Intro: Giftcards.com Review – Is Giftcards.com Safe? Legit?
Giftcards.com is an online retailer of gift cards based in Pittsburgh in the United States.
On the Giftcards website , there are countless different cards available from a wide range of companies.
This giftcards.com review, unlike some other gift cards.com reviews, will give an unbiased opinion on whether or not giftcards.com can be trusted and whether you should hand over your hard-earned cash to the people behind the website. Is giftcards.com safe? Well, read on to find out in this giftcard.com review.
Choice of Gift Cards
The first thing you will want to know before using giftcards.com (aside from is giftcards.com safe?) is does it have the card that I want? Or does it have a good choice of cards to offer? On this point, it is really hard to fault the site. It has a great range of cards, and you can browse and even change your mind after putting in your details without causing too much disruption to your shopping experience.
Image source: GiftCards.com
Whether you are looking for a specific card or whether you would just like to browse a large collection in order to get some inspiration for a gift card, you will struggle to find a better selection than on giftcards.com.
See Also: Starting a Business in Florida (Checklist to Help You Get Started)
Value for Money – Is Giftcards.com safe?
The next thing to consider when trying to answer the question, “Is giftcards.com legit?” is whether or not the cards on sale on the site are good value for money or not.
The site offers gift cards in various formats and from many brands, including eGift cards, physical gift cards, and Visa prepaid shopping cards. All of these cards are available elsewhere and provide a good basis for our research in this gift cards.com review.
In general, the prices of the cards on offer are comparable to other places they are on sale. For example, the Visa gift cards are available elsewhere, in shops, banks, and post offices and usually cost the value of the card plus a service fee as well as another minor fee if you would like a custom image on the card itself.
This pricing format is the same whether you buy the cards from giftcards.com or elsewhere.
All-in-One Change Management Tools
Top Rated Toolkit for Change Managers.
Get Your Change Management Tool Today...
Shipping Costs
Next on the list of questions and points to consider in this giftcards.com review is the cost of shipping. For physical gift cards, this is obviously a downfall as you will have to pay a small fee and wait for the card to be delivered to you in the post.
This point is not specific to giftcards.com but draws back to the age-old debate of whether online shopping is better than going to a local store and coming back with the item in your hand.
It is certainly worth noting that the shipping fees and the time taken to receive the items tend to be reasonable on giftcards.com, and if you usually shop online, this will not phase you. Additionally, if you choose to buy an eGift card, you will not have to wait since the card will be delivered to you immediately.
This is extremely handy for those times when you have forgotten the birthday of a loved one or Mother’s or Father’s Day (it can happen to the best of us!).
Now that we have explored the money saving considerations for the penny pinchers out there, it is worth looking deeper into some of the more concerning worries people face when thinking of using a new website for buying a gift.
Next in this giftcards.com review, we will look at customer service and security.
Don’t Miss: How to Start a Business in California (Key Factors to Consider and a Checklist)
What If Something Goes Wrong with My Order?
One of the biggest worries for many people using an unfamiliar website is if their order does not go through correctly if the company will handle the issue well and if the problem will be rectified.
This mainly depends on whether or not the customer service department of the company is reliable as well as how effective the website is and how well the software behind it works.
Ironically, at the time of writing this giftcards.com review, the website was down for maintenance. There was no explanation as to why the website would not load and whether orders were still being processed, etc. This is obviously concerning for customers and potential customers and seems to be a recurring theme for the site, which is why a lot of people ask the question: “Is Giftcards.com Legit?”.
Whether these issues are due to the rapid growth of giftcards.com or just inefficient software responsible for the website’s functioning is unknown. The issues with the website going down and technical issues with card details being entered link up well with the next point in this giftcards.com review on whether the customer service department will help you out and put you back on the right track.
Giftcards.com Review: Customer Service
AdvisoryHQ’s review found the customer service team at giftcards.com did a reasonable job of explaining how the site worked.
However, other Giftcards.com reviews that we read online included instances of consumer complaints about cancelled orders due to unknown security reasons, and the customer service teams not advising them further.
Also, the customer service team cannot help with any technical issues such as the website being down for long periods of time.
Image source: Pexels
One thing to consider here, when asking the question, “Is giftcards.com safe?” is that anyone can have a bad experience with a company and, on the whole, experiences with customer service at giftcards.com seem to be positive.
Also, without knowing the reasons behind cancelled orders, it is impossible to blame the company as the cancellations may have been justified.
Making the Gift Seem Personal
One thing on a lot of people’s minds, when considering whether or not to buy a gift card from the website, is how personal the gift will seem, and this point should, therefore, certainly be considered in this gift cards.com review.
Obviously, if you are popping into a local shop to get a gift card, you can also get a card and write a personal message, but if you order an eGift card, this is not possible. Giftcards.com has you covered here, so you need not worry!
On the website, you can choose from a wide range of eCards to send alongside your gift card to make the present seem even more personal. Whether you think this neat touch is good enough is a matter of personal preference, but it is nice to know that giftcards.com has considered it and added a little bit of personality to shine through.
Related: How to Start a Business in Texas (Key Factors to Consider and a Checklist)
Finally, Is Giftcards.com Safe?
Our last point, and, for most people, the most important to consider: is giftcards.com safe? And, also, is giftcards.com legit?
It is very worrying to put your credit card information into a website that you have never used before, not knowing if you will receive your ordered item and whether or not your card details are safe.
Many people seem to have issues with their orders being rejected for security reasons as mentioned above but in these instances no money is taken from the accounts of the customers and the transaction simply does not take place. Although unusual, and often inconvenient, there is nothing dodgy going on when this happens.
Popular Article: How to Start a Cleaning Business (Tips to Starting a Cleaning Business)
Final Thoughts (Giftcards.com Review)
In summary of this giftcards.com review, I think that we can now confidently answer the question to “Is giftcards.com safe?” with a resounding yes.
The website is a genuine site offering a huge choice of gift cards all in one place. The appeal of the website is mainly in its convenience. You can order a last-minute gift for somebody or just browse hundreds of cards in one place. However, in order to maximize the appeal of this convenience and increase customer satisfaction, giftcards.com must improve the reliability of its website.
Long periods of unexplained downtime on the website and cancelled orders with no explanation will both frustrate customers and, in many cases, drive them to find an alternative. This was the case with many people I spoke to that had bad experiences with the site; they either went to get a gift card from the high street or found another online retailer of gift cards that would work for them.
If you are looking for a gift card, then you will struggle to find a better choice in a more convenient location than on giftcards.com. However, if you are unlucky enough to be one of the people who missed out due to cancelled orders or website issues, then simply move on and find another website offering a similar service as, at the present time, giftcards.com does not seem to be implementing any improvements to ensure that the website runs smoother.
AdvisoryHQ (AHQ) Disclaimer:
Reasonable efforts have been made by AdvisoryHQ to present accurate information, however all info is presented without warranty. Review AdvisoryHQ’s Terms for details. Also review each firm’s site for the most updated data, rates and info.
Note: Firms and products, including the one(s) reviewed above, may be AdvisoryHQ's affiliates. Click to view AdvisoryHQ's advertiser disclosures.