Virtual Gift Cards

How many times have you received a gift card and never redeem the entire amount?  As many as 20% of gift cards are never or partially used.

Virtual gift cards differ from traditional plastic ones because they're sent digitally and can often be tailored to any value, including small, unrounded amounts. Sometimes, they are delivered just as a shopper considers making a purchase.  These make it easier for consumers to send and redeem gifts, often in small amounts, by relying on e-mail, mobile phones, or a social-networking site.  That would benefit users  as well as merchants, which often can't recognize revenue from gift cards until they are used.  Additionally in late 2010, a website called Plastic Jungle, allows consumers to buy and sell unwanted gift cards.  It is said that virtual gift cards will take off in the next 3-5 years and could possibly steal transactions from credit cards and checks.