There is still a large number of unused Linens n’ Things gift cards out there, tens of millions of dollars worth. Although the Linens n’ Things bankruptcy was highly publicized many unlucky consumers were left holding Linens n’ Things gift cards when the company went under. So what can you do if you still have a Linens n’ Things gift card? Are the Linens n’ Things gift cards worth anything? What can you do in the future to make sure you are not left holding a worthless gift card? We will answer all of these questions and try to find the optimal solution to this problem.

What can you do with Linens n’ Things gift cards?

If for some reason you are reading this while standing you had better sit down. We are sorry to inform you that the Linens n’ Things gift card you own is now worth the price of the plastic in the gift card. If you had a very large gift card you may still be able to get some cash from it, but if your card was in a lower denomination you might want to consider using it for some sort of arts and crafts project. Several other retailers who are still in business allow you to recycle gift cards in their stores. Look up a retailer in your state and do the environmentally friendly right thing with your piece of plastic.

Are Linens n’ Things Gift Cards Worth Anything?

Linens n’ Things has re-launched as a website, but cards issued by the retail store Linens n’ Things will not be honored. The website does not offer any gift cards, so essentially every single Linens n’ Things gift cards are useless on the site. Basically Linens n’ Things gift cards are worthless, every one of them. Linens n’ Things gift card holders can make a claim on what is left of the company’s assets. Consider a Linens n’ Things gift card to be like a share in the company…a really weak share that gets what’s left after every other form of shareholder is paid. If you have a Linens n’ Things gift card worth a couple thousand or tens of thousands of dollars it might be worth filing a suit against whatever is left of the company, just don’t forget those expensive legal fees! What we are trying to say is your Linens n’ Things gift cards are completely useless.

How Can You Make Sure You Gift Cards Do Not Become Worthless Pieces of Plastic?

With the way the economy is shrinking you can expect many more retailers to go bankrupt. In the future consumers may not have as much of a warning of a retail gain collapsing as they did with Linen n’ Things bankruptcy. The best thing consumers can do is use their gift card immediately or sell the gift cards. If you are not planning on using a gift card soon get cash for your gift card. It is not worth hanging on to a card that you will forget about, lose or have the store go bankrupt on you. Its much smarter to sell unwanted gift cards for cash, you can always invest the money you get or use it to buy something you actually need.

The best place to sell gift cards online is Giftah, the gift card marketplace. Let thousands of dedicated users bid on your card. After a short auction you will have real money for your gift card, not some weak promissory note belonging to an even weaker corporation. Free your purchasing power by selling your gift cards before it’s too late.

There are a number of websites that allow you to swap your old electronics for a gift card. Since most old electronics end up sitting in a desk drawer somewhere or being thrown out trading electronics for gift cards is an excellent way to get some value out of your junk. You can trade in your old electronics and buy some new ones with the electronics gift cards you receive. The newer the electronics are the higher the value of the gift card will be, the value of your old electronics is also determined by the popularity of the device. The gift cards offered vary with each website, but we have listed some of the more popular sites for swapping electronics for gift cards below.

1) Next Worth: primarily deals with old iPods and iPhones but has recently branched out and begun collecting video games, consoles, cameras, laptops, Blckberry, and GPS. Next Worth offers Amazon gift cards, online or in store J&R gift cards and Target gift cards for your used electronics.

2) Gazelle: buys used cell phones, laptops, GPS devices, gaming consols, camcorders, satellite radios and video games. In return the company provides Amazon gift cards. They also recycle any electronics item even if it has no value.

3) RadioShack: accepts trade in electronics for certain mp3 players, game systems, cell phones, cameras, GPS units, car audio systems and laptops. In return for sending in your electronics you receive a Radio Shack gift card.

4) My Bone Yard: accepts mp3 players, cell phones, desktop pc’s, flat screen monitors and laptops. For exchanging your electronics you will receive a Visa gift card.
Since most used electronics end up in a landfill, these sites are great for recycling your electronics and receiving gift cards.

If you would rather get cash for your gift card there is another website that can facilitate that. You can always sell your gift card online. Just go to Giftah the online marketplace for gift cards and list your card in an auction or sell your gift card directly to Giftah. It’s a easy and fun way to convert your gift cards into cash.

Not many people think about the economic impact of plastic gift cards, after all they are relatively small compared to the wrapping paper and boxes of a large present. In reality 10 billion plastic gift cards are produced every year, most of them end up hitting the land fills. Despite their small size, gift cards ecological footprint can be huge. Gift cards contain polyvinyl chloride (PVC) an extremely toxic compound that is a known carcinogen. Other toxins in gift cards include chlorine residue and heavy metal pollutants. Those 10 billion gift cards produced each year contribute 75 to 100 million pounds of toxic plastic that will site in landfills leaking toxins for the duration of their long lifespan.

Thankfully recycling programs and new materials are being put in place to combat the negative environmental impact of gift cards. Earthworks, a green manufacturing company has been collecting consumer’s gift cards and credit cards to make 100% recycled. The earth works system not only reduces cards environmental impact it creates a product with real value making Earthworks a truly sustainable business.

Creating gift cards out of bioplastics may be another way to reduce or even eliminate the environmental impact of gift cards. Bioplastic gift cards are made from renewable sources such as cornstarch and vegetable oil rather than petroleum based plastics. Mirel a corn based biodegradable plastic created by Metabolix has been adopted by a few large retailers. In 2007 Target sold Mirel gift cards in 129 of its stores. Commercial retailers are rapidly adopting greener business practices as their customers demand it. Recycling, bioplastics or digital distribution all contribute to reducing the amount of harmful chemicals. Any thing that creates more sustainable business practices and a cleaner environment is a step in the right direction.