Seriously. Last December, my hospital employer gave all of us $50 Amex “Gift Cheques.” Mine is sitting right in front of me as I ponder where in the world I’m going to use it and what I’m going to do with it.
Apparently, our employer thought that this would be a better idea than giving us gift-cards (ok, I’m with you on this I guess) because they can be theoretically used anywhere and don’t expire and better than an extra paycheck or an extra $50 in the paycheck. Um, no.
It’s certainly shiny, gold, and pretty, but it’s also sitting around and taunting me.
You see, I manage all my money either at ATMs or online. I use the self-check out (because I’m a good scanner from all the library work) and I always pay by debit card or cash (not check) to avoid holding up the line. Or I buy things online.
But this check must be received by a cashier, either at a bank or a store. It cannot be redeemed online or deposited into an ATM.
So what my employer gave me is actually a headache. One of these days, I suppose that I’m going to go to our fancier Giant (no difference in price but better selection and more helpful employees) at a less-busy time and use it. Apparently if I don’t spend the whole $50, I get the rest in cash, so at least it’s a one-time headache.
I prize efficiency and not getting in people’s way. I don’t want to use the bank because it’s very inefficient for me to drive across town. It’s also time-consuming since there’s always a line and I’ll be holding up the other people in that line just because my employer couldn’t put it with my regular paycheck or give me something I could use elsewhere. Or I’ll spend more time in line at the Giant and hold up people there as the clerk follows the redemption procedures. Heaven help us if I get a clerk that has no clue what to do with it (though the instructions are on the back).
What were you thinking, employer? I could have used this money months ago if only it had been in a check I could deposit or even an Amex gift card I could use. It would have cost you less to print the checks yourself and been less logistically difficult, I expect.
I have half a mind to take it to the library, use it to buy a $1.00 used book, and then get cash back from a sympathetic coworker. However, we rarely have more than $50 in our till, so that wouldn’t work.
I don’t like creating hassle in the world when I don’t have to. I don’t like it for me and I don’t like it for others. But if I want this $50, I have no choice.
So if you have thought of giving your friend, relative, or employee an American Express Gift Cheque, I strongly ask you to consider both these questions:
a) Do ALL the recipients frequently go to their banks?
b) Do ALL the recipients pay for things by check anyway?
If neither answer is yes, then abstain. Find another way to give the money. I would suggest giving cash (or a check) in one of those red envelopes if you want to make it look pretty and special. And if you’re an employer of thousands, I can guarantee that not all your employees do either. And that many handle their banking/spending the way I do.
And if you’ve been given an American Express Gift Cheque and ran across this article hoping to find a loophole, I’m sorry to report that there are none. You must use it in front of a clerk, you may not deposit it in an ATM or use it online.
20 responses so far ↓
1 A.J. // Aug 4, 2008 at 11:28 am
Treat yourself to something nice. Buy something pretty.
It’s what I would do.
2 Francois // Aug 4, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Give it to your boss for his birthday.
3 Francois // Aug 4, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Also - my thoughts. Any gift card is actually a silly gift. Well intentioned, but silly.
It is in-effect a no-interest-loan you make to whoever you buy the gift-card from.
Not only that, but it is also a guaranteed profit for the store/institution you buy the gift-card from, because the card can only be used with that store.
It’s no small wonder stores like selling gift-cards so much!
4 Jesse // Aug 4, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Feel free to send it to me
5 Aryn // Aug 4, 2008 at 1:23 pm
If you hit the grocery store on a Saturday or Sunday morning, the line will be very short, so you won’t have to worry about holding it up. I suggest using it when you need to stock up on detergents, paper towels, etc. It’s amazing how quickly you can burn through $50 when you’re not buying food!
6 Gretchen // Aug 4, 2008 at 1:32 pm
While it may be a pain, it is better than having it added to your paycheck - then taxes would be taken out.
7 Jon // Aug 4, 2008 at 2:09 pm
I don’t see why cashing it at a grocery store (by buying a sub $1 item) is *that* much trouble.
8 Caro // Aug 4, 2008 at 2:11 pm
Gretchen hit the nail on the head. As a non-standard part of your paycheck, an extra $50 would be taxed as a bonus, so you would have more taken out of it than a normal paycheck. (You would get some of this additional back with your tax return, of course.)
In addition, often if you buy a lot of these sort of checks, you can get a deal on the fee they charge…and maybe that fee was less than the one on individual credit cards. And on top of that, some unions and such have policies on what sorts of gifts can be given to employees outside of payroll.
Not that it makes the gift check any less of a pain…but you’ll get to it eventually. I advise not worrying about the people behind you in line at the store. You can even go to customer service at the beginning of your shopping trip to make sure you know what the process is, and they may even be able to suggest the best, most experienced cashier to use to make things go smoother. Everyone understands sometimes there is a holdup for non-standard types of things. Anyone who is overly upset about it is either having a bad day having nothing to do with you, or is an unpleasant person anyway.
9 Rebecca // Aug 4, 2008 at 3:01 pm
Take it to your bank to cash it. Then, you can save it or use it!
10 Laura In Atlanta // Aug 4, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Redeeming with a cashier it doesn’t take THAT long . . . good grief.
Go and spend it at Giant. Be happy . . . it’s $50! But yah . . . buck up and go to the bank and deposit there, sorry the drive is a long one . . . but goodness, it’s $50 smackeroos! It’s been sitting around since Christmas? Think of the interest it could have accrued if you deposited it! 
11 deepali // Aug 4, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Girl, are you complaining about free (and tax-free!) money?
Send it to me, I’ll take care of it!
It’s not a major inconvenience at a grocery store really - but I like the idea posited above about asking the customer service people which line to use, etc. Most people wouldn’t be so considerate.
And if “across town” = “across the metro area”, then it’s not worth depositing it. You’ll probably pay $50 in stop-and-go traffic!
12 hank // Aug 4, 2008 at 7:44 pm
I hear you on the “I do everything online” bit. I don’t have cash on hand ever. What I’d do is go through the standard grocery line, but the cheapest thing with the check and then the rest of the groceries with your card.
I go to a place that conveniently has an ATM at the store too, the remaining $ goes in there - one stop shopping…
13 Evelyn // Aug 5, 2008 at 7:56 am
Here is all I am getting out of your post today … you get $50 FREE money from your employer and you are complaining because you feel put out that you have to interact with a person to redeem the money. Yeah, I just don’t get your point. It’s FREE money.
14 Jenna // Aug 5, 2008 at 9:58 am
Wow.
I would donate this. Find someone in a grocery store with three screaming kids and a look of I-just-can’t-deal-with-this-right-now.
You never know, that headache for you could be the nicest thing you could do for someone else!
15 C // Aug 5, 2008 at 10:24 am
I agree with the others.
You’re actually complaining that your employer gave you $50?!?
So if it is such a burden… give it to someone who will appreciate it.
16 mrsmicah // Aug 5, 2008 at 12:44 pm
It actually was taxed, which was the strangest thing. They gave me a paycheck for $0 with an attached stub saying that I was paid “x” amount which, minus taxes, came to $50. So payroll still had to deal with it. And it was taxed. That $0 check could have easily
Evelyn, I hope one takeaway is that people will consider ease of access when they give money. Like if you give someone a puppy…it’s FREE puppy, but it requires food and care and all kinds of hassle. In the long-run a check requires less effort, but it’s like being given a puppy and realizing that you now have to buy dog food and whatnot.
17 Beth // Aug 6, 2008 at 10:34 am
Puhleeeaase!!! A puppy, A trip all the way across town to cash $50 is no where near the hassle.
I like the idea of donating it, since you obviously don’t need it (or appreciate it, give it to someone who would).
18 deepali // Aug 6, 2008 at 5:07 pm
well, i think people are being a bit harsh, but there is a point here. if it were your paycheck or something you budgeted, it would definitely be a hassle. but since it is more like a windfall, you can decide how much of a hassle it really it is. too much, and you can give it away - you won’t miss it. but if you can use the extra $50, then yeah, suck it up and go to the grocery store.
19 fathersez // Aug 7, 2008 at 4:32 am
At least it is a one time headache, and perhaps a small one.
Maybe your boss thought you needed to know that people actually go to banks…..hehe
I am sure your boss meant well.
Cheers
20 mrsmicah // Aug 7, 2008 at 10:13 am
It’s kind of amusing to watch the vehemence of some of these reactions…my overall purpose in writing this was so that people searching and thinking about giving gift cheques would take a moment to evaluate whether the recipient will be able to use them easily or not. I’m sure some givers don’t even know the mechanics of cashing them.
And of course, that people who’d received them would be able to find accurate info about the only two ways you can use them (since I had to check online to find out that these really are the only two ways). Maybe even feel a little camaraderie if they felt this was a frustrating set-up.
I may have gotten a little bit…carried away…over something which has only mildly irritated me every time I see it and consider the 1+ hour round-trip to a bank (plus gas) or how I never feel like “today’s a good day to hold up a line!” However, I’ll probably either take it all to the fabric store and just buy myself quilting stuff or if I can’t bring myself to do that I’ll slip it (unsigned at all) in the offering plate at church. I’ve never signed it (which you do twice) on the off-chance that I’ll just give it away.
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