But What if You WANT to Get Rid of a Gift Card

It's an unlikely situation but it can happen: you are given a card for a store that you never shop at or doesn't have any locations in your area or online. There are some ways to get a return value for that card -- even though money from the store is not one of them.

• Sell the card. There are some sites on which you can sell gift cards. PlasticJungle.com and GiftCardRescue.com are two that do just that. Both verify balances and guarantee sales. Other sites allow you to take it on the open (and wild) market. Craiglist.com and eBay are by far the biggest. But know that you will have to take some kind of loss on that sale -- but anything is better if you have very little chance of using the card at the store.
• Swap the card. At SwapaGift.com and LeverageCard.com, you will get help to find someone with whom to make a direct trade -- ie, swap that $200 Diapers.com gift card for a $200 COMPUSA gift card. You can't argue with that.
• Buy something at the store. Then return it. Tough times call for tough actions. And if their return policy works in your favor, you can always do the old buy and return.
• Donate the card. That's right. Sometimes you have to think bigger than yourself. You won't get any merchandise in return. Only karma. Which is more valuable to you?