According the National Retail Federation, gift cards are expected to be the most requested gift this year. Here are 6 ways you can get one free… well, mostly free. 
1. Social media sites.
Friend and follow your favorite company on Facebook and twitter and you’ll be first in line for special offers presented only on those sites. For example, when Sears joined Facebook last year, the company offered $5 gift cards to the first 10,000 people who became fans within a given time frame. After rapidly reaching that goal, they then offered $10 coupons for another group of fans. My wife has become a fan of numerous companies and received first chance opportunities on sales and other discounts before the “general public”, so it’s not only useful for gift cards.
2. Earn points by shopping.
Sites like MyPoints.com offer points for shopping online and taking surveys. Once you’ve earned enough points, you can trade them in for gift cards to places like CVS and Amazon.com. The only problem is that it takes more than 3,500 points to qualify for one of those cards. But registration is free, and if you’re shopping online anyway, it might be an extra perk.
3. Go for a test drive – literally!
With auto sales in the basement level, dealerships are always looking for new ways to get people in the showroom. Gift cards, it seems, have proven to work well. Both Ford and Dodge dealers gave away $50 gift cards to anyone who simply took their latest models for a test drive in 2008. While these are national deals, local dealerships are having their own promotional giveaways too, so it pays to check around.
4. Give a little red, to get some green.
Yes, it seems that even the Red Cross is giving out gift cards. A recent blood drive in Aurora, Ill. featured a raffle for a $500 gift card to Best Buy. The NYC Blood service even gave out iTunes gift cards at a September blood drive.
5. Switch drugstores.
Drugstores are in fierce competition with each other over customers. This competition has become even stronger with stores like Wallmart and Target offering $4 generics. To help sway customers to switch, drugstores have started offering gift car incentives to those who switch. For example, Rite Aid offer coupons for a free $25 gift card to its stores for each prescription you transfer. Walgreens and CVS have offered similar deals in the past.
6. Spend until you earn it.
Many retailers are rewarding customers who buy frequently, or over a certain amount with gift cards. L.L.Bean recently offered a free $10 gift card with any purchase of over $25, and Kohl’s has a similar reward of $10 in “Kohl’s Cash” if you spend over $50. While these aren’t really free, and in some cases aren’t even gift cards, they can be a nice stocking stuffer if you plan on doing your shopping at these stores.
Great post! Did you know that you can get $10 gift cards from My Points for as little as around 1,500 points? I got a $10 CVS gift card for only 1,600 points! I love My Points! Thanks again!