Service exchanges unwanted gift cards for cash

Now that the holiday gift-giving season has come to an end, it’s fairly certain there are many consumers around the world left holding gift cards they don’t really want. Enter GiftCardRescue, a service that provides a way out by allowing users to exchange their unwanted cards either for different ones or for cash. Consumers begin by creating an account and providing the details of the card they have; its value must be between USD 25 and USD 200. GiftCardRescue will then indicate the redemption value it’s willing to pay—typically between 60 percent and 80 percent of the card’s value. The consumer can then elect either to receive cash via PayPal, or they can select a new gift card from the site, up to the redemption value of their original card. Either way, they ship their card to GiftCardRescue, and the transaction concludes; if they’ve chosen to get a new card, that one is shipped out to them free. Maryland-based GiftCardRescue also sells gift cards at discounted prices. As beleaguered consumers around the world try to recover from their holiday spending, you can bet more than a few will be weighing the value of the gifts they received more carefully than ever. Help them make those gifts more useful, and you could receive some nice rewards yourself! 😉 (Related: Parties help guests sell their gold — Marketplace for jewelry from ex-boyfriends.) Spotted by: Juliana Loh