25 Gift Cards That Give You—and Your Recipient—the Best Bang for Your Buck

Though gift cards can definitely solve your annual conundrum over what to buy those hard-to-please people on your list, deciding on a gift card is the easy part—deciding which gift card to give them, however, is where the challenge comes in.

To help you narrow it down, WalletHub devised a multi-factor ranking system for gift cards of all types, from home improvement outlets like Lowe’s to subscription services like Netflix. Researchers analyzed popularity (based on search volume), average buyer’s discount across major gift card exchange sites, average resale value, retailer ratings on popular review sites, and shipping fees, and then assigned an overall score to each of America’s 100 largest retailers.

According to the study, your best option this year is a Target gift card, with an average buyer’s discount of 5.76 percent, a resale value of $77.12, and a retailer rating of 3.09 out of 5.

But before you stock up on Target gift cards for your many friends and family members, you might want to peruse the rest of WalletHub’s data. IKEA, for example, which tied for third place with Home Depot and eBay, boasts an average buyer’s discount of 10.85 percent.

The top performers from the food industry were Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, McDonald’s, and Chipotle, which all tied for fourth place (among several other companies, Netflix and iTunes included) with 50 points apiece.

Even if you’ve already decided which gift cards you’re going with this holiday season, it’s still worth looking at WalletHub’s data before you buy them to make sure you’re getting a discount comparable to (or better than) the average. And, if there’s a particularly choosy recipient on your list who’ll likely try to resell their gift card, perhaps pick one with an especially high resale value, like Costco’s $84.60 or Walmart’s $84.09.

Check out the rankings below, including overall score, and find out the full details from WalletHub’s study here.

1. Target // Score: 70

1. Walmart // Score: 60

1. Sephora // Score: 60

1. eBay // Score: 55

1. Home Depot // Score: 55

1. IKEA // Score: 55

1. iTunes // Score: 50

1. Starbucks // Score: 50

1. Costco // Score: 50

1. Chick-fil-A // Score: 50

1. Netflix // Score: 50

1. McDonald’s // Score: 50

1. Fandango // Score: 50

1. Chipotle // Score: 50

1. REI // Score: 50

1. Old Navy // Score: 50

1. H&M // Score: 50

1. Disney // Score: 45

1. Google Play // Score: 45

1. Best Buy // Score: 45

1. Macy's // Score: 45

1. Lowe's // Score: 45

1. Subway // Score: 45

1. Amazon // Score: 40

1. Gamestop // Score: 40