forget to use them, so why don’t you cash them out instead of losing money?

Here is an excerpt, [source: Nolan]: “From a fiscal perspective, statistics show that gift cards aren't the savviest holiday gift choice for the consumer. For starters, between 8 and 10 percent of gift cards go unredeemed. They sit in the back of people's wallets, hide away in clothes drawers or get tossed into the trash accidentally. Those stray gift cards added up to a whopping unspent $8 billion in 2007”

How do Gift Cards Lose Value?

Gift cards are often charged fees, ranging from “limit inactivity (dormancy) fees” and “service fees”, as such gift cards lose their value like water going down a slow drain. Most people are unaware of the monthly service fees, inactivity fees and dormancy fees that are charged against their card balances until the entire value is depleted. A gift card that starts out with a balance of $45, for example, may be charged a non-use fee of anywhere from two dollars per month. At two dollars per month, the $45 initial balance will be reduced to $21 by the end of the first year. Getting full value of your gift cards is just one of many reasons you should cash out your gift cards at “GiftCardToCash”