The sixth annual event – on Saturday, Jan. 18 – will remind consumers to enjoy the gift of shopping by using the convenient little present that's too often forgotten.

BOCA RATON, Fla., Jan. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Gift cards were the most requested items on holiday wish lists this year, yet millions of dollars in shopping treasure could go to waste as recipients forget about the cards or misplace them. To prevent this unmerry mishap, National Use Your Gift Card Day is unwrapping its sixth annual campaign on Saturday, Jan. 18.

Held on the third Saturday of each January, the retail holiday reminds shoppers to use the $29.3 billion in gift cards they were expected to receive this year but are likely to overlook.

Some 43% of Americans have at least one unused gift card lingering in a drawer, wallet or email folder, worth an average of $244, the personal finance site Bankrate reported in September 2024.

"Everyone loves getting gift cards, which let you treat yourself after all the time you spent shopping for others," said Tracy Tilson, founder of National Use Your Gift Card Day. "But in all the excitement of the holidays, it's so easy to forget you received them. That's why we created a gift card holiday – to urge consumers to find and use the cards that are meant to be spent."

In its 2024 shopping forecast, the National Retail Federation found 53% of shoppers were hoping to receive gift cards – the top-requested gift in 2024, followed by clothing and accessories (49%), books and other media (28%) and personal care or beauty items (25%).  To those whose wish came true, National Use Your Gift Card Day recommends these tips for keeping track of the cards you received:

• Designate a safe spot for them and put each one there as soon as you receive it.
• Visit the websites of merchants whose cards you've been given, to find special deals to maximize your gift card and save money on purchases.
• Make a shopping or dining plan to use them, including when you'll go and what you'll buy.

"Whatever you choose to do with your cards, you can feel good knowing you're honoring the good wishes of those who gave them to you," Tilson said. "These presents were meant to be spent, and National Use Your Gift Card Day is here to help make sure they are."

Merchants who support the holiday include Macy's, Ace Hardware, and Applebee's.

About National Use Your Gift Card Day
National Use Your Gift Card Day is an American shopping holiday held on the third Saturday in January, reminding consumers to use unused gift cards before they are forgotten. The next observance is Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025.

Media contact:
Jackie Rodriguez
jrodriguez@tilsonpr.com

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SOURCE UseYourGiftCard.com