GREENSBORO, N.C. — A Hilton Honors study shows more than 50-percent of Americans are last minute holiday shoppers. Researchers also found about 40-percent of shoppers wait until the final week to go holiday shopping -- or don't finish shopping at all. If you're a procrastinator, you might want to consider purchasing a subscription service or gift card as an easy holiday present for a loved one or friend.
"Disney Plus" is a new streaming service, featuring entertainment from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and more. Subscriptions cost $7 dollars a month or $70 dollars a year. If you're searching for a gift for a book lover, you might want to go with an Audible subscription. The Amazon-owned company offers audio versions of books, magazines, and newspapers. Subscriptions start at $15 dollars a month. One of the best gifts for a food lover is a meal delivery service, such as Hello Fresh, Blue Apron, or Gobble. Services typically start around $10 dollars or less per meal.
Gift cards are another option for last-minute holiday shoppers. According to the National Retail Federation, gift cards remain the most popular items on wish lists for the 13th year in a row. Researchers surveyed more than 7,700 people in October and about 59-percent of those surveyed prefer a gift card for the holiday season. Even though gift cards are popular, you should be on the lookout for scams. Thieves will remove gift cards from the display rack, record the numbers associated with the card, and try to get away with the money.
The BBB offers the following tips before purchasing a gift card:
- Take a closer look. No matter where gift cards are displayed in the store, thieves are known to remove gift cards from the display rack and record the numbers associated with that card, including the activation PIN. Before purchasing a gift card, look carefully at the packaging for any tears, wrinkles, or other indications of tampering, and see if the PIN is exposed. If anything looks suspicious, it's probably best to take a different card, and turn in the compromised card to the store's Customer Service Desk.
- Research how to use the card. Not all retailers have the same policies when issuing a gift card. Double check the terms and conditions on the type of gift card purchased. The FTC has information about retail gift cards and bank gift cards. In Canada, find more information on the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada website.
- Register your gift card. If the retailer allows the option to register the gift card, take full advantage. This makes it easier to protect the balance, that way you can report it sooner and potentially end up saving the money that is stored on the card.
- Treat it like cash. If the card is lost or stolen, report it to the issuer immediately. Most issuers have toll-free telephone numbers to report a lost or stolen card – find it on the card or online.