From My Mailbox to Yours: How to Keep Greeting Cards & Gift Cards from Disappearing #MothersDay #Graduation

In 2021, I mailed a graduation greeting card with an enclosed Amazon gift card, but it never reached the recipient. After years of mailing greeting cards, I had never had one not arrive. The same year, my Amazon order disappeared once it reached Memphis, where the tracking ended. When I told a friend about the card obviously being stolen, she said May was one of the worst months for regular mail to get “lost” because people usually mail GC or checks with greeting cards for graduations, Mother’s Day, and weddings. This also applies to birthday cards. This year, I never received a birthday card that was sent to me. 

Here are some tips to help your card/gift arrive safely.

Before you put your gift card in the envelope, make a copy of the back of the gift card package. Better yet, take the card out of the package and make a copy of the front of it, too. When my gift card went missing, I called Amazon. All I had was a copy of the purchase receipt. I was told they couldn’t track the card without the numbers on the back of the gift card package. 

Because gift card packaging is bulky, it is more evident that a GC is inside the envelope. So, it might be wise to take the gift card out of the packaging and tape it inside the greeting card. 

If you are mailing a gift card or check with your greeting card, don’t mail it without tracking and insurance. In other words, don’t put stamps on it and drop it in a box. That was my mistake.

Go inside the post office and mail it via the front desk clerk with tracking and insurance added. I would advise putting it in a small manila or padded envelope (6x9). 

Other options: 

You can mail the greeting card and send the gift card by email. Most retailers have an email gift card option. I think this is one of the best and cheapest ways to send a gift. Side note: If you are mailing out invitations to graduations or weddings, add an email address if it is not listed on the invitation. 

FedEx is an option that I like. When I had to re-send the graduation gift, I didn’t have the recipient’s email address. So, after buying a new card and a gift card, I took them to FedEx. The mailing price was reasonable, and I received tracking messages from the time the card left the facility to the time it reached its destination. 

One more thing I want to mention before I close, which has nothing to do with lost gift cards, is that the USPS now has Informed Delivery. You can sign up for it on the USPS website, and they will email you a photo of your mail for that day. It is in your email first thing in the morning, so you don’t have to wonder if you need to go check your mailbox. I’ve found that service very handy. 

May is such a pretty month! Hope you are enjoying the flowers! 

Patricia