>"hey, have some money...but you can only spend it at this one place of my choosing, not yours".
In some circumstances, that's actually an advantage, and works as a positive for the recipient.
When I was in college, money was tight. Had to be very careful with every dollar. When relatives would give me money for holidays, it would just go into the general fund and had to be treated with the same care as the rest of it. That money was certainly appreciated and made my life easier, but not a lot of fun was had with it.
But when I'd get gift cards to Amazon or Best Buy or Borders, suddenly it was a license to go crazy. To recklessly buy electronics, books, and luxuries I couldn't otherwise justify. It wasn't just a gift of money. It was a gift of money without worries attached.
That's why I'm buying my grandparents a Subway card. You can reload it online and they love Subway they just don't want to splurge to go there whenever they go in to town. I know if I load this up for them they'll have a treat whenever they're out to a doctor's appointment. It has the added benefit of me being able to reload it when they run low.
Agreed, and I sometimes give gift cards with that in mind. Though I try to make it a gift card at a store that I feel certain the recipient will appreciate.
In some circumstances, that's actually an advantage, and works as a positive for the recipient.
When I was in college, money was tight. Had to be very careful with every dollar. When relatives would give me money for holidays, it would just go into the general fund and had to be treated with the same care as the rest of it. That money was certainly appreciated and made my life easier, but not a lot of fun was had with it.
But when I'd get gift cards to Amazon or Best Buy or Borders, suddenly it was a license to go crazy. To recklessly buy electronics, books, and luxuries I couldn't otherwise justify. It wasn't just a gift of money. It was a gift of money without worries attached.