‘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.

Get to Facebook and “Like” Plastic Jungle for your chance to win.

Need a little pick-me-up for yourself as you shop for everyone else? Good news: we’re on board with that! Get in on Plastic Jungle’s 40 Days of Holiday Sweepstakes on Facebook. (If you’re already logged in to Facebook, just seach for Plastic Jungle to find our page.) Registering is easy, and you can win a $100 gift card of your choice. For details and official rules see Plastic Jungle’s page on Facebook. No purchase is necessary, we just want you to Like us!  Sweepstakes ends December 25^th so you still have time to get in on the giveaway but there are only 9 more winners left.

Congratulations to this past week’s winners:

Gift Card Sweepstakes around the Web

Don’t spend hours double-checking links on gift card sweepstakes or gift card giveaways searches. Every Friday, here at the web’s largest secured gift card exchange, we want to make sure you find something fun and exciting to get into — such as easy money! Check back here at the blog for all kinds of gift card bargains and sweepstakes and give away updates.

• Wow – Bargain Briana has a number of gift card giveaways she is offering to her readers. Enter to win a $100 Visa gift card (for those who like to bake), and enter to win in a $100 American Express gift card giveaway for those who want to find out what “giving” type they are. Check out Briana’s site to enter, and for even more gift card bargains and sweepstakes.
• The Bonefish Grill has their “Give, Get & Win Sweepstakes” going on now, where if you buy Bonefish Grill gift cards, you get a bonus card plus a chance to win $5000.
• American Living JCPenney Holiday Gift Guide Sweepstakes is sponsored by JCPenney and offers a Grand Prize of a $500 JCPenney shopping spree, or 1 of 3 weekly $100 JCPenney Gift Cards – the perfect prize to help with holiday gifting, or save it for your own new American Living wardrobe. No purchase necessary.
• The Rachael Ray Show is giving away four $100 Macy’s gift cards. Become a member of Club RR and you could win. No purchase necessary; contest ends Monday, December 20^th, 2010.

Good luck!