NATIONAL USE YOUR GIFT CARD DAY™ ON JANUARY 18TH REMINDS CONSUMERS USE THEIR GIFT CARDS

Three Women Holding Shopping Bags

NATIONAL USE YOUR GIFT CARD DAY™ ON JANUARY 18TH REMINDS CONSUMERS USE THEIR GIFT CARDS
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2019

Americans left $1 billion in gift cards unspent last year just by forgetting about them in wallets, purses or desk drawers. National Use Your Gift Card Day™ on January 18, 2020 reminds consumers to find those gift cards and remember to use them. The annual shopping “holiday” takes place on the third Saturday in January every year.

The timing of National Use Your Gift Card Day follows the holidays — when gift cards are on the top of the wish list. In fact, according to a consumer sentiment survey released by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics, gift cards ranked as the second-most given gift (56 percent) for the holidays in 2018.
“Although gift cards are a favorite gift, the fact that so many go unused sparked the concept of giving them their own special day,” said Tracy Tilson, Founder of UseYourGiftCard.com.™ “National Use Your Gift Card Day was developed not just as a one-day reminder to use gift cards, but as a year-round online platform with expert tips on how to maximize them.”

In addition to this helpful reminder day, UseYourGiftCard.com offers expert advice on how to get the most out of gift cards. The site is dedicated to helping consumers take full advantage of their gift cards with tips and tactics to organize gift cards and plan purchases.
The January 18th shopping date has already been recognized in the 2020 edition of Chase’s Calendar of Events. According to Chase’s Senior Editor Holly McGuire, “This observance joins such days as Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday, and others.”

Tilson offers these tips to help consumers remember to use their gift cards – on National Use Your Gift Card Day and all year long:

  1. Make a use-by date in your calendar.
  2. Store gift cards in the back pocket of your cell phone case or in the lanyard/holder where you keep your work ID so you have it front and center as a reminder.
  3. If you’ve just found a forgotten card, go online and use it right away!
  4. Use a clip to display gift cards prominently on your fridge.
  5. Put gift cards in your spare change/key dish so you see them regularly.

For more information, visit www.useyourgiftcard.com.