Run out of time to shop or worried about the crowds? Don’t worry — gift cards can save the day.
You’ve probably noticed that Christmas is just around the corner, and if you’re anything like me… you’re panicking. A mixture of not wanting to venture outside in the current climate (both pandemic and weather) and being just that distracted by a million emails and spreadsheets, I still need to buy presents for some key people. The answer is: gift cards. Wait, wait, wait… it’s different now. You can buy loads of different things that people are really into, and we’ve been taking a look at what kind of gift certificates are perfect for slipping into a stocking or bulking out the card that you attach to the actual present. What we’re suggesting here are either excellent choices that you can use as a ‘big present’ or things that will augment your giftee’s tech life: if they’ve got a smart TV, get them a Netflix subscription. Finally found a PS5 restock? A PlayStation voucher gives you PS Plus options, or a new game or service to allow them to do even more with what they’ve got. Even better, most of the options below include flexibility in terms of the amount you want to gift, which is great if you want something small, or go all out. So, including Netflix, PlayStation, and Audible gift cards, here are the best Christmas voucher gifts you should consider this year — but sadly, we can’t do much about the fact you can’t take of the price to make it seem like you spent more. If you’re stuck wondering what would make the perfect gift for that cousin you know very little about, an Amazon gift card ( UK here and Australia here) is an easy, they-can-buy-basically-anything choice. You can create a wishlist of choices you think they might like if you want to give them some ideas to get started, but ultimately they’ll probably just cash it in and forget about it, getting a lovely little surprise when they go to buy a new set of dishcloths and get them for free. We would suggest leaning on a number of the Amazon devices — for instance, the Fire TV Stick Lite is down to just $19.99 /£14.99 at the time of writing — the record price for the device in the UK, and $2 off the best in the US. I’d say to just buy them that — it’ll probably still get there in time for Christmas, depending on your territory — but they might want a 4K stick, like the Fire TV Stick 4K Max, so you’ll just annoy them. Go for the gift certificate option and you can select the amount you wish to spend and Amazon gives you a number of options for delivery; you can send it via email, text, or any messaging service that you have installed on your phone or tablet. I had someone who (boringly) asked for an Amazon gift card this year — so I got a physical one delivered to make sure he had something to open, but you can also print your own at home.
