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EPISODE 42 ~ SAVE MORE: Gift Card Exchange: Learn How To Buy Other People’s Unwanted Gift Cards For 30% Discounts

Save more money with The Easy Money Show

I love it when one guest can help me with two topics. George recently taught us how to make money selling gift cards and now he’ll stick with me, because now we’re going to talk about how Raise can help people SAVE money!

First off, How does Raise assure the gift cards people buy are legitimate?

Raise has multiple protocols in place to detect and prevent potential fraudulent behavior on our platform by analyzing all cards, sellers and buyers on the marketplace. We’ve also developed leading technology to compare customers’ behavioral attributes against merchants’ data to prevent many forms of gift card abuse. Buyers and sellers who engage in fraudulent behavior are removed from the platform. Unlike other gift card marketplaces, Raise offers a 1-year money-back guarantee on all gift cards with every purchase, so you can rest easy when making a purchase on our platform.

What is the biggest benefit of BUYING gift cards on Raise?  

By buying discounted gift cards on Raise, consumers can save money on everyday items from 3,800 national brands.  All of these savings add up fast, so you can make your money worth more in every facet of your life.

What kinds of discounts are we talking about?

Our gift cards go for as much as 30 percent off, which means you save 30 percent when you shop with that gift card.  Users can combine our deals with sale prices and store coupons to save even more.

Do I have to wait for a gift card to arrive in the mail or can I use the gift card number and cash in immediately?

Users can redeem their gift cards immediately by opening the Raise mobile app and either typing in a code online or showing the barcode on their phone at checkout in-store — no need to worry about forgetting gift cards at home in a drawer.

In addition to providing a marketplace for people to buy and sell gift cards to each other, you also partner directly with some retailers, right?

Raise also partners directly with 400 retailers, including Dell, Barnes & Noble, Subway, Overstock.com and many more, who provide cards directly to buyers through Raise.

How much have Raise gift card buyers saved so far?

Raise members have saved $140 million to date.

George Bousis, founder and CEO of Raise, thank you so much for joining me on Easy Money.  And George also provided a guest blog post and a video that show you the big bucks people are making and saving using Raise.  Those are available now at EasyMoneyShow.com/42.

George, before I let you go, the other topic we talk about on Easy Money is how to find your unclaimed money.  So I often search for my guests, just to show how common unclaimed money is.  And guess what?  I found some unclaimed money accounts for you! 

The state of Illinois is holding money for a George Bousis, from DePaul University.  I checked and you did go to DePaul, right? 

Congrats, DePaul University turned over at least a hundred dollars for you.  Could be $101 or could be much more because Illinois only posts online whether your unclaimed money is more or less than $100.  Any idea what that could be from?

But wait, there’s more!  There is also unclaimed money waiting for you from AT&T.  This one is less than $100.  To claim your money, just go to the free website MissingMoney.com.

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EPISODE 32 ~ MAKE MORE: Gift Card Exchange: 5 Ways To Make The Most Out Of Your Unwanted Gift Cards This Holiday Season

If you received gift cards this holiday season to stores that just aren’t your thing, they don’t have to sit unused in a drawer.  You can sell them, exchange them, swap them, donate them and more.  Let’s take those in turn:

  1. Sell it.  There are two main websites where you can sell gift cards and they have different business models.  First is cardpool.com, which will buy your gift cards from you on the spot.  The site typically pays 75 to 90 percent of the gift card’s value.  The more popular the store, the higher the payout.  Cardpool even has physical locations, often in grocery stores, if you want your cash fast.  The other site is called Raise and its more of a marketplace for you to sell your gift card to other consumers.  You’ll have to prove your gift card is legit by entering the serial number and other information, but then you can set your own price and see how you do.  Raise takes a 12 percent commission when your gift card sells.  I will link you to both of these sites from easymoneyshow.com/32.
  1. Exchange it. This is a Target offering.  The mega-chain would like you to spend your money at ITS stores instead of somewhere else, so Target allows you to trade in gift cards at most of its stores.  I’ll link you to Target’s list of stores it will accept gift cards from.  You’ll receive a portion of the gift card’s value on, you guessed it, a gift card —but it will be a Target gift card.
  1. Swap it. Organize a swap at your office, your kid’s school or in your neighborhood.  This way you can get the face value of your gift card, if a neighbor is willing to swap or pay for it. 

4)  Donate it.  Yes!  Tons of charities accept gift cards.  And you can get the tac deduction.  Just ask your favorite charity if it does this. If not, CharityGiftCertificates.org has more than a thousand non profit organizations to choose from.  OR, another idea, use the gift card to buy items that charities need! 

5)   FInal idea: Buy gifts with it.  Don’t shoot the messenger.  Even high flying etiquette experts say this is OK.  AND, think of this: the person who bought you this gift card obviously likes this store.  Wait a while and then buy them a gift from the store!

If you received gift cards this holiday season to stores that just aren’t your thing, they don’t have to sit unused in a drawer.  You can sell them, exchange them, swap them, donate them and more.  Let’s take those in turn:

  1. Sell it.  There are two main websites where you can sell gift cards and they have different business models.  First is cardpool.com, which will buy your gift cards from you on the spot.  The site typically pays 75 to 90 percent of the gift card’s value.  The more popular the store, the higher the payout.  Cardpool even has physical locations, often in grocery stores, if you want your cash fast.  The other site is called Raise and its more of a marketplace for you to sell your gift card to other consumers.  You’ll have to prove your gift card is legit by entering the serial number and other information, but then you can set your own price and see how you do.  Raise takes a 12 percent commission when your gift card sells.  I will link you to both of these sites from easymoneyshow.com/32.
  1. Exchange it. This is a Target offering.  The mega-chain would like you to spend your money at ITS stores instead of somewhere else, so Target allows you to trade in gift cards at most of its stores.  I’ll link you to Target’s list of stores it will accept gift cards from.  You’ll receive a portion of the gift card’s value on, you guessed it, a gift card —but it will be a Target gift card.
  1. Swap it. Organize a swap at your office, your kid’s school or in your neighborhood.  This way you can get the face value of your gift card, if a neighbor is willing to swap or pay for it. 

4)  Donate it.  Yes!  Tons of charities accept gift cards.  And you can get the tac deduction.  Just ask your favorite charity if it does this. If not, CharityGiftCertificates.org has more than a thousand non profit organizations to choose from.  OR, another idea, use the gift card to buy items that charities need! 

5)   FInal idea: Buy gifts with it.  Don’t shoot the messenger.  Even high flying etiquette experts say this is OK.  AND, think of this: the person who bought you this gift card obviously likes this store.  Wait a while and then buy them a gift from the store!

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