Virtual Certificates Make Last-Minute Gifts

Down to the wire on your holiday shopping? Or are you still drawing a blank for that tough-to-please person? There's still time to let her shop for herself.

Gift certificates to specific bricks-and-clicks stores are nothing new, but the ones you can buy online are among the latest holiday purchases you can make. Many retailers sell gift certificates from their Web sites, redeemable only at their stores. But a handful of online companies offer digital gift certificates redeemable at literally thousands of stores, virtually anywhere.

Before you log on and click for that "perfect gift," it's important to understand some of the subtle differences among the various online gift certificate peddlers. We've done that legwork for you.

MasterCard Goes Digital

WebCertificate.com, launched in 1998, offers a virtual gift certificate that you e-mail to your loved one. Available in denominations from $20 to $200, your lucky recipient can use the WebCertificate at any merchant that accepts MasterCard.

"Many people use this as a last-minute gift. Last year, Christmas day was our busiest day of the year," says Matt Gillin, the company's chief executive officer and president.

WebCertificate.com charges a service fee of between $2.95 and $4.95, depending on the amount you purchase. The service ships the certificate electronically, along with a personalized virtual greeting card. You also can print out a certificate to hand to your recipient. If you make the purchase early enough, the company will ship a plastic gift card that can be used just like a regular credit card.

BirthdayGift.com offers a similar service--and it's not just for birthdays. The plastic Anywhere Gift Card also works at any store (online or off) that accepts MasterCard. For last-minute gift-givers, the site will send an e-mail notifying the recipient that a card is on the way.

Anywhere Gift Cards are available in denominations of $25 to $1000, with service fees ranging from $5.95 to $29.95.

The Best Present Company offers a plastic gift card through its Web site, TheGiftCard.com, that also works anywhere MasterCard is accepted. Available in denominations from $5 to $100, its service fees start at $5.95. The site also offers the Wild Card GiftCard, which can be used for amounts from $100 to $1000.

Because MasterCard backs all of these cards, you don't have to worry about the sites that offer them going belly-up. Even if they do--and executives at the companies insist they won't--the cards will still be redeemable.

Other Options

GiftCertificates.com sells gift certificates to thousands of hotels, theaters, restaurants, and stores. The site also offers a SuperCertificate, which is actually a gift certificate to GiftCertificates.com. The recipient cannot redeem it at individual merchants; instead, it must be redeemed for a gift certificate to the merchant of the recipient's choice. You can buy and deliver the gift certificates electronically, or the company can mail paper versions to the recipient.

GiveAnything.com offers an online gift certificate, but you can only redeem it at a preselected group of merchants. The site has partnered with thousands of Web shops, most of which are smaller, more eclectic shops. You can send the certificate by mail or e-mail.

And finally, if a gift certificate isn't what you're looking for, you might consider the most old-fashioned gift of all: cash. With the Internet, there's no need to drop a check in the mail and risk missing the big day. C2it, from Citibank, lets you send cash via e-mail, using your credit card. The recipient can have the money transferred electronically to an account, or can have a check printed.