I admit I’ve been reluctant to jump on the gift card app bandwagon. I tend to just cram my gift cards into my wallet or stack them on my night table–but then I evidently realize oh hey…I’m at Target spending $90 and shoot, I have a $100 gift card sitting at home somewhere.
So I finally decided to give the new Gyft app a whirl and oof, I’m wondering where it’s been all my life!
Gyft is more than just a service that lets you buy and send digital gift cards to friends and family through your iPhone or Android phone, though certainly that’s a big part of it (and probably how they make their money). It also lets you store the existing cards you have digitally–a huge plus for me.
I checked it out and whoa, there are a lot of options in the database, from Amazon to Zappos with plenty of boutiques, restaurants, retailers and services in between. But even if you don’t see your card there, it’s a snap to add it, complete with an iPhone screenshot like I did with this (super old) Janie and Jack credit.
Adding your cards is seriously intuitive and the interface is fantastically user-friendly. It’s as simple as adding in the card number, PIN if there is one, amount and expiration.
You can even scan the card itself and keep the photo filed with all your info should you want a back-up plan–say, you type in one of those 87 numbers wrong (ahem, iTunes) or want the actual bar code on hand, just in case.
One thing I would love: if the app could add the ability to look up your gift card value for you once you provide the proper info. Otherwise you have to go to the website or call an 800 number, give your number, get your balance, then go back to the app to reenter it. Maybe with future updates?
Now if you’re you’re a big gift card giver, the app makes it super easy. You can sync with Facebook–or even just your built-in contact list–and your home screen right away tells you whose birthday is today and whose is coming up. (Happy birthday Casey!)
You’ll also find random little free gift cards on your home screen from Gyft, to get you to check out retail partners–which will have varying degrees of relevance. However it’s easy to delete if the teeny bikini shop isn’t getting business from you any time soon.
One more cool feature I really like about Gyft is the ability to regift a card right from your digital “wallet” – because who has to know it’s a regift, right?
I needed this app. Big time. –Liz
Visit Gyft.com and find links to download the mobile apps from iTunes and Google Play.
