Gift cards are welcome stocking-stuffers for every difficult-to-buy-for person on your list, from the in-laws to college students (and they make good teacher gifts too).
But Santa never said you couldn’t walk away with a little something extra out of the deal.
Here is a growing list of holiday gift card deals that come with bonuses for those of us in Wichita. Most of them are for restaurants, but we may see other types of gift card bonuses as well.
The extra savings make gift cards an easy and quick way to check off your holiday shopping list, while maximizing your holiday budget.
Tips for maximizing your savings with gift card bonus deals
Important note: The bonuses you get as part of these gift card deals are often promotional discounts with no cash value and won’t be good after their expiration date. (Unlike the actual gift cards, these bonus promos don’t usually carry over any unused balance either.)
That said, they’re still good deals! Here are some tips from Living on the Cheap’s Bryan Chavez on how you can maximize your savings with bonus gift cards:
- Know what you’re getting! Remember that price and participation may vary by location. Read the fine print for limitations, including minimum purchase requirements, date restrictions, or menu exclusions first. Also, many places don’t allow you to combine multiple bonus cards in a single transaction. Plus most (if not all) bonuses are not valid until after the new year.
- Most of the gift cards must be purchased by December 31 in order to get the bonus.
- It’s usually better to buy the gift cards in-store rather than online to avoid shipping charges.
- Gift cards don’t have to be gifts! If you have a favorite restaurant or merchant offering a gift card bonus, consider getting one for yourself. It’s like “pre-paying” for goods and services now and gifting yourself the bonus later.
- Get more bonuses by breaking down a large purchase. For example, if the bonus is for a $25 or more gift card and you’re buying a $50 gift card, why not purchase two $25 gift cards in separate transactions instead? You just doubled your bonus. Sometimes this isn’t necessary since the business gives the bonus based on the amount you spend, not the number of gift cards you purchase. As always, clarify first before buying (tip #1 above) because gift cards are typically non-refundable.
*Bonus tip! Since this is all about gift card bonus offers, here’s a bonus tip for you: If/when we see a 4x fuel points promotion on gift cards this holiday season, you might want to buy them there. The savings might be even better, depending on how much you spend and where you like to fill up. In fact, here’s this deal now!
Dillons 4x Fuel Points on Gift Cards
Download the digital coupon, then purchase qualifying gift cards at Dillons and you’ll receive 4x the fuel points on that purchase. This can add up to some serious savings really fast!
Restaurant gift card deals for 2021
Now on to the deals! They’re in alphabetical order with both restaurant and retail gift cards, so just scroll through the whole list and you’ll get tons of ideas for gifts.
Restaurant: Minimum Gift Card Purchase = Bonus Offer
Abuelo’s: $50 = $10 VIP Card
Applebee’s: $50 = $10 Bonus Card
BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse: $100 = $25 Bonus Card + 20% off VIP Card
Bonefish Grill: $50 = $10 eBonus Card
Buffalo Wild Wings: $30 = Blazin’ Bonus worth $5, $15, $25 or $100
Carrabba’s Italian Grill: $50 = $10 eBonus Card
Chili’s: $50 = $10 eBonus
Cold Stone Creamery: $50 = $15 Bonus e-Card
Denny’s: $25 = $5 Bonus Card
Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers: $25 = $5 Bonus Card
Fuzzy’s Taco Shop: $25 = $5 Bonus
Logan’s Roadhouse: $50 = $10 Bonus Card
Noodles & Company: $25 = $5 Bonus Gift Card
Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom: $50 = $10 eBonus Card
On the Border: $50 = $10 Bonus Card
Outback Steakhouse: $50 = $10 off coupon
Panera Bread: $50 = $10 Bonus Card
Red Lobster: $50 = $10 Bonus Coupon
Red Robin: $25 = $5 Bonus Buck Reward
Subway: $25 = FREE 6? sub
Taco Bell: Online – $25 or more = 10% off / In-store – $25 = FREE combo meal
Torchy’s Tacos: $25 = $5 Bonus Card
Retail gift card deals for 2021
Business: Minimum Gift Card Purchase = Bonus Offer
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema: $50 = $10 Snack Pass
The Children’s Place: $50 = $10 Gift Coupon / $75 = $15 Gift Coupon / $100 = $20 Gift Coupon
DSW (Designer Shoe Warehouse): $50 = $10 Bonus Card / $100 = $25 Bonus Card
Massage Envy: $100 = $20 Promo Card
Gift card fine print
Remember, price and participation may vary by location. Review the fine print for limitations, including minimum purchase requirements, date restrictions, or exclusions first. Also, many businesses don’t allow you to combine multiple bonus cards in a single transaction. Most (if not all) bonuses are not valid until Jan. 1, 2021.
Looking for more gift card tips? Read these articles from our partner site, Living on the Cheap:
Maximize the value of your gift cards
Using gift cards to budget (and to save even more money)
5 ways to get gift card deals and discounts
That’s all we know of right now! Did you see a gift card bonus deal we missed? Please let us know about it in the comments!!!
Your guide to Wichita holidays on the cheap!
Free or cheap things to do this week in Wichita
Special Holiday Events:
- Day-by-day guide to Christmas and holiday events in and near Wichita
- Horse-drawn Carriage Rides
- Where to Visit Santa around Wichita
- Christmas Craft Shows and Holiday Markets
Holiday Gift-Giving:
- How to make the holidays special when you can't afford big presents
- Non-Toy Gift Ideas
- Find Unique Gifts at these Local Wichita Shops
- Great Local Gifts Under $20
Christmas Attractions:
- Wichita Christmas Light Displays
- Botanica Illuminations
- Fulton Valley Farms A Country Christmas
- Christmas Tree Farms
Upcoming Holiday Events in Wichita
Past offers
Discounts on Gift Cards
Every once and a while we will find a GREAT discount on gift cards. This is just one way you can celebrate the Holidays on the Cheap!
Doo-Dah Diner
Get 20% off any gift card at Doo-Dah Diner. No promo code needed just head to their website and purchase a gift card for someone special (or yourself, we won’t tell.) This is a great deal; Doo-Dah Diner is a local favorite.
Chicken N Pickle
Purchase $100 gift cards before January 5 and receive $20 in free open play. No limits. Buy as many as you like. In-house only.
Designer Shoe Warehouse (DSW) Gift Card Bonus
Friends help friends buy shoes. Get a free $25 bonus card for DSW when you purchase $100 in gift cards or a free $10 bonus when you purchase $50 in gift cards. Promotion details here.
Longhorn Steakhouse Gift Card Bonus
They grill, you give. Receive a $10 bonus card when you buy a $50 (or more) gift card from Longhorn Steakhouse. Here’s the offer.
Olive Garden Christmas Gift Card Bonus Promotion
Get a $10 gift card with every $50 of Olive Garden gift cards purchased. Offer available until 12/30 and bonus gift cards valid 1/2 through 2/9. See offer details here.
P.F. Chang’s Gift Card Bonus Deal
Receive a $20 bonus reward with every $100 P.F. Changs gift card purchase through 12/31. Reward details here.
Starbucks eGift Card promotion
This gift card bonus offer will end soon, so don’t wait too long. Buy a $15+ Starbucks eGift using a Mastercard, Get a $5 Starbucks eGift Card – before November 22, 2020. Here are the full terms of the offer.
Last year, Starbucks had a Cyber Monday bonus on Starbucks gift cards. We’ll keep an eye out to see if they do this deal again.
Noodles & Company Gift Card Bonus
Guests will receive a $5 bonus card for every $25 they spend on gift card purchases. See offer here.
The Alley
When you buy gift cards/ game cards over $20 at The Alley you will receive extra on that gift card. When you buy a $20 gift card/ game card you get an extra $5, when you buy $40 you get an extra $12, when you buy $60 you get an extra $20, and when you buy $100 you get an extra $50. Find more information on their Facebook page.
Il Vicino
Il Vicino has a gift card deal this year as well. Buy a $25 gift card and get a $5 gift card for yourself.
Taco Shop
Taco Shop will match what you purchase on gift cards! If you buy $10 you get $20 and so on.
Taco Pronto
Taco Pronto offers a deal on their gift cards as well. If you buy a $40 gift card they will give you $50 on that gift card.
Chick N Max
On Tuesday, December 22 you can purchase a gift card at Chick N Max and get double that value for free. If you purchase in-store, you will receive 2 gift cards for the price of 1. If you purchase online, you will receive the amount purchase doubled on your card (usually takes about a day for them to double the amount online. For more info. Purchase online here.
The post, Holiday restaurant and retail gift card deals, was first published at Living on the Cheap. Used here by permission.
Remedywichita.com
Purchase $100 gift card this week and receive a free Jade roller.