Gift cards are great, because they’re pretty much free money to spend at a particular store — and you have to spend them, right? It’s not like you can do the responsible thing and put them in the bank. The question is, what to buy? Assuming you’re not already ticking off your own wish-list, we have some suggestions.
Starting with this: If the gift card isn’t for the store you want, or you’d rather just have cash, head to Raise and list it for sale. If someone buys it, you’ll get a bit less than face value, minus Raise’s cut — but it’s still money in your pocket instead of a gift card you might not care to use.
Ready to shop? Here are some of the best ways you can put a gift card to use.
Read more: CNET’s best tech products of 2020
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The Wyze Band ($30 at Amazon, shipping included) is by no means a perfect activity tracker, but it does a lot, especially considering its super-bargain price tag. It has a color AMOLED screen, a full-time heart-rate monitor, support for Alexa voice commands and a battery good for up to 14 days.
It’s also a watch, of course, and it can sling notifications from your phone. Read our Wyze Band first take to learn more.
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With better sound quality than its predecessor and a fancy new orb design, the fourth-gen Echo Dot is great for the first-time smart-speaker owner or anyone looking to upgrade an older Dot. Just try to avoid paying the full list price ($50), because Dots go on sale all the time. Indeed, at this writing (a few days before Christmas), you can get it for as little as $30.
Read our Echo Dot 2020 review.
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A CNET Editors’ Choice winner, the Streaming Stick Plus does everything — and does it well. You not only get a simple, straightforward interface for accessing every streaming service on the planet, you also get 4K HDR and a remote that understands voice commands.
Read our Roku Streaming Stick Plus review.
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CNET audio guru David Carnoy had this to say about this speaker: “Anker’s Soundcore Motion Plus came out in 2019 and managed to slip beneath my radar, which is a shame because it’s arguably one of the best-sounding speakers under $100 — if not the best. A little larger than many mini Bluetooth speakers, it’s still compact and manages to sound quite a bit fuller than much of the competition under $100, with bigger bass, more volume and better clarity. It’s also fully waterproof (IPX7 rated) and has support for the aptX streaming codec for devices like Samsung’s Galaxy phones that support it.
Read our Motion Soundcore Plus review.
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If you don’t like the feel of a silicone tip stuffed into your ear canal, you might prefer standard Apple AirPods — or, better still, Samsung’s Galaxy Buds Live. It offers ANC (active noise-canceling) and a sweat-resistant shell, two features missing from the aforementioned AirPods.
Read our Galaxy Buds Live review.
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The best smartwatch to pair with an iPhone is the Apple Watch, bar none. The Series 3 is a few generations behind the current, but it’s still plenty capable, with heart-rate monitoring, swim tracking and much more. The 38mm model starts at $199, though you can sometimes find it on sale for $169.
Read our Apple Watch review.
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Can’t get your hands on the latest PlayStation or Xbox? Consider this “console” instead. The Oculus Quest 2 lets you step inside games instead of just playing them on a screen. The experience is breathtaking, and the VR headset itself is more affordable than most consoles. (The games are cheaper, too.) Even if your gift card doesn’t cover the entire cost, it’s worth making up the difference.
Read our Oculus Quest 2 review.
CNET’s Cheapskate scours the web for great deals on tech products and much more. For the latest deals and updates, follow him on Facebook and Twitter. You can also sign up for deal texts delivered right to your phone. Find more great buys on the CNET Deals page and check out our CNET Coupons page for the latest Walmart discount codes, eBay coupons, Samsung promo codes and even more from hundreds of other online stores. Questions about the Cheapskate blog? Answers live on our FAQ page.
