Gift cards make excellent gifts, especially if you know what type of stores the recipient enjoys and frequents. For instance, if you know someone who loves Apple accessories, an Apple store gift card will be appreciated.
Many big retailers like Sephora, Walmart, and a host of others often offer two kinds of gift cards; physical gift cards and electronic gift cards (also known as E-codes).
While both cards are valid forms of gift cards, they can be used differently. A physical gift card is a plastic card that can be bought from a physical store and used in-store or on the website, while the electronic gift card or E-code can only be bought on the store’s website.
When choosing a gift card for your friends and loved ones, several things need to be put into consideration. Below are some of the things that need to be considered before you choose a particular type of gift card to give someone.
5 things to consider before choosing between an E-code and a physical gift card:
1. Age group: For example, if you want to give a physical gift card to your grandmother, odds are she would prefer a physical one because older people prefer traditional things and find technology to be cumbersome. A younger person is likely to be more open to receiving an electronic gift card than someone of a more seasoned age.
2. Location: Some big retail stores like Nordstrom, Sephora, Amazon, and others that are in Europe and the USA don’t have physical stores in Africa, but they ship goods to several African countries. In this scenario, the best option for the person you want to give a gift card to is to send them an e-gift card rather than a physical gift card. By doing this, the recipient will be able to shop no matter where they are located in the world.
3. Shopping Preference: Everyone has different shopping styles that they prefer; some people prefer shopping online to in-store shopping and vice versa. A physical gift card is more appealing to a person who prefers to shop in a physical store than an E-code, while an electronic gift card would be more appealing to someone who shops online frequently. They can also receive the E-code via email.
4. Gifting Experience: Physical gift cards are a better option if you want to offer a proper gifting experience, as they can be packaged thoughtfully in a way that shows the receiver you put a lot of thought into the gift.
5. Occasionally, gift card recipients need cash badly and would rather convert gift card into cash than to purchase something from the store. Physical gift cards always have better rates compared to E-codes on Online trading platforms like Cardtonic. Therefore, if you suspect the person you wish to give a gift card to may be going through hard times, and may feel embarrassed to receive actual cash as a gift, physical gift cards are a great option.
In conclusion, both kinds of gift cards are reasonable gifts to give. However, as I mentioned earlier, circumstances will dictate the suitable one to give as a gift.