Gift cards have become as much a part of the holiday season as mistletoe and snow over the past few years. Retailers such as Target, Best Buy, Old Navy and more have focused a significant amount of marketing energy on making gift cards a must on any shopping list.

More than 75% of shoppers plan on buying gift cards during the holiday season each year and last year $18.5 billion was spent on the cards. Gift cards are popular...but are they a good idea? While gift cards seem like a convenient way to give, they really come with a slew of potential issues.

• Many gift card programs come with expensive inactivity fees or even expiration dates for recipients who are slow to spend. These fees are usually hard to identify until it is too late.
• Gift cards from credit card issuers can be more costly to buy than cards directly from retailers.
• Many gift card programs do not offer protections if the card is lost or stolen. Once it&39;s gone, it&39;s gone.
• Your gift has a good chance of never being redeemed. According to UnclaimedAssets.com, 5-10% of gift cards are never used. That&39;s as much as $7 billion of wasted giving.

Instead of risking it with gift cards this year, consider some alternatives. A gift of cash instead is often fun, especially for children. Or you can print your own "gift cards" using these free templates from HP with a few bills tucked in the envelope. You may also want to consider an old fashioned gift certificate from a local store; these programs are usually fee-free and easy to redeem even if the certificate is lost.

Are you planning on buying gift cards this year? Share your feedback in the comments section below.