How to cash in those unused gift cards

If you've just added another gift card or two to the stack of those you've received -- and not used -- from previous years, here are resources you might want to check: Web sites such as GiftCardRescue.com and Swapagift.com, where you can exchange the cards for cash -- but at a percentage of their value.

Such a repurchasing service is helpful for recipients who don't want or need what the gift card is for -- or who traditionally forget they even have the cards, says Kristin Cunningham Donelson, marketing director for PlasticJungle.com in Mountain View, Calif. In Donelson's case, she recently cashed in a $50 Bath & Body Works card, receiving $32.50, because she already has a stockpile of "lotions and potions."

HOW IT WORKS

Get a quote. Go online to see just how much cash you would get in return for your card. Swapagift offers a preferred merchant list. At PlasticJungle the amount, from 70 percent to 90 percent of the card's value, is based on the season and store brand, says Donelson.

Expect top dollar for cards from stores like Target, Walmart, Whole Foods, Safeway, she says. Once you agree, you're e-mailed a mailing label, you send the card in, where its value is verified.

Choices. At PlasticJungle you can choose cash, credits for purchases on Amazon.com or donating to charities, such as Starlight Children's Foundation and Autism Speaks.

Get a deal. Once the site purchases your card, it turns around and offers it for sale at a discounted price to others who are looking for a bargain. That means you, too, can check the site for gift card deals at stores more to your liking.