Article: Gift cards grow increasingly popular, but can carry hidden costs

NEW YORK -- Publicist Scott Black started looking at purchasing gift cards a couple of years ago, when he realized how much it cost to ship holiday presents to customers and relatives.

"Whether for a client or my mother-in-law, it seemed silly to spend $50 on a gift and then $20 to ship it," said Black, 40, president of the TimePiece Public Relations agency in Dallas.

He's become a big fan of gift cards, which are prepaid cards that look like credit or debit cards that recipients can use to buy goods or services. Black even sends them to his mother, who is an avid reader.

"I get gift cards to the book stores near her," he said. "For her,

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