How to Ask For Gift Cards as Gifts

Gift cards are great presents because they allow you to give something without having to spend much time or effort. They also provide a convenient way to get someone to try out new things.

However, asking for a gift card can be tricky. If you don’t ask for them correctly, you risk being rejected.

Here are some ways to ask for gift cards effectively.

1. Be Specific

When you ask for a gift card, make sure that you are specific about what it is for and how you will use it. People are more willing to give a gift card if they have some idea what it is going towards. 

For example, if you want to purchase something really costly, that wouldn’t be possible for someone to give you, asking for gift cards to help towards that purchase makes it less awkward.

2. Make It Easy To Give You A Gift Card

If you know that your friend doesn’t like giving gifts, then you need to find a way to make it easy for them to do so. One of the easiest ways to do this is by making it easy for them to buy a gift card online. This means that they won’t have to go into the store and look around for something suitable. 

You can provide your email address in the gift list/registry to make digital gift cards incredibly easy. 

3. Don’t Request Any Specific Amount

Don’t let people know too much about you when you ask for a gift. The last thing you want is to come across as desperate or needy.

Plus by not asking for any specific amount, even friends that maybe can afford to give much feel welcome to do so.

Can You Ask for Gift Cards for a Wedding?

Yes! There are many ways to give wedding gifts, including cash, gift cards, and even flowers. If you want a gift card, follow the guidance above of providing some detail (you don’t have to be super specific) as to why you’re asking for gift cards instead of particular gifts. 

How Can I Ask for Cash or Gift Cards for My Wedding?

If you want to ask for cash or gift cards for your wedding, there’s no reason not to. You just need to be clear with your friends and family members on what kind of present you’d prefer and offering a reason why goes a long way.

Maybe you want those to help pay for excursions from your honeymoon fund, or perhaps you want to be able to buy items from traveling to remind you of your experience as well as the guests that made the purchase possible.

Will I get Cash or Gift Cards For My Wedding If I Don’t Ask?

You might, but if you provided any sort of gift registry for guests to shop off of, the likely hood of receiving gift cards or cash that wasn’t on the list is pretty low.

Gift Card Requests Wording Suggestions

If you’re not sure how to request gift cards give something like this a try:

While we appreciate any and all gifts, to make it easy for you and us we would love to receive gift cards to __________, so that we may ____________.

For example, While we appreciate any and all gifts, to make it easy for you and us we would love to receive Visa gift cards, so that we may enjoy some additional excursions on our honeymoon to the Bahamas.

Or if you would rather get gift cards at your baby shower, you could add the baby shower invitation: While we appreciate any and all gifts, to make it easy for you and us we would love to receive gift cards to BabiesRus so we can get what we need for our new baby as we go without needing to store everything at once.

If you’d like gift cards for your birthday, While we appreciate any and all gifts, to make it easy for you and us we would love to receive gift cards to the Apple store because I’m saving to purchase a new computer and any amount is helpful.

Here are some other common reasons you may want to ask for gift certificates, that make the request reasonable and not pushy when asking:

• You’re moving soon and don’t would rather not have more items to move
• You want something specific like a new video game, but are having trouble deciding which one
• You want to purchase an item with a big price tag and getting multiple gift cards of any amount would help, but asking someone to purchase the expensive item would be inappropriate
• You don’t have space for physical gifts, but monetary gifts will help digital purchases you’d like to make (ebooks, etc)
• You’d rather spend money on experiences rather than things, and cash gifts or gift cards make it much easier to do so.

Bottom Line

So whether you’re making your request on wedding invitations, baby shower guests, house warming party invites, or just regular birthday or holiday gift lists, there are many ways you can request a gift card or cash gift without sounding crass. Just keep in mind these three rules:

1. Be specific in that you would prefer a gift certificate or cash and why
2. Make it easy, let them know what stores you love to shop and provide an email address for easy e-gift giving
3. Don’t request any specific amount and be grateful for every single gift you receive.

Still struggling with how to request cash or gift cards – let us know why in the comments!