Hi Denise -

A FiLife editor wrote about all the reasons gift cards are a hassle here: http://blog.filife.com/seven-reasons-why-its-rude-to-give-gift-cards/ You might want to check it out before buying them as a gift.

Also - our guide to gift cards reviews all the pros and cons and provides advice on how to shop for gift cards. You can find it here: http://www.filife.com/topics/gift-cards/guide/singlepage.

Here's some additional food for thought... There is a $25 deduction limit per client for business gifts - that includes gift cards. You may get better tax mileage out of a company wide event (like a holiday party) or recreational activity.

Can I avoid the hassle of activation or validation on my clients end? I don't want to ask the CFO to call a number to activate or answer a personal identification question. I want this to be simple and easy for them. It's a gift not another item on their busy "to do" lists.

Hi DeniseGetCirius,

Visa and Mastercards are more universally accepted than American Express. One key reason is that it costs slightly more for merchants to redeem Amex cards than the others.

Most restaurants take Amex, so you'll probably be fine either way. But I'd go with either Visa or MC unless there were some special reason not to.