I’ve often criticized gift cards as being impersonal and not always an appropriate gift and was ever so reminded of this when I came across a gift card promotional ad recently:

Visa Gift Cards make great anniversary gifts because they can be used in millions of places around the world. Give an anniversary gift card so the happy couple can use it to celebrate! Or buy a gift card for your husband or wife to celebrate your anniversary in style.

Choose from our anniversary gift card designs or opt to upload a picture and create your own personalized gift card for a unique gift.

Now, a suggestion to give a gift card to your wife as an anniversary gift is, to say kindly, a bad one.  I know my wife would seriously frown on such an impersonal gift for one of the most personal of occasions.  Plus, she knows that my money is our money (her money) anyways and giving her a gift card would be about the same as wrapping up something around the house as an anniversary gift.

Not a good idea.

On the other hand, the best occasion I can think of to give someone a gift card is to a couple that has just had a baby.  In particular, we have taken to giving a gift card or gift certificate to a restaurant delivery outfit that delivers from multiple local area restaurants.  Most areas have them.

If you’ve had kids, you know that the first few weeks are a little hard after a baby is born, especially for the first baby, and cooking a good meal is not always possible.  While it is nice the people often bring over meals to the new parents, sometimes it is nice to be able to pick up the phone and order something.