Time is ticking down to Dec. 25, and if you haven't found the perfect Christmas or Hanukkah gift for someone, maybe it's time to let your family member or friend figure it out for themselves.
It's not the most unique gift, but it's expected to remain the most popular. Yes, Americans' spending on gift cards is expected to hit a new high of $308 billion this year, according to Javelin Strategy & Research.
And perhaps it won't get used. Two out of every five adults said they had an unused gift card, according to a recent Bankrate survey. They calculated that all the unused gift card balances average out to $244 per person.
But if you can live with both those caveats, let's do some 11th-hour window shopping for gift cards based on a recent study by WalletHub. The personal-finance website compared cards from the 50 most popular retailers and credit card issuers based on attributes such as popularity, average discount and fees.
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Looking at the list of names in the most popular cards, it's clear we like to give friends or family members versatility. WalletHub projected which will likely to be the most popular gift cards this year, and they expect Amazon's and Visa's cards to retain the top two spots.
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Nearly complete versatility comes at a price, though. The three most expensive $100 gift cards on WalletHub's list are from major credit card companies with fees as high as $6.90. Some retailers offer discounts off the face value of the card, which can make up some or all of the fees.
If you want your money to go a little further this year, and you're not so concerned about limited options, you may want to consider a local or national restaurant or an entertainment-focused card. Many restaurants offer discounts that as much as 16% off off the face value such as Sonic.
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WalletHub combined popularity, fees and discounts with the cards' average resale value and the retailer rating to create a single score and determine which are the overall best cards this year. Amazon, Sephora and Target earned the top scores while American Express, Smoothie King and Master Card fell to the bottom.
In the list below, you can search or sort (using the column headers) the gift cards in the WalletHub survey:
WalletHub warns in its report to make sure you determine whether you're purchasing a gift card or prepaid card. While the two cards are often sold in stores on the same racks, they are different. Gift cards have a finite life, lasting until you use up the balance. Prepaid cards, though, can be reloaded, but that frequently comes at the cost of additional fees.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Best gift cards of 2024: Most popular and best deals ranked