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How to save 20% or more on holiday gift cards

You don't necessarily have to pay face value for a gift card.
SAN FRANCISCO - NOVEMBER 04: Gift cards for Lowe's are displayed on a rack during the grand opening of the Lowe's store on November 4, 2010.

The most most-sought-after gift of the holidays might not be a TV, toy or tech device.

It could be a gift card.

Consumers spent more than $9 billion on gift cards during the 2016 holiday season, according to the market research firm Packaged Facts. And when we asked our Facebook fans what was at the top of their holiday wish and shopping lists this year, a gift card was a popular response.

Marlene Mancinelli of Buffalo, NY wrote that the no. 1 gift on her list was a, "gift card to walmart to buy things my family needs!"

Sandy Taylor also wrote on Facebook that she'd be looking for a gift card during the holidays.

"Movie tickets and a Taco Bell gift card for my sons," she wrote. "They’re pretty easy to please."

You can find a Taco Bell gift card at Amazon.com, as well as gift cards for Regal Cinemas, Olive Garden and Starbucks.

Those gift cards are sold at face value. If your in need of a gift card and your holiday budget is tight, consider a reputable reseller like GiftCardGranny.com, GiftCards.com or Cardpool.com.

"Using an auction website like GiftCards.com or GiftCardGranny.com to buy unwanted gift cards from resellers is a great way to save money," our friends at MagnifyMoney recently wrote. "You can use the websites to search for discounted gift cards (pay less than the card’s balance) or as an easy way to compare multiple gift cards you’re considering buying."

On Thursday morning, Cardpool.com was offering discounts of more than 25 percent on gift cards from retailers and restaurants like Buca di Beppo, Dunkin' Donuts and Fandango.

GiftCardGranny.com, meanwhile, had 2 percent discounts on Walmart gift cards as well as 30-40 percent discounts like Dave & Busters and Krispy Kreme.

And GiftCards.com offered more than 20 percent discounts on gift cards from retailers like Aeropostale and AMC Theatres.

But perhaps the best gift these sites can give online shoppers is peace of mind. Both GiftCardGranny.com and CardPool.com guarantee refunds to consumers who are scammed on their sites.

Ian Hill is a former journalist and manager for TEGNA, the company that owns this station.

TEGNA’s e-commerce team has curated on this page some of the gifts our Facebook community said they wanted this holiday season. Neither TEGNA’s journalists nor advertisers were involved in the selection of the products featured here nor the creation of any content on this page. We may receive a share of the revenue from the site that sells the product if you purchase one of these products using the link on this page.

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