Saving money is not always easy. Many of us have to weigh a cost of time : benefit ratio. It’s got to be simple, foolproof, and secure. We do our best to make the gift card-swap process as easy as it can be. Plus, Plastic Jungle offers a few ways to redeem your gift card. You can exchange your unused gift card for an Amazon.com Gift Card; for cold, hard cash; to fund a PayPal account; and you can even exchange your gift card for Facebook Credits.

More stores are taking PayPal as a method of payment on their websites. For example, the Abercrombie & Fitch network of clothing stores that also includes Hollister Co., and Gilly Hicks. While you can’t use the same gift card to pay at all three sites, you can use a PayPal account as payment at checkout at each of these stores. It becomes really efficient to exchange a gift card for instant PayPal account funding on Plastic Jungle and check out at Hollister in the same day you make the gift card swap.

Other online merchants who accept PayPal as payment include: Sears, Walmart, Best Buy, eBay, newegg.com, Delta Airlines, 1800Flowers.com, Zappos and many more. The PayPal Store Directory will give you a complete list of retailers who accept PayPal for payment.

Check the Plastic Jungle “Sell Gift Cards” page to see what the exchange value will be for your unused gift card.

Plastic Jungle’s Top 10 Gift Cards for January 2011 (in reverse order)

10. iTunes (down from #4 in December)

Check Plastic Jungle for Discounted iTunes Gift Cards >>

9. Nordstrom

Check Plastic Jungle for Discounted Nordstrom Gift Cards >>

8. Kohl’s

Check Plastic Jungle for Discounted Kohl’s Gift Cards >>

7. Apple Store

Check Plastic Jungle for Discounted Apple Store Gift Cards >>

6. Macy’s (down from #2 in December)

Check Plastic Jungle for Discounted Macy’s Gift Cards >>

5. Best Buy (up from #9 in December)

Check Plastic Jungle for Discounted Best Buy Gift Cards Now

4. Lowe’s (up from #10 in December)

Check Plastic Jungle for Discounted Lowe’s Gift Cards >>

Check Plastic Jungle for Discounted Target Gift Cards >>

2. Home Depot (up from #5 in December)

Check Plastic Jungle for Discounted Home Depot Gift Cards >>

Check Plastic Jungle for Discounted Walmart Gift Cards >>

View gift cards you loved in January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, Fall 2010, and December 2010.

As the web’s largest secured gift card exchange, we’ve seen the volume of gift cards exchanged on our site rise exponentially in the past year (see our Plastic Jungle blog post with figures). It’s exciting to see consumers finding great ways to save money time and time again.

During the holidays, we found that the top ten gift cards purchased on our site were from versatile retailers with many product lines to offer. Clearly, we’ve got a hot market if you’re willing to sell any of these gift cards. Check the Plastic Jungle “Sell Gift Cards” page to see what your exchange value will be.

Plastic Jungle’s Top 10 Gift Cards (in reverse order)

December 2010

10. Lowe’s

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9. Best Buy

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8. Target

Check Plastic Jungle for Discounted Target Gift Cards Now

7. Kmart

Check Plastic Jungle for Discounted Kmart Gift Cards Now

6. Lands’ End

Check Plastic Jungle for Discounted Lands’ End Gift Cards Now

5. Home Depot

Check Plastic Jungle for Discounted Home Depot Gift Cards Now

4. iTunes

Check Plastic Jungle for Discounted iTunes Gift Cards Now

3. Sears

Check Plastic Jungle for Discounted Sears Gift Cards Now

2. Macy’s

1. Walmart

Check Plastic Jungle for Discounted Walmart Gift Cards Now

View gift cards you loved in January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, and Fall 2010.

Where do you love to shop (and save money)?

Because the cards are interchangeable, you can use this information to check the balance on Gift Cards from all Gap, Inc. Brands:

•Gap    •Old Navy       •Banana Republic      •Athleta          •Piperlime.com

When you look at it, about 1.3 million people “Like” Gap stores on Facebook. That’s a lot of people – and helps demonstrate the versatility of the apparel-maker’s easy style. With that many customers even willing to say it out loud, it’s likely you, or at least one of your friends, like Gap brands too.

By keeping inventory fresh in stores and online, Gap keeps shoppers’ interest piqued; lucky for us bargain hunters it means they’re also clearing out stock on a regular basis with sales from 20-70% off (see their “Sale” tab at Gap.com)  – not to mention the hot clearance deals to be found at GapOutlets and GapFactory stores. (See the Store Locator link, below.)

Discounts at Gap and Gap.com
Need to know what Gap’s promotions are on right now? Go to the store-affiliated Gap-Coupons.com blog for the latest on Gap sales and deals: this includes discount offers, free shipping offers, sales, coupons, deals and of course, Gap news.

Still, you can get an even bigger bargain when you buy a discounted gift card from Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, Athleta, or Piperlime.com here at Plastic Jungle. On Plastic Jungle, the cards will ship for free and have no fees. So set an alert on any or all of these interchangeable gift cards, and you’ll be the first to know when the gift cards come into Plastic Jungle inventory, and a fresh discount is to be had.

One Card, So Many Apparel Options
That’s right: the Gap GiftCard may be redeemed for merchandise at any Gap brand, Old Navy, Banana Republic, or Athleta location, including GapOutlet and GapFactory stores. Gap GiftCards may also be redeemed for merchandise at gap.com, oldnavy.com, bananarepublic.com, piperlime.com or athleta.com. The cards from all five retailers are interchangeable. For more information specific to eGift Cards, go to the Gap Brands eGift Card FAQ page.

Checking the Balance on a Gap GiftCard or eGiftcard

ONLINE: Go to the Gap GiftServices page where you’ll be able to check balance in a few clicks. Or, you can check the balance on a gift card on the Billing Page in “Checkout” or in “Your Account”. In both places, you will see a link to “Check Balance.” You can then enter the 16-digit gift card number and the 4-digit PIN on the back of your card and click “Check Balance”.

IN-STORE: Check the Gap Store Locator (includes GapOutlet)

BY PHONE: Gap Customer Service: 1-800-427-7895 (1-800-GAP-STYLE)

Sell or Exchange Your Gap GiftCard or eGiftCard
Once you’ve acquired your Gap GiftCard balance, you can sell or exchange your Gap brand gift card to Plastic Jungle. At Plastic Jungle, you can also trade your Gap GiftCard for an Amazon.com Gift Card, Facebook credits (on Facebook.com), and even fund your PayPal account.

To know how much your Gap Gift Card is worth in exchange on Plastic Jungle, on the main page, click “Sell Gift Cards” at the top of the page. Look up “Gap”, enter the gift card balance you’ve just acquired, and you’ll see instantly what your gift card balance is worth in cash or trade.

Check other Plastic Jungle blog posts for the same “Check Your Gift Card Balance” information for other stores, including Sears, Land’s End, Macy’s, Best Buy, Lowe’s, and more.

One of the hottest gifts this past holiday season was the “e-reader” device. Or is it “eReader”? Or “ereader” maybe. e-Readers translate digital e-books (or eBooks?) so you don’t have to carry around all those paper things.

In any case, pundits (including news outlet MSNBC.com) are estimating that the electronic book devices will be even more popular in 2011 and beyond. Barnes & Noble is a leader in the pack of multitudes with their premier e-reader, the Nook and the NookColor (rated an “Editor’s Choice” by CNET). There are over 2 million digital books available for the Nook or NookColor.

Barnes & Noble Gift Cards are good for books, textbooks, dvds, video games, magazines and tons of gifts!

I’ve got about five or six B&N gift cards with random balance amounts scattered around the house. I’m going to gather up all those gift cards and see what get for them collectively at www.bn.com. Perhaps if not the reader, a few e-books, a magazine or e-magazine subscription, the entire Twilight series set in hardcover, the darn college-level Webster’s Dictionary I’ve been meaning to have around for the kids to expand their horizons with… but what the kids want is new DVDs, video games and graphic novels.

Well, I’ll also check the huge bn.com sale going on right now too, with 50% off “thousands” of titles they say.

Then I’m going to buy a discount gift card from Plastic Jungle in the amount I need for a NookColor. If I buy today, I can save 9%! I’m getting a discount on an item that doesn’t go on sale!

Check the Balance on Your Barnes & Noble Gift Cards and eGift Cards

PHONE: 1-800-295-3029

ONLINE: Check the balance of your Barnes & Noble gift card or Barnes & Noble egift card

IN-STORE: Check the store locator for a retail location near you, or you can also go to Barnes & Noble College bookstores

B&N Gift Card Customer Service: If you’re curious about your Barnes & Noble Gift Card, eGift Card, or Gift Certificate, check out their Gift Card Terms & Conditions page.

Selling Gift Cards
Once you’ve acquired your balance, you can easily and securely sell your Barnes & Noble Gift Card to Plastic Jungle, and save yourself the hassle of carrying around unused money. At Plastic Jungle, you can cash in your Barnes & Noble Gift Card and have the funds deposited directly in your PayPal account. The next step is to send in your physical card using our free pre-paid postage and after processing, you should receive a check in a matter of days.

Exchanging Gift Cards
You can also exchange the gift card for an Amazon.com Gift Card. If you play games on Facebook, you can use Plastic Jungle’s gift card exchange application on Facebook to turn your gift card into Facebook Credits (you should be logged into Facebook to access the app).

To know how much your Barnes & Noble Gift Card is worth in exchange on Plastic Jungle, at the top of the main page, click “Sell Gift Cards”. Look up Barnes & Noble, enter the gift card balance you’ve just acquired, and you’ll see instantly what your gift card balance is worth in cash or trade.

Check other Plastic Jungle blog posts for the same “Check Your Gift Card Balance” information for other stores, including Sears, Land’s End, Macy’s, Best Buy, Lowe’s, and more.

‘Tis the season for returning, and if you’ve just returned a gift and don’t have the heart to get back in there and surf the sales, you might take advantage of the fact that many people do, creating a hot market for the gift card you now hold.

JCPenney Gift Cards can pay for salon services in some areas, too!

Take JCPenney, for example. This mid-priced department store, catalog and online store has hot bargains daily on great brands including Levi’s, Sephora cosmetics, and Liz Claiborne. JCPenney is also a top store for Big & Tall men’s clothing. Some of their retail stores even feature specialty services including salons, custom decorating and portrait picture taking.

The JCPenney Gift Card is redeemable for merchandise or services (excluding gift cards) at JCPenney Stores in the United States or Puerto Rico, jcp.com and JCPenney catalog.

Check your JCPenney Gift Card or JCPenney e-Gift Card Balance

PHONE: 1-800-322-1189

ONLINE: Check the balance of your JCPenney gift card or e-gift card

IN-STORE: Check the store locator for a location near you

Once you’ve acquired your balance, you can easily and securely sell your JCPenney Gift Card to Plastic Jungle, and save yourself the hassle of carrying around unused money. At Plastic Jungle, you can cash in your JCPenney Gift Card or eGift Card and have the funds deposited directly in your PayPal account – often instantly! You can also exchange the gift card for an Amazon.com Gift Card or choose to be paid in cash (via check). If you play games on Facebook, you can use Plastic Jungle’s gift card exchange application on Facebook to turn your gift card into Facebook Credits (you should be logged into Facebook before you search).

To know how much your JC Penney Gift Card is worth in exchange on Plastic Jungle, on the main page, click “Sell Gift Cards” at the top of the page. Look up JC Penney, enter the gift card balance you’ve just acquired, and you’ll see instantly what your gift card balance is worth in cash or trade.

Check other Plastic Jungle blog posts for the same “Check Your Gift Card Balance” information for other stores, including Sears, Land’s End, Macy’s, Best Buy, Lowe’s, and more.

Check the JCPenney Store Locator for one near you.

Tips for Big Savings at JCPenney

If paying full retail is never on your agenda, then this blog: JCPenney Coupons is your hot source for finding JCPenney coupon codes, discount codes and free shipping deals. You’ve also got to check Plastic Jungle to see if any discounted JC Penney gift cards are up for grabs — right now, you can save up to 14% on the gift card alone. Pair that with a coupon and/or free shipping offer, and you’re officially a savvy shopper.

Really, JCPenney itself is a great source for everyday deals. Check out their Clearance page for discounts up to 80% off!

JCPenney posts their weekly ads online so you can see what’s on sale now. You can also have sale alerts and coupons and offers sent to your mobile phone or your email inbox, when you sign up by clicking the buttons on the JCP.com homepage.

Apple makes it easy for you to give the gift of technology. Check out the help on their Gifting Page to discover the many ways you can give an Apple gift card for use toward an iPad, iPhone, MacBook, and all the fun Apple devices. Get a deal on an Apple Store gift (or purchase!) by buying discounted gift cards right here on the web’s largest secured gift card exchange.

Delicious! Get discounts on the Apple Store Gift Card at Plastic Jungle.

The Apple Store is an online technology treasure chest for everyone from teachers to professionals to kids getting their first iMac for school. Apple Store retail locations are incredibly fun places to play with the hottest and latest technology-made-friendly. Shop Mac computers (MacBooks, iMacs, Mac Pro), iPhones, iPods, iPads, and accessories. You can also get a ton of help and support online and in-store.

Hot Tip: The Apple gift card is not interchangeable with iTunes gift cards. You can’t use an Apple gift card toward iTunes purchases. BUT you can use an Apple gift card to purchase an iTunes gift card or gift certificate. To get information on checking iTunes gift card balances, check our blog post regarding iTunes gift cards.

To check the balance on your unused or partially used Apple gift cards, we’ve got the information and links you’ll need.

Check your Apple Gift Card Balance

PHONE: 1-800-MY-APPLE (1-800-692-7753)

ONLINE: Note that you will have to create an Apple ID – an Apple account that will give you an online ID to help you find your balance. Check the balance of your Apple Store gift card.

IN-STORE: Check the Apple Store locator for a location near you.

Once you’ve acquired your Apple Store gift card balance, you can sell your Apple gift card to Plastic Jungle, and save yourself the hassle of carrying around unused money. There are a few ways you can optimize your sale, including trading for an Amazon.com Gift Card, funding your PayPal balance, or having a check mailed to you.

To know how much your Apple gift card is worth in exchange on Plastic Jungle, on the main page, click “Sell Gift Cards” at the top of the page. Look up Apple Store, enter the gift card balance you’ve just acquired, and you’ll see instantly what your gift card balance is worth in cash or trade.

Check other Plastic Jungle blog posts for the same “Check Your Gift Card Balance” information for other stores, including Sears, Land’s End, Macy’s, Best Buy, Lowe’s, and more.

Was your latest gift an iPod, iPod touch or iPad or iPhone? Lucky!

iTunes sells music, books, apps and TV shows for your iPad, iPod, iPod Touch or iPhone.

Hopefully you got an iTunes Gift Card to load it with media. The iTunes Gift Card is a hot property here on Plastic Jungle, scoring in the Top Ten of your favorite discounted gift cards to buy. In order to use the iTunes cards, you’ll need to set up an iTunes account online, and Apple is happy to show you how.

With your account, the iTunes Store (which is online only) makes it easy to purchase or give music in the MP3/AAC format to anyone: songs, albums, playlists, audiobooks, music videos, movies, and TV shows. And there are so many ways to pay: iTunes gift certificates, gift cards, the iTunes allowance. You can even send music, videos, audiobooks, and apps as gifts.

The iTunes Music Store Gift Card or Gift Certificate may be applied only toward the purchase of music on the iTunes Music Store online. Buy iTunes gift cards through the Apple Store, or get a deal on iTunes gift cards (or purchases!) by buying discounted iTunes gift cards / eCODEs right here on the web’s largest secured gift card exchange: Plastic Jungle.

Hot Tips:

Þ     The Apple gift card is not interchangeable with iTunes gift cards and vice versa. You can’t use an Apple gift card toward iTunes purchases. To get information on checking Apple Store gift card balances, check our blog post regarding Apple Store gift cards. Get good information on iTunes at the Apple Store Gifting Page (very detailed) or iTunes gift page (much simpler).

Þ     The iTunes Store is available only to persons age 13 or older in the U.S. and many other countries.

Þ     Once an iTunes gift card is redeemed, the ENTIRE BALANCE is transferred to your account. You can use it to purchase other iTunes gift cards, but otherwise you can’t refund this credit.

To check the balance on your unused or partially used iTunes gift cards, gift certificates, promo codes (or eCODES), we’ve got the information and links you’ll need.

Check your iTunes Gift Card Balance

iTunes Gift Cards add credit to your balance in the iTunes Store.

WEB and EMAIL: In order to find out the balance on your iTunes Gift Card, you will need to have the latest version of iTunes downloaded to your computer. When you set up your account, or within your existing account, you will have an opportunity to enter the code from the back of your gift card, or the eCODE from your email. Purchases are deducted from this amount, so the amount shown is the amount remaining.

You can also contact iTunes Support for the information. Click on the iTunes Cards and Codes section. They promise to get back to you within 48 hours.

IN-STORE: Bring your iTunes card into an Apple Store and one of the Apple Geniuses can help you find that balance and teach you how to do it at home. Check the Apple Store locator for a store near you.

PHONE: There is no call-in option for checking iTunes balances; you can call customer support to ask questions: 1-800-My-Apple (1-800-6927753).

Check other Plastic Jungle blog posts for the same “Check Your Gift Card Balance” information for other stores, including Sears, Land’s End, Macy’s, Best Buy, Lowe’s, and more.

Getting a gift card from Pottery Barn is like getting a free pass to spiff up your space. I always find décor I didn’t even know I needed at Pottery Barn; once it’s in my hands, I’m sure I can’t live without it.

Interior Designer Gold: the Pottery Barn Gift Card

The ubiquitous Pottery Barn catalog: everyone seems to have something from it! But maybe you’re more modern and clean in your tastes (west elm) or are expecting a child (Pottery Barn Kids) or are looking to outfit a recently remodeled kitchen (lucky! Williams Sonoma for you).

In a fantastic arrangement among the sister retailers, Pottery Barn Gift Cards or Pottery Barn eGift Cards are good at Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, PBteen, west elm, Williams-Sonoma, and Williams-Sonoma Home. They may be also be used for making purchases at stores (even in Puerto Rico), by phone (catalog purchases) or online (see the links below).

Ways to Check Your Pottery Barn Gift Card or eGift Card Balance

PHONE: 1.888.779.5176 Pottery Barn Customer Service

ONLINE: Check the remaining balance on my Pottery Barn gift card

IN-STORE: Check for Pottery Barn store locations

CONNECT: Look into the other stores affiliated with Pottery Barn: Pottery Barn Kids, PBteen, west elm, Williams-Sonoma, and Williams-Sonoma Home

A Note on Paper Gift Certificates: Pottery Barn paper gift certificate balances cannot be checked online and are only redeemable in stores or by calling customer service at 1.888.779.5176.

How to Sell or Swap Your Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle

Once you’ve acquired your Pottery Barn Gift Card or eGift Card balance, you can sell your Pottery Barn gift card to Plastic Jungle, and select a payout method: cash (via check), Amazon.com Gift Card, or even a direct deposit into your PayPal account. If you’re an avid gamer, check out the option of swapping out the card for Facebook game credits (you’ll need to be logged in to Facebook to take a look). In any case, check the options to maximize the value of your exchange.

To know how much your Pottery Barn Gift Card is worth in exchange on Plastic Jungle, on the main page you click “Sell Gift Cards” at the top of the page. Look up Pottery Barn, enter the gift card balance you’ve just acquired, and you’ll see instantly what your gift card balance is worth in cash or trade.

And, for all the Pottery Barn enthusiasts out there…  don’t forget to set up an email notification on Plastic Jungle, so you can be alerted whenever discounted Pottery Barn gift cards are available.  They’re 14% off right now!

Check other blog posts for the same “Check Your Gift Card Balance” information for other stores, including Sears, Land’s End, Macy’s, Best Buy, Lowe’s, and more.

Where on Earth were we shopping for Back-to-School, Halloween and Thanksgiving? Looks like Walmart was the gift card or e-gift card retailer of choice for Plastic Jungle fans. The great thing about Plastic Jungle is the ease with which you find a sure discount. No crawling the web, getting pop-ups and spam: Plastic Jungle is safe and secure and guaranteed.

Check out where your favorite stores landed, and maybe try some of these favorite merchants you’ve not visited yet. Just click on the retailer to see what cards they have available on Plastic Jungle right now. They must be popular for a reason!

Your Favorite Gift Cards

View gift cards you loved in January, February, March, April, May, June, July and August.

Which gift cards are you loving to gift for Christmas? Let us know which is your favorite gift card to gift, and how it works for you and the recipient. We love to hear how gift cards save the day.

Kohl’s department store is known for its great deals, and I’ll bet somewhere in your wallet you’ve got a Kohl’s gift card you could easily make use of this holiday season. If not, you can swap out that card for an Amazon.com Gift Card, or even cash, here on the web’s largest secured gift card exchange.

To find out your Kohl’s gift card balance or check the balance on your unused or partially used Kohl’s gift card, we’ve got the information and links you’ll need:

Check your Kohl’s Gift Card or Kohl’s e-Gift Card Balance

PHONE: 1-800-655-0554

ONLINE: Check the balance of your Kohl’s gift card or e-gift card, or your Kohl’s Cash balance

IN-STORE: Check the store locator for a location near you

Once you’ve acquired your Kohl’s balance, you can sell your Kohl’s gift card to Plastic Jungle, and save yourself the hassle of carrying around unused money. At Plastic Jungle, you can also trade your Kohl’s Gift Card for an Amazon.com Gift Card and increase the value of your exchange.

To know how much your Kohl’s Gift Card is worth in exchange on Plastic Jungle, on the main page, click “Sell Gift Cards” at the top of the page. Look up Kohl’s, enter the gift card balance you’ve just acquired, and you’ll see instantly what your gift card balance is worth in cash or trade.

Compound Your Kohl’s Deals

Check out the site RetailMeNot.com for a collection of Kohl’s offers and promotion codes available at this very moment.

You can also always check in to Kohl’s Customer Service for info on their shopping rewards program and how to redeem promo codes.

And you should be sure to check Kohl’s weekly sales advertisements for their latest sales and deals!

Sign up here for Kohl’s sale alerts and get a $5 off coupon and more deals.

And, of course, you can often find discounted Kohl’s gift cards on PlasticJungle.com to add to your savings.  They’re popular, so you might want to sign up for an email notification and then you can be one of the first to know when Kohl’s gift cards are available.

Check other Plastic Jungle blog posts for the same “Check Your Gift Card Balance” information for other stores, including Sears, Land’s End, Macy’s, Best Buy, Lowe’s, and more.