Everyone loves to save moolah, even the staff at Plastic Jungle!

Just like you, we scour the site for the latest deals, sign up for notifications with our favorite merchants and get creative with promo codes and coupons.

Want the inside track from company insiders? I chatted with a few Plastic Jungle employees from different departments (Marketing, Product Management and Customer Support) who shared their personal savings stories and red hot deals.

Name and Department: Irene, Customer Support

How long have you been working at Plastic Jungle? 5 months

What was your most recent Plastic Jungle gift card purchase and why did you buy that card? I purchased a $300 Target gift card at a 3% discount because I moved home after college and sold all my old furniture. I always relied on Target for their wide variety of bedroom accessories.

Did you stack up any extra in-store or online discounts? Target did not have discounts on the items I was purchasing, but the Plastic Jungle discount is better than no discount!

What’s your favorite PJ personal savings story? I can easily spend more than I really should every time I step foot into Target, but Plastic Jungle’s discounted gift cards justify my shopping habits with their discounted savings.

Target – 3% off

Name and Department: Kathryn, Marketing

How long have you been working at Plastic Jungle? 4 months

What was your most recent Plastic Jungle gift card purchase and why did you buy that card? I purchased a $250 Pottery Barn gift card at a 10% discount because I wanted to replace the sofa cushions on my 9-year-old Pottery Barn couch.

Did you stack up any extra in-store or online discounts? Pottery Barn seldom offers any coupons (mostly just seasonal promotions) which is why I was thrilled to save the 10% off at Plastic Jungle.

What’s your favorite PJ personal savings story? The replacement sofa cushions were $200 vs. spending over $1000 on a brand new sofa. By saving 10% I was able to cover the cost of shipping and some of the tax!

Pottery Barn Kids – 10% off

PB Teen – 8% off!

Pottery Barn – 10% off!

Name and Department: Raina, Marketing

How long have you been working at Plastic Jungle? 11 months

What was the last card you sold to Plastic Jungle and which payment option did you select? I cashed in Pier 1 Import cards that I had been carrying around in my wallet for the last 5 years. I redeemed them for Amazon credit to avail of the extra 5% cash back that PJ offers with Amazon payouts.

What’s your favorite PJ personal savings story? I used the Amazon credit from redeeming my 5-year-old housewarming gifts to buy myself a new Canon DSLR which I used on my recent trip to Alaska. Thanks to Plastic Jungle, my $200 add-on lens was free!

Name and Department: Arturo, Product Management

How long have you been working at Plastic Jungle? 1 year, 3 months

What was your most recent Plastic Jungle gift card purchase and why did you buy that card? I purchased $9000 worth of Lowe’s gift cards at a 9% discount to do some remodeling on the house I recently purchased.

Did you stack up any extra in-store or online discounts? Yes, I used a Lowe’s 10% discount that I received after I registered my ‘change of address’ online with the Postal Service.

What’s your favorite PJ personal savings story? I was extremely thrilled to save almost 20% off some of the remodeling costs of my new house. Here’s how I did it:  Plastic Jungle had Lowe’s cards at a 9% discount and with the additional 10% from the Lowe’s discount coupon, I ended up saving close to $2000 with this transaction alone. (Note: I had to negotiate that the 10% coupon applied to the  entire purchase. It was for up to $5000 only, but given the large purchase, they agreed.)

Lowe’s – 7% off

Do YOU have a favorite deal to share? Share your story and we’ll feature it in an upcoming blog post!

What gift cards topped your shopping list in June? Surprisingly, almost the exact same ones, in the same order as last month – but with a little twist.

Home improvement giants continued to top the list, with Home Depot and Lowe’s ranked at #1 and #2. The secret is out – builders, subcontractors and professional handymen can increase their margins by buying discounted gift cards from Plastic Jungle. Both Home Depot and Lowe’s cards are currently offered at 7% off, immediately shaving costs and adding profit to the bottom line.

And it’s not just skilled experts that enjoyed savings. With June graduations and the Father’s Day holiday, Home Depot and Lowe’s gift cards made terrific gifts for the home improvement hobbyist.

Walmart and Target again ranked #3 and #4 respectively. As one-stop shopping centers, Junglers saved on nearly everything under the sun, including house wares, toys, clothing, electronics, and even groceries. With 3% discounted gift cards stacked on top of Walmart and Target’s already uber-competitive low prices, these cards get swiped up fast, so sign up for a notification alert to get first access.

Best Buy again ranked #5. A great source for computers, video games, televisions, digital cameras, mp3 players, mobile phones & appliances, Best Buy gift cards likely made for some great Father’s Day and Graduation gifts as well.

The next three spots were filled by clothing department stores: Macys (#6), Kohl’s (#7) and JC Penney (#8). Perhaps our Junglers were freshening up their summer wardrobe with new shorts, tanks, sundresses, swimsuits and sandals. All three merchants have darling summer clothing collections on sale now, as they make room for their fall and back-to-school collections.

The Apple Store held spot #9. Our family celebrated the end of school and good report cards with a new iPhone for my daughter, a new iTouch for my son and a new Nano for mama (I deserved a little treat for helping with all the homework and packing lunches all year long, right?!) Apple Store gift cards are quite popular, so be sure to plan ahead and sign up for an email alert when they become available.

Rounding out the Top 10 was Barnes & Noble. (Cabela’s filled this spot in May.) A popular go-to, slam-dunk teacher’s gift is always a Barnes & Noble gift card. Was your child’s teacher the lucky recipient of one of these end-of-the-school-year gifts?

Special Honorary Mention goes out to iTunes, who ranked #6 in quantity (vs. revenue), with a whopping 6,125 cards sold in June. That’s a lot of TV, video, movie, app and music downloads!

These Top 10 gift cards are just the tip of the iceberg (or should we say tip of the palm tree?) Plastic Jungle has  nearly 400 brands, with discounted gift cards offered up to 35% off. Click here to see what hot cards we’ve got up for sale now!

The PJ 10

What were we buying in March? Well, there weren’t any spectaular retail “events” that drove us to specialty stores, so as expected the top three gift card sellers were big box chains offering groceries and fishing supplies and everything in-between. Spring was a bit late late this year, so clearly we were driven to hot, caffeinated coffee, putting Starbucks into our Top 10 Gift Cards in March. And iTunes, with the diversity of media on offer these days, from music to books to TV and movies, proves it’s a great gift card to give and get.

Honorable mentions from March? JC Penney, Pottery Barn, Cabela’s, Barnes & Noble, and Nordstrom.

Salivating over the potential savings at a favorite store? If you’re ready to ditch your unused gift card and trade up to one of the favorites, you can safely and securely SELL or EXCHANGE your gift card on Plastic Jungle, with many different payout and trade options, including an Amazon.com Gift Card, Facebook credits and Paypal account funding.

Top 10 Gift Cards in March, 2011

10 SEARS

Purchase discount Sears Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle, currently at up to 9% OFF.

9 KOHL’S

Purchase discount Kohl’s Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle, currently at up to 14% OFF.

8 STARBUCKS

Purchase discount Starbucks Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle — when they come into stock. Set an Alert Now.

7 MACY’S

Purchase discount Macy’s Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle — when they come into stock. Set an Alert Now.

6 BEST BUY

Purchase discount Best Buy Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle, currently at up to 5% OFF.

5 LOWE’S

Purchase discount Lowe’s Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle, currently at up to 7% OFF.

4 iTUNES

Purchase discount iTunes Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle, currently at up to 7% OFF.

3 TARGET

Purchase discount Target Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle, currently at up to 5% OFF.

2 HOME DEPOT

Purchase discount Home Depot Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle, currently at up to 7% OFF.

1 WALMART

Purchase discount Walmart Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle — when they become available. Set an Alert Now.

What’s your favorite gift card of the moment? Something to get ready for spring — sporting goods or travel? Let us know in the comments below.

Rain and snow are behind us (we hope) and it’s time to open up the house, get up to the cabin, and get going on home improvement projects.

What’s on sale at the home improvement stores? If you want to be the first to know about any home improvement promotion, get on the store’s email sale alerts list to receive notifications regularly. Lowe’s has an everyday low price guarantee. Go ahead and “Like” Home Depot on Facebook, and get privy to Friday sales from 50-70% off. Follow @SearsDeals on Twitter, and big-discount flash sales at Sears (think Kenmore appliances and paint and Craftsman tools) are at your fingertips.

On Plastic Jungle, you can set a discounted gift card email notification alert to be emailed as soon as any discount gift card becomes available at the discount you’re looking for.

Click through now to see the percentage off you’ll save on:

Discount Lowe’s Gift Cards |  Discount Home Depot Gift Cards |  Discount Ace Hardware Gift Cards |  Discount Bed, Bath & Beyond Gift Cards |  Discount Restoration Hardware Gift Cards |  Discount Pottery Barn Gift Cards |  Discount Target Gift Cards |  Discount Sears Gift Cards

Angling for Home Improvement Sales

Have you ever thought of Amazon.com for Appliances or Equipment? If not, the Amazon.com Home Improvement and Tools page, flush with thousands of searchable listings, will be an eye-opener. Dishwashers to pressure washers, kitchen fixtures to light fixtures, hardware, storage, even lawn mowers are called up at a great price in a flash. You could actually turn a gift card you’re not using — could even be a chain restaurant gift card — into an Amazon.com Gift Card by exchanging it on Plastic Jungle.

Think about “double-dipping” – that is, buying a gift card at a discount at Plastic Jungle, then purchasing at a sale price or using a rebate. (And maybe even add free shipping for a deal-lover’s trifecta!) You get the deal with the sale price, AND you’ve got an additional deal in your hand with the discounted gift card. For the deal-lover’s trifecta, add a free shipping coupon or promo code to keep costs down.

Do-It-Yourself, Whatever It Is!

Homeowners regularly attempt their own landscaping, painting, and decorating. But installing a toilet? Making your home more secure? Patching drywall? These and hundreds of other projects are detailed, some with video, on Lowe’s Video & Project Center, and at the Home Depot Home Improvement Clubs.

Another source for how-to do it is TV, of course. You can search the archives of HGTV, or the DIY network for ideas, tips, and video to get the job done.

What’s on your home improvement slate? A new entertainment center? Painting the house, inside and out? Creating an outdoor living space to enjoy your new landscape? Let us know in your comments!

In case you’re wondering, Yes! We at Plastic Jungle hear your feedback and work to improve the site every day.

We’ve got some new website enhancements to help you come to a quick decision about which gift card will be the one for you.

Who will have the best discount?

Sort Your Gift Card Searches

Now, after you perform a search for a card, say you choose a category from the pull-down menu on the left, you can search for the biggest discount by clicking on the “Discount” heading. Automatically, the cards with the biggest discounts, no matter which merchant they come from, are listed at the top of the page.

Alternately, you can adjust how the results appear by toggling the “Merchant” heading to see the merchants in a-z order or z-a order, or by Gift Card “Value”, “Discount”, or purchase “Price”.

Each merchant’s page, displaying which gift cards are available for purchase, now also has that functionality, and you can sort cards by price, discount, or value.

• Price is the cost of the gift card. Remember, what you see is what you get. Plastic Jungle does not charge shipping or handling fees.
• Discount is the percentage off you’ll receive from the full value of the gift card.
• Value is the full value of the gift card.

If you’re wondering what the BEST DEAL on Plastic Jungle is at any point in time, go ahead and click the  button. Then sort by discount (arrow up) and the most discounted cards will come to the top of the list.

Finding an eCODE – a Discounted Electronic Gift Card – Is Now Much Easier

Right from the Plastic Jungle home page, you can click through to see what stores are offering eCODES at the moment.

Just look for the following link, right below the    button on the Plastic Jungle home page:

View All Electronic Gift Cards 

With eCODEs you can take advantage of online savings opportunities right away: as soon as your payment is processed, the eCODE is emailed to you.  You can pay for items in your online cart at the selected merchant AND possibly still use valid discounts or free shipping codes.

When you purchase eCODEs on Plastic Jungle, it will be sent to the email address you registered in your Plastic Jungle account. Please add customerservice@plasticjungle.com to your email address book to ensure delivery. Shop with the card on the merchant’s website, just like you would use a regular gift card.

What update would you like to see on Plastic Jungle? How can we make your experience buying gift cards, exchanging gift cards, and donating gift cards easier and more fun?  Let us know at blog@plasticjungle.com

BY THE WAY:  ONLY 3 DAYS LEFT to enter Plastic Jungle’s Spring Cleaning Sweepstakes. Sell a gift card on the site to WIN!!

Planning a Spring Break getaway to Disneyland or Disney World? Maybe taking it easy this year, banking that vacation savings, and heading to the mall instead?

If you’ve got a Disney Store Gift Card or DisneyStore.com Online Gift Card, you might want to know how much it’s worth no matter where you’re headed in the Disney retinue.

Want to safeguard savings for a Disney trip? One friend, Denise, says she puts the savings in to Disney Store gift cards so that she can’t use the money for anything else! Well, Denise, you can buy discounted Disney Store Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle too – representing true savings. If there are none in stock, you can set a Disney email alert to be notified when new discounted Disney Gift Cards come into stock.

A Bit about Disney Gift Cards

Disney Store Gift Cards are good for purchases online at DisneyStore.com, and in Disney Stores. (Redeemable at DisneyStore.com, Disney Store locations in the US, participating locations at Walt Disney World® Resort in Florida, Disneyland® Resort in California, Disney Cruise Line®, ClubPenguin.com, and DisneyPhotoPass.com). You can also use the Disney Store Gift Cards as a form of payment for Disneyland® Resort vacation packages by calling the Walt Disney Travel Company California at 1-866-470-5119.

DisneyStore.com Online Gift Cards are good at DisneyStore.com ONLY, and a credit card is required when placing an order using a Disney Store Online Gift Card.

Disney Store Gift Cards can be reloaded at most Disney Stores (but not DisneyStore.com), however Disney Store Online Gift Cards can’t be reloaded.

For the latest terms and conditions on Disney Store Gift Cards, go to The Disney Store Gift Card page or the Gift Card FAQ page within the Guest Services section of the website accessed at the bottom of the Gift Card page. (If it were linkable, believe me, we’d save you the trouble and have it for you!)

Save on Disney

If you’re looking to save on Disney merchandise, there’s always a deal at the Disney Store: sign up for email blasts on the home page. Online, the DisneyStore.com Sale tab is usually full of items too. Get first crack at deals when you follow The Disney Store on Twitter and Facebook.

Want to save at a Disney resort? Check the official Disney Special Offers page – there’s currently a 30-40% discount on offer that expires March 27, 2011. A favorite Disney deals consolidator is MouseSavers.com, where you’ll find deals for everything from travel to Disney books and Disney advice. Check the Balance on Your Disney Store Gift Card or DisneyStore.com Online Gift Card

Check the Balance on Disney Gift Cards

Not sure how much is left on your Disney Store Gift Card or Disney Store Online Gift Card?

For Disney Store Gift Cards, you can check at the register of any Disney Store retail location, or call the number on the back of the card.

For DisneyStore.com Online Gift Cards, you may check the unused balance by calling 1-888-301-9061. You will need to provide your Online Gift Card number.

Once you know your balance, you can safely sell or trade your Disney Store Gift Card on Plastic Jungle.

The Disney Store gift cards have no expiration date and no fees. Plastic Jungle never charges handling or shipping fees.

To know how much your 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 the store and enter the gift card balance you’ve just acquired. 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.

February saw the Superbowl, the Oscars, Valentine’s Day, and Presidents’ Day all packed into a few short weeks. Plus, a few frozen moments across the country kept shoppers inside and online, no doubt.

Many of the usual favorite gift cards showed up in February’s Top Ten, plus a very conspicuous hanger-on at #11, giving hope to all girlfriends, wives, and mothers out there for something a little more than a card.

I’m thinking the bridal business might be busy this year, because TIFFANY & CO came in at #11 on the sales chart. (Right now, there are no discounted Tiffany & Co gift cards for sale on Plastic Jungle. You can set a Tiffany & Co alert to be notified via email when gift cards become available.)

Where did lingerie retailer VICTORIA’S SECRET land during the month for love? Still in the top 50, at #28, but well behind #9, CABELA’S.

10 JCPENNEY

Purchase discount JCPenney Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle, currently at up to 14% Off.

9 CABELA’S

Purchase discount Cabela’s Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle, currently up to 12% off.

8 BARNES & NOBLE

Purchase discount Barnes & Noble Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle, currently at up to 9% Off.

7 KOHL’S

Purchase discount Kohl’s Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle, currently at up to 14% Off.

6 MACY’S

Purchase discount Macy’s Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle — when they come into stock. Set an Alert Now.

5 LOWE’S

Purchase discount Lowe’s Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle, currently at up to 7% Off.

4 WALMART

Purchase discount Walmart Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle, currently at up to 3% Off.

3 BEST BUY

Purchase discount Best Buy Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle, currently at up to 6% Off.

2 TARGET

Purchase discount Target Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle, currently at up to 3% Off.

1 HOME DEPOT

Purchase discount Home Depot Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle, currently at up to 7% Off.

Ready to ditch your unused gift card and trade up to one of the favorites? You can safely and securely SELL your gift card on Plastic Jungle, with many different payout options.

What’s your favorite gift card of the moment? Something to get ready for spring — sporting goods or travel? Let us know in the comments below.

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

Check Plastic Jungle for Discounted Lowe’s Gift Cards Now

9. Best Buy

Check Plastic Jungle for Discounted Best Buy Gift Cards Now

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)?

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.