Gift vouchers can be nice presents, but if you think about it, you’re paying for the opportunity to lock in your money forcing the recipient to shop at that particular company. And more often than not, the recipient will then spent a little more than the value of the voucher in order to use it all. If you’d given them money instead, the outcome would have been the same, but this way the company gets your cash in advance. I have to hand it to whoever came up with the idea, it’s a capitalist’s wet dream!
And pre-orders (I’m specifically thinking of videogames here), this did make sense once upon a time when you were buying a physical copy that may have had limited stocks. But nowadays for digital pre-orders… what’s the point? You’re putting your trust in the company that the game will be polished from the start. At least with something like a Kickstarter, you’re helping to fund development of the game. But here what exactly do you get out of it? Maybe some additional pre-order cosmetics that’ll you use once? The concept is bizarre to me.
I think it’s mostly social convention - i.e. sometimes it’s not the ‘done thing’ to give someone money as it shows a lack of thoughtfulness perhaps. Gift cards are stopgap that make it look like you’ve put some effort into a gift.
They allow the recipient choice. However, they have a lot of downsides too. I bet gift cards from my in laws all the time. They generally go unused as are often for places I don’t visit, so it’s more like an obligation to go spend time and buy a present from a shop I don’t really like. However, it’s the thought that counts, so I don’t begrudge it, nor do I waste my time.
Couldn’t you ask them to give you gift cards for places you might visit?
Yes, but kind of defeats the purpose. And let’s them know I didn’t like the other gifts.