How do you plan to celebrate your mom this Mother’s Day? 

Sunday, May 13 is only a few weeks away.  Order discount gift cards from Plastic Jungle now to say thanks in a way that shows your mom that she did a great job of teaching you how to take advantage of good discounts.

Take Her to a Movie

Buy two movie tickets and refreshments for 13% off with discount AMC Theatres gift cards.  Relive the ill-fated maiden voyage in 3D by taking mom to see Titanic.  Take mom for a good laugh out loud by taking her to see The Three Stooges (coming to theatres on April 13).  Let mom enjoy her artistic side by taking her to see First Position (to be released on May 5) – this film follows six young dancers as they prepare for the world of professional ballet.

Share a Meal Together

Treat mom to brunch, lunch, dinner, dessert, or happy hour and stretch your dollars by using discount gift cards as payment at restaurants like Applebee’s and Macaroni Grill.  You’ll be able to add dessert or bring your siblings or children along for less out of your pocket.

Give Her Tickets to an Upcoming Concert, Broadway Show, or Art Event

Give the gift of an experience that creates memories for a lifetime with discount Ticketmaster gift cards available for 8% less than face value.

Make Her a Playlist

Or give her the gift of her favorite movie, tv series, or album for 5% less with discount iTunes gift cards.

Buy Her Candles or Fragrance Hand Soaps

Kitchen, bathroom, living room, moms enjoy good smells throughout their homes.  Pick out scents that remind you of her (like Kitchen Lemon, Spring, or Japanese Cherry Blossom) and she’ll remember your thoughtfulness each time she lights the wick or washes her hands.  Discount Bath & Body Works gift cards are available for 12% off.  Couple this worthwhile bargain with Bath & Body’s buy 3 get 3 sale and you’ll be able to spoil your mom for less.

Here’s to all you moms and moms-to-be!  May you feel loved and appreciated this Mother’s Day!

Want to get paid to shop?  (What man can argue with that?)  Through March 31, you can use discount Victoria’s Secret gift cards to save 12% on your purchase AND for EVERY purchase you make (minimum of $10) you’ll get a Secret Reward Card worth a least $10.

Here’s your chance to spend a little extra on yourself or a loved one and get a little (or big) something in return.  (Victoria’s Secret Reward Cards have a guaranteed value of $10, but can be worth $10, $50, $100, or $500!)

Summer must-have: Victoria Secret Knotted Thong Sandal available for an affordable $29 in lavender shine, orange shine, bright gold, white and black, these sexy fancier flip flops will look great with your long shirt, jeans, or shorts.  Pay with discount Victoria Secret gift cards and a pair of these cute shoes are yours for $25.52 PLUS you’ll get a $10 Secret Reward Card, so it’s like paying $15.52.

Summer casual and summer dress up can both be created with a simple Victoria’s Secret Scoopneck Tee.  Get one for $24.50 or 2 for $40.  Wear with yoga pants for a comfy morning watching movies or wear with a pair of jeans and a necklace for a little more elegant look.  Use discount Victoria Secret gift cards to get just one and you’ll pay $21.56 out of pocket and you’ll get back a Victoria’s Secret Reward Card worth a least $10.  That’s just over $11 for one of Victoria’s Secret comfortable tops.

Aqua Kiss, Love Spell, True Escape, get your favorite Victoria’s Secret fragrances or lotions 3 for $25.  Oh… you know better than to pay full price, so for you, a set of 3 fragrances of body care products is $22 as long as you pay with discount Victoria’s Secret gift cards.  Get back another $10 for later, and that’s just $12 for 3 containers of your favorite Victoria’s Secret scents.  That’s $4 a bottle!

On Plastic Jungle you’ll find discount Victoria’s Secret gift cards in values of $103 – $494.  The higher the value on the gift card, the more you save.

Divide and Everybody Saves

Get a higher value Victoria’s Secret gift card by buying one discount Victoria’s Secret gift card and share it among your sisters or girlfriends.  If everybody pitches in $44, each person can make a $50 purchase and get a $10 Victoria’s Secret Reward Card in return just by sharing one gift card with a group.  Just be sure to make separate transactions.

Save on Bridal Shower Gifts

Prepare your girlfriend or sister for her wedding night, honeymoon, and the first year of marriage by pulling together gift dollars with a group of others.  If 7 friends all give $29 towards the gift, you’ll have $203 which can buy a $230 discount Victoria’s Secret gift card.  Use the gift card before March 31, and you’ll get a Secret Rewards Card for an extra $10 to use towards lotion, massage oil, or lip gloss for the bride-to-be.

We are so excited to be selected as one of the AlwaysOn Global 250 winners for the second year in a row!!  Read below for more details.

San Jose, CA (PRWEB) July 13, 2011

Plastic Jungle, the Web’s largest secured gift card exchange, today announced that it has been chosen by AlwaysOn as one of the AlwaysOn Global 250 winners for the second year on a row. Inclusion in the AlwaysOn Global 250 signifies leadership amongst its peers and game-changing approaches and technologies that are likely to disrupt existing markets and entrenched players in the Global Silicon Valley. Plastic Jungle was specially selected by the AlwaysOn editorial team and industry experts spanning the globe based on a set of five criteria: innovation, market potential, commercialization, stakeholder value, and media buzz.

Plastic Jungle and the AlwaysOn Global 250 companies will be honored at AlwaysOn’s ninth annual Innovation Summit at Santa Clara University on July 28th, 2011, at the Louis B. Mayer Theatre at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, CA.

This two-day executive gathering that highlights the significant economic, political, and commercial trends affecting the global technology industries. Innovation Summit’s goal is to identify the most promising entrepreneurial opportunities and investments in the global tech industry.

“This year’s AlwaysOn Global 250 are companies driven by the biggest mega-trends, including the accelerating growth of mobile users, cloud computing, and SaaS offerings, globalization, and the socialization of commerce and basically everything online,” says Tony Perkins, founder and editor of AlwaysOn. “This year’s winners clearly represent some of the highest-growth opportunities we’ve seen in the private company marketplace in the history of the global Silicon Valley.”

The AlwaysOn Global 250 winners were selected from among thousands of domestic and international technology companies nominated by investors, bankers, journalists, and industry insiders. The AlwaysOn editorial team conducted a rigorous three-month selection process to finalize the 2011 list.

Merchant-issued – or closed loop – gift cards now represent $90 billion of the U.S. economy, and an estimated $30 billion in gift cards are unredeemed at any given time. Plastic Jungle brings liquidity to the secondary gift card market by allowing consumers to buy gift cards at their favorite stores for savings at up to 35%, sell unredeemed gift cards for up to 92% of the gift card value, or donate the value of unused cards to their favorite cause. Users can also opt for instant funding via PayPal or Amazon.com gift cards for select retailers – all in a safe and trusted environment.

A full list of all the AlwaysOn Global 250 winners can be found on the AlwaysOn website at:
http://www.aonetwork.com/AOStory/Announcing-2011-AlwaysOn-Global-250
“It’s an honor to be recognized by AlwaysOn as one of the top tech innovators in our field,” said Bruce Bower, CEO of Plastic Jungle. “In the last 5 years we have grown from a small startup to the largest and most trusted brand in the secondary gift card marketplace, and we’re proud of our efforts to develop unparalleled payment applications that protect the interests of consumers and retailers alike.”

About AlwaysOn
AlwaysOn is the leading business media brand networking the Global Silicon Valley. AlwaysOn helped ignite the social media revolution in early 2003 when it launched the AlwaysOn network. In 2004, it became the first media brand to socially network its online readers and event attendees. AlwaysOn’s preeminent executive event series includes the Innovation Summit, OnMedia, OnHollywood, Venture Summit Mid-Atlantic / IMPACT 2011, OnDemand, Venture Summit Silicon Valley, Venture Summit East, GoingGreen Silicon Valley, and GoingGreen East. The AlwaysOn network and live event series continue to lead the industry by empowering its readers, event participants, sponsors, and advertisers like no other media brand.

Read the full press release here: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/7/prweb8640077.htm

Step by step, a Plastic Jungle fan shows you how to save $100s by combining discounted gift cards, coupons, and rebates.

It is fair to say that most households have wish lists. From house to house, these lists can be as diverse as the inhabitants. You could be pining for fresh electronics (new TV or gaming system), or home improvements or furniture, or maybe a special accessory, such as a pricey designer purse or a pair of shoes. Often, wish lists develop when you move into a new space, as our Plastic Jungle fan, Marcy B., relates.

In her letter, Marcy B. outlines how she went about saving big on renovating her window treatments in her new home. She explains that it wasn’t a matter of combing the Internet, or paging through Val-Pak coupons, but a matter of patience and a small amount of planning.

Thanks to marketing and promotions, all shoppers get the idea that we could save big, but jumping the hurdle to map out the steps can be a stumbling block.

Her letter explains her simple process, step-by-step:

You are welcome, Marcy! : )

Marcy's Living Room Before the New Blinds

Marcy's home with her new blinds. Success at a discount!

As it turns out, Marcy is also a guest contributor for a parenting site: MamaModerne.com, and she wrote up her story as an article, “Saving Big on Big Purchases”. Check it out for more details on how to save when it comes time to pull out that wishlist.

What’s on your wishlist?

Consider the following categories. When you’re dealing with a wishlist, it’s OK to be greedy. Writing out what you want might help you prioritize your wants and needs. (Well, that sounds like another blog post!)

Consumer Electronics: get gift cards from Best Buy, Kohl’s, Target, Walmart, Sony Style, Apple Store, Office Depot, Staples, JCPenney

Home Improvement: get gift cards from Home Depot, Lowe’s, Ace Hardware, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Target, Bloomingdale’s

Furniture: get gift cards from Crate & Barrel, Williams-Sonoma Home, JCPenney, Macy’s, Walmart, west elm, CB2

Designer Apparel & Accessories: Zappo’s, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, Bergdorf-Goodman, Tiffany & Co., Burberry, Coach

Pick up any of the above gift cards on Plastic Jungle’s Buy Gift Cards page.

Get thinking, and let us know if you’ve got any strategies for saving with discount gift cards.

Isn’t it great when your hard work pays off? If you are a blogger or have your own website, you know that there’s no better feeling than finding yourself linked to and discussed online. Below is a small list of places where Plastic Jungle is mentioned. We extend our gratitude to the following sites:

AppAppeal has a very extensive review of us on their site, complete with screenshots, our Twitter widget, and directions on how to use Plastic Jungle. Impressive, will have to stop by and thank AppAppeal for this great review.

Liquidia has an aggregate system that pulls in posts and other items from around the internet for search terms. Very interesting site. Plastic Jungle has a lot of threads listed there, and also items in the sidebar from newspapers and magazines. The odd thing was that there is a graph in the sidebar with related search terms. I still can’t figure out what we have in common with Britney Spears and stilettos. ooh!

Ben’s Bargains has our Home Depot gift card listed on his site. Thanks Ben!

Mrs. Deal Finder has a short review of us with a coupon you can redeem. Interesting, and really pretty site. You can submit your deal there for inclusion too.

Google Fans has a step-by-step instructional YouTube video on how to use Plastic Jungle. The only odd thing is the description of the video underneath it, “Step by Step recording display you how to delude your discarded heritage game on Plastic Jungle.” Not exactly sure what that means. Hopefully Google Fans will stop by and clear that up for all of us.

Inside Facebook has an in-depth review, with screenshots, of how Plastic Jungle now allows users to convert their gift card balances into Paypal funds or Facebook credits. Very nice!

Momma told Me blogged about her personal experience with Plastic Jungle and describes how we work to her readers. We really love it when we find reviews like these!

Earth Times.Org has a copy of the press release announcing how Plastic Jungle will begin allowing users to trade in their gift cards for Paypal credit. This new addition to our offerings was unveiled at the Paypal X 2010 Conference last week. Thanks for the great press, Earth Times!

The Coupon Scoop has a full page of discounts offered by Plastic Jungle, with ideas on how to use your unwanted gift cards and your credits, along with links to our site for each entry. Sweet! Thanks a lot, Coupon Scoop!

This is just a hand-full of the places you will find Plastic Jungle mentioned online. If you know of other sites that link to us, please leave a comment and let us know, (but leave a comment anyway, we love hearing from our readers!)

We recently had the pleasure to get to know Katie, a Farmville and Frontierville enthusiast. Katie loves being able to help other gamers become farm experts by answering questions and sharing strategy.

In the interview below, Katie shares a little bit about herself and recounts her experience exchanging a gift card for Facebook Credit through the Plastic Jungle Facebook application.

Please tell us a little about yourself:

I grew up in Cupertino, the home of the Mac computer, and have always been fascinated with technology. I have a Psychology and Social Behavior degree from University of California, Irvine and a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential with Middle School emphasis and Authorization to teach Science through 9th grade. When I completed my degrees and certifications last year, the market for educators was in turmoil and I decided to take some time off from school and work to focus on buying my first home and planning my wedding. Once my new husband and our two young cats were happily moved into the house I was introduced to Zynga’s Farmville on Facebook and became instantly addicted. I spent the next year perfecting my knowledge and game strategy and have since started up a few blogs to share these tips and help other users.

I love integrating the blog experience with the Facebook community which really helps promote openness and sharing of ideas and friends. I’ve also learned quite a bit about web development, online marketing, and community management. I always look forward to finding great products and tips to help people play their games better!

Katie’s Plastic Jungle experience:

I first heard about this website from a friend who plays Zynga’s Farmville as a way to turn my unused gift cards into Facebook credits that could be used for buying farm cash. I dug through my purse and found about 10 gift cards that I’ve had for over a year and picked a couple I wouldn’t mind parting with. Some of them I’m still saving for that special occasion that I leave the house and am in the right place at the right time.

I checked out the Facebook application, and getting signed up was really easy, so I submitted a card and was pleased that the printing label was postage paid. I look forward to using the application again when holidays and birthdays roll around and I get those cards that I just don’t care for.

Since using the Facebook application and writing my review for it, I’ve checked out the website a bit more and saw many great stores where I could buy a gift card at a discounted rate. I will definitely be checking back and doing some purchasing as the Winter Holiday shopping season rolls around!

To learn more about how to exchange gift cards for Facebook Credits,  you can visit Katie’s page for step by step instructions.

Begin exchanging your gift cards for Facebook Credits now!

What game will you play with your additional Facebook Credits?

We recently had a chance to catch up with Marcy B, a Plastic Jungle enthusiast.

In the interview below, Marcy shares how she and her family stretch their budget even further. We love hearing how savvy shoppers choose to check PlasticJungle.com first and how they get more from gift cards.  And we’re honored to be able to share Marcy’s story with you.

Please tell us a little about yourself:

Well, lets see.  I live just outside of St. Louis, Missouri near my family and I’ve been here since the fall of 2007.  I used to live down in Nashville, Tennessee.  I’m married and have two sweet small black dogs – Mayme and Shadey.  Professionally, I work for a nonprofit organization which empowers homeless women to move from living on the streets to living on their own through a 2 year program.

Like others who live in the United States, I’ve learned a lot about myself through financial pressures.  The first year my husband and I were married (2008), he wasn’t able to find a full-time job.  We had committed to living on a budget, and we were constantly amazed at how our needs were met.  Then, just last fall, after he found a full-time teaching position, one of my sisters introduced me to coupon blogs.  To say my lifestyle has changed is an under-statement.  We’ve found our dollars stretch a lot further than we ever knew they could!  Sometimes I wonder how much money we could have saved had we started sooner.

I first heard about Plastic Jungle (when? where? how?):

My first encounter with Plastic Jungle was on Facebook earlier this spring.  I saw an ad that mentioned something about discounted gift cards, so I clicked the ad and was thrilled about what I found.  I immediately bookmarked the page.  I remember telling my husband and one of his good friends about what I found, but I hadn’t quite figured out the best way for our family to use my newly discovered resource.

My favorite ‘Sock Drawer Savings’ story, when I used a gift card I purchased on PlasticJungle.com, is:

(We haven’t *fingers crossed* needed to make a big purchase since finding Plastic Jungle.  So, what I’d rather tell you here is how Plastic Jungle is for everyone and how it’s changing our lives.  From my perspective, Plastic Jungle is something we plan to use for the rest of our lives.)

This past weekend my teenage niece came over, and we got into talking about budgeting.  She’s been baby-sitting a lot this summer and wanted to review the budgeting strategies I taught her earlier this year.  She starting high school this fall and has already discovered her favorite shops to get clothes from, one of which is Aeropostale.  I showed her how much she can save by getting Aeropostale gift cards from Plastic Jungle, and she was really excited.  She’s going to help her mom see how they can save money on regular purchases too.

For our young, married friends who are trying to pay off school debt and save for major purchases, Plastic Jungle has been a great find!  Our friends are now going to Plastic Jungle for Target, Walmart, and Walgreens gift cards before venturing to the store!

Before I shop, I check PlasticJungle.com first because:

My favorite discoveries on Plastic Jungle are gas gift cards and the notification feature.  We know how much we spend each month on gas, and now because of Plastic Jungle we spend even less on gas because we’ve found gift cards that give us the same dollar amount of gas for less out of pocket.

For a one-time 10 minute investment, the notification feature has been a time saver.  I just marked the gift cards we’re interested in purchasing and check my email as usual.  When one of the gift cards we’re interested in becomes available for purchase, Plastic Jungle emails me with a link to the cards I want.  Huge time and money saver!

My favorite ‘Get What You Want, Use What You Got’ story, when I had a great experience selling a gift card to Plastic Jungle, is:

(I haven’t sold a gift card on Plastic Jungle yet.)

I love Plastic Jungle because:

Besides having a very catchy name, I love Plastic Jungle because Plastic Jungle allows our family to stretch our dollars further while keeping more money in our pocket.  Plastic Jungle helps eliminate impulse shopping, because we know the way to get the best deal on our purchases is to plan ahead, get a Plastic Jungle gift card, pair it with a coupon, and then pay the rest in cash.

A big thank you to Marcy for sharing the Jungle Love!

Do you love the Jungle and have a savings story? We want to hear more about your experience, and if you’re willing, share it with our blog readers and Facebook Fans. Please email customerservice@plasticjungle.com with the subject line Attn: Marketing Team, and we will be in touch!