7 Last Minute Gift Card Ideas (It’s Not Amazon or Starbucks)
As the shopping days dwindle before Christmas, we’re heading into the official “just give them an Amazon or Starbucks gift card” season. While there’s nothing wrong with these gift cards per se, cards for these two megacorporations in particular are given so often that they practically scream, “I panicked and got this at the last minute”—which is exactly what you don’t want. last minute gift.
Not only are Amazon and Starbucks predictable choices, but neither company is particularly union-friendly, so you might want to avoid giving money to union busters. So skip Amazon and Starbucks and shake up your gift card game with any of these great gift card alternatives.
Bookstore.org
Giving a book lover an Amazon gift card at this point is something of a faux pas. If you don’t know the bookworm on your list well enough to choose the perfect title for it, then a Bookshop.org gift card is just what you need. Bookshop sources all of its books from independent bookstores, so you’re supporting small booksellers, not Jeff Bezos.
Goldenbell
Delivering yourself a sandwich from Pittsburgh or a deep-dish pizza from Chicago is so indulgent it’s hard to justify, which is why a Goldbelly gift card makes such a fun gift. This is the perfect excuse to splurge a little, and even a person who seems to have tried every restaurant on the planet is sure to find something completely new.
Jeni’s Great Ice Cream
If Goldbelly is great for equal-opportunity food lovers, it’s for true ice cream fans. Jeni’s makes some of the best ice cream I’ve ever tasted and they ship nationwide. (The minimum delivery size is four pints, however, so keep that in mind.) A digital gift card would make the perfect choose-your-own-adventure gift for your favorite ice cream lover—and if you ask nicely, maybe they’ll share.
Jigsaw puzzles
If you know someone who loves puzzles, a Jiggy Puzzles gift card is just what you need. This company makes cute puzzles in 100, 450, or 800 piece sizes, so there’s something for all ages. Another cool detail: Each puzzle comes with puzzle glue so the recipient can keep the finished piece of their choice and frame it as a piece of art.
Subscribe to the Criterion Channel
The Criterion Channel is the best streaming site for movie lovers, and they simply offer a gift subscription . Their offerings change monthly and include curated themed collections, director interviews, and archival footage—in other words, everything you can’t get from Netflix and Hulu. (If your movie lover prefers physical media to streaming, you can also give them a physical or digital gift card to the Criterion Collection store so they can stock up on DVDs.)
Subscribe to 1Password
Not everyone will be excited about a password manager subscription for Christmas, but if you know someone who would be excited to buy one, now is the time to buy it; The best deals usually appear during the winter holidays. 1Password is a great product, and it offers $25, $50, or $125 gift cards , so you can choose the right level of commitment.
eBay
The niche hobbyist who already has everything he needs (and buys himself everything he wants) is deeply disappointed in his purchase. This is an ideal use case for an eBay gift card . Whatever weird things they’re into—model trains, vintage sports memorabilia, limited-edition Margaritaville Crocs and the like—they’re more likely to find it on eBay than on Amazon. Why not go straight to the source?