is Gift Cards "green"?

[CanadaRAM]

OK the talk about how expensive it is to produce and transport coinage is just silly. Nobody's talking about giving someone $20 in nickels.

I resent being given a gift card that forces me to patronize a particular store -- (especially if that store is FutureShop). I have reasons why I want to choose the goods and the seller I prefer. Also, gift cards that expire their cash value in 6 to 12 months are just short of theft. Fortunately, there should be legislation to correct that -- Can't remember, that's province by province, right?

Frankly, I have told my family not to waste money on presents of any kind for me. I'm not a kid, I don't need to be gifted with 'things'.

[Yumeji]

I believe service fees and expiry dates are no longer valid for gift cards in BC under legislation introduced in April 2008 by the Liberal government (NDP proposed the same about a year ago).

I'm a student living in a basement suite, so you can believe that I would save or use any money coming my way, no matter what shape or form it arrives in. I received a few gift cards last Christmas and from Pigsback.ca, all of which but two have been used (don't worry, they'll be used before the summer weather approaches). Fortunately, I still have the used gift cards. They actually returned them to me at the stores I went to. I suppose this was to allow a refill at a later date; however, I simply use them as bookmarks.

I also receive red pockets from my in-laws, which I find to be useful as well since I can use the money to pay bills (which I consider more useful than receiving a mini-oven which I have no room for in my 1 bedroom suite). The irony is that I have not spent any of the red-pocket money I received, yet I have used up almost all my gift cards.