Credit and Debit Card Ratings

6 reasons to buy the teacher a prepaid gift card

By Donna Freedman

Teachers get a lot of gifts in December. Some are formulaic: “No. 1 Teacher” coffee mugs, say, or plaques shaped like apples. Some are heartfelt: photos, handmade crafts, cookies decorated by sticky young hands.

Trouble is, teachers have way too many mugs, plaques, scarves/neckties, candles, pencil jars and picture frames. See, they’re teaching 20 or more kids per year and such gifts add up – or, rather, they pile up until teacher donates them to the charity thrift shop.

One thing many educators say they’d love to get is a letter from a student (or his parents) thanking him or her for making a difference. This costs nothing but time, and it’s a lovely gesture.  A holiday gift is a nice gesture, too. But in the current mindset of “Experiences, Not Stuff,” why not give a prepaid gift card? Here’s why.

1. It’s payback. Chances are your child’s teacher is spending his or her own money on the classroom. According to a 2013 survey from the National School Supply and Equipment Association, teachers shell out an average of $485 per year on stuff for their students – and 10 percent of them spent $1,000 or more. Yikes!

2. It’s flexible. Sure, you could buy a specific gift card to a bookstore or educational supply shop – but a prepaid card gives the teacher a lot of leeway. She can use it at the hardware store to buy items for the science fair displays, or at the supermarket to buy ingredients for punch and cookies on Valentine’s Day.

Technically she could use it on something for herself. Don’t count on it, though: The Curse of the Teacher leads many instructors to view all gifts in terms of how they might benefit the classroom. (See “$485 a year,” above.)

3. It’s non-offensive. That candle and holder you bought at a friend’s home party is pretty, but the teacher may have limited room for tchotchkes. (She may also dislike candles.) A gift certificate to The Body Shop might never get used because strong fragrances trigger her asthma. Or suppose you offer a mani-pedi gift certificate only to realize later that you have never, ever seen this teacher wear nail polish; for all you know, she took it as a criticism of her appearance.

4. It’s non-caloric. Teachers get a lot of homemade treats as well as gift cards to the doughnut shop or the frozen yogurt place. But you don’t know whether he or she is is on a diet, or has health issues that preclude treats.

5. It’s non-caffeinated. Starbucks cards have become the coin of the realm lately. I even know a dentist who hands them out to patients kept waiting too long. However, not everyone drinks coffee or even tea.
Besides, your child’s teacher may have one of those diet/health issues and the card wouldn’t be a good fit.

6. It’s not a coffee mug! Teachers don’t need more of these. Really. Please.

 
Guest Author Donna Freedman contributed this article. Donna Freedman writes about personal finance for Money Talks News and other websites and magazines, and blogs at DonnaFreedman.com. This article was revised and jointly written by Curtis Arnold and posted on the Huffington Post here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/curtis-arnold/low-fee-prepaid-gift-cards_b_6336082.html

Tag: American Express

  • 6 reasons to buy the teacher a prepaid gift card

    6 reasons to buy the teacher a prepaid gift card

    By Donna Freedman

    Teachers get a lot of gifts in December. Some are formulaic: “No. 1 Teacher” coffee mugs, say, or plaques shaped like apples. Some are heartfelt: photos, handmade crafts, cookies decorated by sticky young hands.

    Trouble is, teachers have way too many mugs, plaques, scarves/neckties, candles, pencil jars and picture frames. See, they’re teaching 20 or more kids per year and such gifts add up – or, rather, they pile up until teacher donates them to the charity thrift shop.

    One thing many educators say they’d love to get is a letter from a student (or his parents) thanking him or her for making a difference. This costs nothing but time, and it’s a lovely gesture.  A holiday gift is a nice gesture, too. But in the current mindset of “Experiences, Not Stuff,” why not give a prepaid gift card? Here’s why.

    1. It’s payback. Chances are your child’s teacher is spending his or her own money on the classroom. According to a 2013 survey from the National School Supply and Equipment Association, teachers shell out an average of $485 per year on stuff for their students – and 10 percent of them spent $1,000 or more. Yikes!

    2. It’s flexible. Sure, you could buy a specific gift card to a bookstore or educational supply shop – but a prepaid card gives the teacher a lot of leeway. She can use it at the hardware store to buy items for the science fair displays, or at the supermarket to buy ingredients for punch and cookies on Valentine’s Day.

    Technically she could use it on something for herself. Don’t count on it, though: The Curse of the Teacher leads many instructors to view all gifts in terms of how they might benefit the classroom. (See “$485 a year,” above.)

    3. It’s non-offensive. That candle and holder you bought at a friend’s home party is pretty, but the teacher may have limited room for tchotchkes. (She may also dislike candles.) A gift certificate to The Body Shop might never get used because strong fragrances trigger her asthma. Or suppose you offer a mani-pedi gift certificate only to realize later that you have never, ever seen this teacher wear nail polish; for all you know, she took it as a criticism of her appearance.

    4. It’s non-caloric. Teachers get a lot of homemade treats as well as gift cards to the doughnut shop or the frozen yogurt place. But you don’t know whether he or she is is on a diet, or has health issues that preclude treats.

    5. It’s non-caffeinated. Starbucks cards have become the coin of the realm lately. I even know a dentist who hands them out to patients kept waiting too long. However, not everyone drinks coffee or even tea.
    Besides, your child’s teacher may have one of those diet/health issues and the card wouldn’t be a good fit.

    6. It’s not a coffee mug! Teachers don’t need more of these. Really. Please.

     
    Guest Author Donna Freedman contributed this article. Donna Freedman writes about personal finance for Money Talks News and other websites and magazines, and blogs at DonnaFreedman.com. This article was revised and jointly written by Curtis Arnold and posted on the Huffington Post here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/curtis-arnold/low-fee-prepaid-gift-cards_b_6336082.html

  • AmEx and Walmart Double Savings Catcher Rewards

    AmEx and Walmart Double Savings Catcher Rewards

    The rush to attract holiday shoppers and their dollars started before trick-or-treaters donned their costumes and headed out into the night. On Oct. 27, the checking account alternative card, Bluebird by American Express, announced the launch of a “Get 2X” promotion meant to entice Walmart shoppers with even bigger savings.

    Here’s how the promotion works. Walmart customers can already take advantage of the company’s Savings Catcher tool, which allows shoppers to compare the price of items they intend to buy at Walmart with the advertised prices of other national retailers. If Walmart’s Savings Catcher identifies a lower price at a rival store, Walmart customers then receive the price difference on either a Walmart Reward eGift Card or in a Bluebird account. Customers can spend the money at a Walmart store or at Walmart.com.

    The new promotion works the same way, although it gives double the benefits to Bluebird cardholders. To take advantage of the deal, which lasts through Feb. 28 of next year, customers can either go online to the Savings Catcher website or use the Walmart app and scan their Walmart receipt.



    The Savings Catcher tool works as it normally does and searches for a lower advertised price offered by competitors. If it finds a better price, Bluebird cardholders can click on “Redeem to Bluebird,” which will automatically trigger a deposit of double the savings into their account.






    The “Get 2X” promotion is a way to give Bluebird cardholders even more bang for their bucks, says Daniel Eckert, a senior vice president of Walmart Services. “Millions of customers are using Savings Catcher to ensure they are getting the best price on their everyday purchases. Now thanks to American Express, they can get even more back when using their Bluebird Card,” he says. “Bluebird is known for saving people money and now coupled with Savings Catcher, it’s going to put real money in customers’ pockets.”

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