’re actually getting free money on each purchase.”

    According to Yahoo Finance, these sites, such as GiftCardGranny.com, buy and sell gift cards at an average discount of 13.7 percent. Shipping is free most of the time. However, you have to be wary of fraud.

    Steven J.J. Weisman, editor of the security blog, Scamicide, says that fraud on gift card exchanges usually involves cards that are stolen, counterfeit, or that do not have the value represented to be on the card.

    2. Look for Promotions from Local Retailers

    Many merchants, especially restaurants, run special discounts on gift cards during the holidays. For example, Chili’s is offering a free $10 bonus card when you spend $50 in gift cards. Applebee’s is offering the same deal. You can find a more detailed listing at Eat Drink Deals.

    3. Shop With Reward Points

    Many credit card companies are now offering significant discounts on gift cards. Chase Ultimate Rewards members are able to purchase various gift cards for 10 to 20 percent fewer points than normally required.

    “This is a great untapped resource for savings,” said Janna Herron, a credit card analyst at Bankrate.com. “It’s an easy way to stretch your rewards and your holiday budget, and maybe use up points or miles that are about to expire.”

    4. Never Pay for Shipping

    “The average shipping charge is $4.44,” said Odysseas Papadimitriou, CardHub CEO. “Don’t waste your money on that.”

    Digital gift cards are becoming popular for this very reason. Or you can find an online store that does not charge shipping. However, some of the stores that offer service this require that you pick up the card from the local store (Ship to Store option).

    5. Sell Unwanted Cards

    The average payout for unwanted cards is approximately 40-92 percent, depending on the company.

    “If you have a gift card that you don’t plan to use, and you can turn that into cash, why not?” said Kendal Perez, marketing manager with GiftCardGranny.com. “It’s a no-brainer.”

    Websites that buy gifts cards usually offer various ways to receive your money, such as PayPal or check. If you take the payment in the form of an Amazon card, some sites, such as Gift Card Granny, offer a bonus of approximately 4 to 5 percent.

    6. The Classic Regifting

    Don’t feel bad. We’ve all done it. Wrap the card in nice packaging and voila!

    You can even use the old card to purchase several smaller cards to give away.

    If there’s an odd amount of money left on the card, add more to round out the total to an even number.

    A few parting tips:

    * don’t buy gifts cards from online classified sites such as Craigslist.
    * stick to large retail sites that offer money-back guarantees.
    * treat your gifts cards like cash. They can be used at merchants, no ID required.

    Happy (and discounted) shopping this holiday season!

    image via: Thinkstock

  • PayPal Opens Online Store For Digital Gift Cards

    PayPal Opens Online Store For Digital Gift Cards

    PayPal announced the launch of its new Digital Gifts store, which is a destination where people can purchase digital gift cards from a variety of merchants.

    For now, there are only iTunes gift cards from Apple, but PayPal says it will be adding more soon.

    PayPal Digital Store

    “Gift cards are the most popular presents this holiday season and generally one of the most sought after gifts for anyone in your life,” says Patrick Gauthier, Head of Emerging Retail Services at PayPal. “Last year, more than half of the gift cards received by US consumers were purchased for the Holidays, according to Blackhawk Network.”

    “Buying a digital gift from PayPal is as easy as one-two-three: select a gift and denomination, enter your PayPal ID and Password, send the gift to a loved one or redeem it on the spot,” explains Gauthier. “Simple, convenient and secure. To help open the digital doors we have just started offering iTunes codes. This year our clients can get more music, more apps, more fun, with a few clicks on their smart phones.”

    PayPal announced last week that it now accepts prepaid gift cards, and that these can be used anywhere that accepts PayPal. The company also recently added support for gift cards to PayPal Wallet.

    Image: PayPal

  • PayPal Makes It Easier To Pay With Prepaid Gift Cards

    PayPal Makes It Easier To Pay With Prepaid Gift Cards

    PayPal announced that it now supports prepaid gift cards in that consumers can use them anywhere that accepts PayPal.

    This is just in time for the holidays, when many people will be getting these cards as gifts. As PayPal explains, these gifts often come with a burden attached to them.

    “A lot of e-commerce sites can’t or won’t accept it right off the shelf—even if other credit or debit cards of the same card brands are allowed,” says PayPal’s Ed Lee in a blog post. “Many consumers are forced to call the card issuer or go to a special website to register a billing address before trying to pay with the prepaid gift card. It might sound simple, but in PayPal’s recent usability study, it was found that only 1 person out of every 4 was able to register their billing address and complete an online purchase successfully. Thankfully, PayPal has offered a way to resolve the issue. Now, no more of this hassle is required if you use prepaid gift cards through PayPal Checkout.”

    “After our customers voiced this particular pain point again and again, we knew we had to fix it once and for all,” he adds. “After months of research and investigations, we discovered a patent-pending and innovative way to allow the usage of prepaid gift cards so that you can seamlessly apply them to the purchase of products and services anywhere PayPal is accepted – just in time for the holidays!”

    This goes for cards from Visa, American Express, MasterCard, and Discover.

    About a year ago, PayPal began offering its own prepaid cards, but only to those who have credit/debit cards or bank accounts connected to PayPal.

    Image: PayPal

  • Etsy Gift Cards Launch In New Currencies

    Etsy Gift Cards Launch In New Currencies

    Etsy announced today that it is launching support for two new currencies with its gift cards: British pounds and euros. This obviously opens up the door for use in a lot more countries.

    Now, Etsy users in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK can use the gift cards.

    This should also provide a great boost to Etsy’s numbers. The gift cards launched in the U.S. a year ago. Etsy users bought 40,000 of them in the first two months, and as of right now, Etsy says it has issued over $4 million in gift cards.

    “If you’re a buyer in any of these new countries, there are now even more opportunities for you to share the experience of shopping on Etsy with the ones you love,” says Etsy’s Brittany Mennuti in a blog post. “Send Etsy Gift Cards at etsy.com/giftcards to your friends and family in your local currency, via email (with a choice of fun designs!) or by printing them out to include in one-of-a-kind holiday cards.”

    “If you’re a lucky gift card recipient, you can use your gift card to purchase from any shop that accepts Etsy Gift Cards, regardless of location,” she adds. “The ability to accept Etsy Gift Cards is now available to over 90% of shops, and any shops that accept them will have a green Gift Card icon above the “Add to Cart” button on their listings. You can also use the “Accepts Etsy Gift Cards” filter in the left navigation when searching for items you love.”

    The expansion of gift cards couldn’t have happened sooner with the holidays approaching. According to Etsy, last year, consumers bought $1 million in gift cards in December alone.

  • Barnes & Noble Partners With Mastercard For Nook Promotion

    Are you one of the millions of Americans who use a Mastercard credit card? Have you always wanted a Nook HD or Nook HD+? If you answered yes to both of these questions, you may want to take advantage of a new promotion Barnes & Noble is running this weekend.

    Starting today, Barnes & Noble will be giving away $20 gift cards to anybody who purchases a Nook HD or Nook HD+ using a Mastercard card. The offer is good online and in any of the retail stores around the nation. You will have to act fast, however, as the deal will only last throughout January 21.

    Before you go running out to pick up one of Barnes & Noble’s acclaimed tablets, you might want to check if you have enough credit to cover the cost. The Nook HD, which features a 7-inch screen, comes in two varieties – 8GB and 16GB. The former will set your credit back $199 while the latter goes for $229. The Nook HD+ comes in at 9-inches and features a 1080p display. The 16GB device retails for $269 while the 32GB device retails for $299. Buying any of these with a Mastercard card will net you the $20 gift card.

    So, why is Barnes & Noble offering a Christmas-like deal in January? It’s very simple really. The Nook didn’t have a very good holiday season, and Barnes & Noble is obviously trying to drum up demand for its tablet. The only flaw in its plan is restricting the deal to Mastercard users. Hell, it would be a bad idea to restrict it to any credit card purchases as most consumers are now in the process of paying off their credit card debt left over from the holidays.

    Still, it’s a neat little promotion for those who prefer Nook to the Kindle Fire HD or the Nexus 7. The latter of which just received a T-Mobile version for those who want to take it on the go.

  • PayPal Starts Offering Prepaid Cards Just In Time For The Holidays

    PayPal Starts Offering Prepaid Cards Just In Time For The Holidays

    It’s a given that many people will be using PayPal to make transactions over the holiday season. The service, however, is strictly limited to those who either have a credit/debit card or bank account they’re willing to associate with their PayPal account. What about those who distrust storing their financial information on the Web?

    For the discerning person who would rather use cash this holiday season, PayPal now offers prepaid cards that consumers can use to load up their account with money. The company partnered with InComm to make the PayPay My Cash Card a reality. Any money loaded on the card can be used at any of the online merchants that accept payments from PayPal.

    The PayPal prepaid cards a little unique in that they let consumers choose the amount of money they want to put on the card instead of just buying a pre-set amount. There is a caveat, however, as the cards have a minimum funding amount of $20 and a maximum of $500. It’s not that bad of a deal considering that most people will be buying these as gifts.

    Like other prepaid debit cards and the like, the PayPal My Cash Cards require users to create a PayPal account before they can use it. From there, they just enter the PIN number on the back of the card to add the funds to their account.

    The PayPal My Cash card is now available at over 30,000 retailers nationwide. The company makes an important note that over 10,000 of those retail locations are the numerous Dollar General stores around the nation. You can now pick up some cheap wrapping paper, and a $20 PayPal card for your eBay obsessed aunt all in one go. Now that’s convenience.

  • Amazon Introduces Video Gift Cards For The Holidays

    Can we all agree that gift cards are the way to go with holiday shopping? It’s too hard to know what people want so why not just give them a gift card? The major problem is that gift cards are incredibly boring, and lack personality. Surely, there’s a way to fix this, right?

    Amazon may just have the solution in the company’s recently announced Video Gift Cards. The retail giant has partnered with JibJab to deliver personalized video gift cards to users this holiday season and beyond. In fact, there will be gift cards available for birthdays and everyday occasions.

    “We’re excited to add Amazon Video Gift Cards to our growing set of digital gift card products,” said Max Bardon, General Manager, Amazon Gift Cards. “We think customers will love uploading a family photo to one of our entertaining holiday-themed video gift cards and enjoy the engaging gift-giving experience of the new Amazon Video Gift Cards this season.”

    Consumers will be able to choose from over 50 JibJab Starring You videos as the basis for their Video Gift Card. If you’re familiar with JibJab, the service transplants the faces of friends and family onto the bodies of whatever silly thing you choose.

    As for the gift card itself, Amazon says that consumers will be able to load the cards with up to $2,000 in funds. The card is then delivered via email or Facebook. Unlike traditional gift cards, the amounts on these cards will never expire.

    You can see check out some of Amazon’s new Video Gift Cards here. It’s a little early for holiday gift giving, but you might as well start planning on how many video gift cards you’ll embarrass family members with.

  • Etsy Launches Gift Cards In Time For The Holidays

    Etsy Launches Gift Cards In Time For The Holidays

    Etsy announced today that it now has gift cards available. They can be purchased at etsy.com/giftcards, and are accepted by over 100,000 Etsy shops. They can be sent via email or printed to give to the recipient in person.

    The company announced that gift cards were coming back in August, but the wait is over. Along with the recently launched Google Play cards, these should make good gifts for the web savvy people in your family as the holidays approach.

    “We all have those people on our lists who are seemingly impossible to shop for — and this is the perfect alternative to settling for a generic gift card or the ever-impersonal check,” the company says in a blog post. “This choose-your-own-adventure gift lets your friends or family take the reins and find something they really want! We’re excited to buy these for the Etsy-obsessed people in our lives, and even more excited to buy them for friends who don’t shop on Etsy (yet!). We also look forward to using them to promote Etsy through advertising and partnerships and introduce the world to the magical gift adventure that is Etsy.”

    These gift cards should help Etsy gain exposure, but they’re also good for sellers, who often sell items that would be very targeted to niche audiences. For example, as a Friday The 13th fan, I can find all kinds of art and apparel related to the film and its sequels that I’m not going to find elsewhere. Etsy was made for gift giving.

    Sellers who wish to accept Etsy gift cards in their shops need to have direct checkout enabled.

    “Since Etsy is issuing and managing the gift cards, they rely on our direct checkout feature, and the security and legal protections we provide through our payments system,” the company explains. “To offer a gift card that works across multiple shops, there must be a central checkout flow connecting shops to Etsy, and not to individual PayPal accounts. This ensures that gift card holders have all the legal protections required by each state, and that sellers aren’t personally liable.”

    Those already set up with Direct Checkout don’t need to do anything else. The feature is, however, only available to U.S. sellers.

    Etsy is launching the cards by holding a giveaway, in which everyone who buys an Etsy gift card before November 14 will be entered to win an additional $250 card. They’ll draw four winners a week at random for four weeks. Winners will be emailed by November 20.

  • Send Amazon Gift Cards To Your Facebook Friends

    Amazon.com has introduced a new way for sending its gift cards to people on Facebook.

    People can now connect to their Facebook account on Amazon and create a personalized gift card that will be sent to the recipient’s Facebook Wall.

     

    Amazon-Facebook

     

    “We think our customers who use Facebook will be thrilled that we’ve made gift-giving more social,” said Michal Geller, director of ACI Gift Cards, Inc., the exclusive issuer of Amazon.com Gift Cards.

    “Sending gift cards has never been easier and we’re excited to offer the Facebook option just in time for the holidays.”

    After connecting to their Facebook account on Amazon, the sender can choose a gift card design, select an amount up to $5,000 and provide an optional gift card message. The sender can also schedule the date for the gift card to appear on the recipient’s Facebook Wall up to a year in advance.

    In addition, Amazon is now offering a “Give 5, Get $5” promotion for a limited time. Starting today, the first 10,000 customers who give an MP3-themed gift card to five different Facebook friends will get a $5 credit good for music downloads at Amazon MP3.
     

     

  • Target To Start Selling Facebook Credits Gift Cards

    Target To Start Selling Facebook Credits Gift Cards

    Target said today it will be the first retailer to sell Facebook Credits gift cards at all of its 1,743 stores and on Target.com beginning September 5.

    Facebook-Credits-Target Facebook Credits gift cards will be available in increments of $15, $25 and $50. Facebook says its gift cards will be an “ideal gift” this holiday season for users who like playing games on the social network.

    “One of Facebook’s goals is to create a great place for games – both for people who love to play and the developers that create fun and engaging social experiences,” said Dan Rose, vice president of partnerships and platform marketing at Facebook.

    “Gift cards are easy to use and very popular. We’re looking forward to launching in Target stores and giving people the ability to purchase Facebook Credits for their own use or to give as gifts to their friends and family.”

    More than 200 million people play social games on Facebook each month. According to Inside Network, Americans will spend more than $1.6 billion in 2010 on virtual goods and social gaming.

    Facebook Credits are accepted by a number of popular games on the network, including Zynga’s FarmVille and Mafia Wars; CrowdStar’s Happy Aquarium; PopCap Games’ Bejeweled Blitz; Playdom’s City of Wonder; and EA SPORTS FIFA Superstars from Playfish.