Gift cards are a holiday favorite. Before you pick one up, the Consumer Watchdog shows you how to get that gift card for a discounted price.
Gift cards make giving easy, and spending easy for the recipient. Before you pick one up, here's some Watchdog Wisdom to get the most bang for your buck.
Shop online for gift cards. Cardpool and Gift Card Granny allow you to buy, sell, and trade cards. The deals always change, but some include an iTunes or Barnes and Noble gift card for up to 20-percent off.
Want to skip the online option? Warehouse giant Costco offers savings on gift cards too.
Publix often offers deals during the holidays too.
There's one more way to cash in. This is for all you procrastinators out there, who let a gift card sit in your wallet a little too long.
After five years of inactivity, the value of the card goes to the State of Florida. The state has more than $2.5 million in unclaimed gift cards.
While most unclaimed funds are easy to find with just your name, you won't find unclaimed gift cards that way because your name is never linked to the piece of plastic.
To claim your money, you need to send the state a copy of your gift card so they can confirm that the money is in the state's bank account.