CNBC Select looks at ways to avoid gift card scams and how to get your money back should you fall victim to one.

Shoppers planned to buy three to four gift cards, spending about $50 per card, the group said, boosting total gift-card spending in 2023 to $29.3 billion, up from $28.6 billion last year.

You won't receive any money until someone buys your gift card. GCX imposes a 15% fee for the privilege of using its site to sell your card. In other words, the best possible return is 85 cents on ...

The Better Business Bureau of Western Michigan says scammers are manipulating gift cards in-store to take money from consumers. To stream 13OYS on your phone, you need the 13OYS app.

And it found 1 in 3 of us have lost money due to gift cards that have expired, been lost or came from retailers that went out of business. "Go out and use those gift cards," Hunter advised.

3. Phony balance-checking sites. If it's been a while since you've used a gift card or you can't remember how much money is on it, you may need to check the balance.

More than just a convenience, gift cards can be a safety net for last-minute shoppers and a fallback for hard-to-please giftees. These days, they can also be a source of worry-free gifting that ...

As presents, gift cards have issues, including the $27 billion of unspent gift cards in the U.S. But buying discounted gift cards for one's own use is a personal finance hack that saves money.

Many gift cards these days are turning out to have been already drained. Bill Sampson has a collection of unused gift cards. "I got a Home Depot card off the rack all wrapped up in cardboard," he ...

Gift cards are an easy last-minute holiday gift. But it turns out not all gift cards are created equal. Some you can buy at a discount, while others come with a fee you weren't expecting to pay.

As we head into the holiday shopping season this fall, there's no bigger waste of your money than purchasing a gift card that's worth nothing at all. Unfortunately, buying an already-drained or ...