I’ve been called many things, but “great gift giver” is not one of them. Sad to say, I’ve often suspected my daughters of either returning, or just not using, a lot of the stuff I give them. This year, I just may make my life easier by giving gift cards. That way, I won’t spend hours buying the wrong gifts, and my kids can get what they like. I certainly won’t have a problem finding different cards to buy. Individual stores, restaurants and movie theaters offer them; shopping centers issue gift cards redeemable at various stores inside the mall; and finally, bank and credit card companies issue cards that can be used almost anywhere. But gift cards have a few problems. Before buying one, consider these tips from the Consumer Reports Shopping blog: &#149 Read the small print. Certain gift cards come with expiration dates, sometimes as soon as 12 months after date of issuance.A few states prohibit the selling of cards with expiration dates, but most do not. &#149 Look out for hidden fees, particularly with bank, credit card and mall-issued cards, it is not unusual for these cards to expire and then automatically start generating activation, maintenance, inactivity and transaction fees. &#149 Treat a gift card like cash. If you lose it, you’re out of luck unless you have proof of purchase. Even then, you may have to pay a reissuing fee for a new card. &#149 Avoid gift cards sold via online auction sites. It’s possible the gift card was purchased with a stolen credit card, is a fake or is worth less than the stated value. &#149 Avoid buying gift cards from display racks. In some instances, scammers have written down the serial numbers of gift cards, activated the card and wiped out the balance. If possible, buy a card from customer service.

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