Top gift cards to give for Christmas

These are 10 of our top gift cards for Christmas, including food, big department store shopping, and nights at the cinema.

1. John Lewis Gift Card
2. Merry Christmas Choice Gift Card
3. Marks & Spencer Gift Card
4. Waitrose Gift Card
5. Everyman Cinemas Gift Card
6. Restaurant Gift Card
7. Virgin Experience Days Gift Card
8. Laithwaites Gift Card
9. Fashion Gift Card
10. Boots Gift Card

Adults are the hardest people to buy for. They tend to buy what they need when they need it, so by December there can be very little left on their wish list. The best Christmasd gift cards for adults are the ones that pay for something they would not usually treat themselves to. A small luxury they wouldn't usually buy or the opportunity to spend on some premium food, whether it’s the weekly shopping or a restaurant meal.

On the food theme, a Waitrose Gift Card is a fine example, as it turns the food shop into a treat, from premium ingredients to exceptional desserts. For the young adult who prefers new experiences to new things, a Virgin Experience Days Gift Card puts a day out on the calendar for the new year.

Music fans can put a Ticketmaster Gift Card towards a live event, giving them something to look forward to during the dark winter months. For a fan of film and cinema, the Everyman Cinemas Gift Card covers a night at the cinema, and wine lovers can stock up for the year ahead with the Laithwaites Gift Card.

If you’re a business buying for a team rather than a friend, our guide to the best Christmas gift cards for employees has ideas for a work setting.

When searching for the best gift cards to give a woman for Christmas, start with what she already enjoys. Here are a few that work for friends, mums, sisters, girlfriends, and even wives.

• Fashion Gift Card. Ideal for the woman who knows exactly what she likes to wear and would rather choose it herself. The Fashion Gift Card comes in amounts from £10 up to £500, so it suits a small present as well as a big one.
• Rituals Gift Card. For the friend who loves a long bath and a candle on a dark winter evening, the Rituals Gift Card can be used to shop for a wide range of body products.
• Pandora Gift Card. A thoughtful way to let her add a new charm or a pair of earrings to her collection. The Pandora Gift Card can be used to shop online or in Pandora stores across the UK, making it a convenient way to shop for new jewellery.  
• The Body Shop Gift Card. If you have a sister who always runs out of her favourite body products halfway through the winter holiday, the Body Shop Gift Card is the one for her.

What makes these cards work is that they leave the final choice with her. You still demonstrate that you know her taste, but you avoid buying the wrong size or a shade that would end up getting returned. That convenience is a gift in itself. For more gift ideas for women see our collection of gift cards for her.

A restaurant gift card is one of the nicest things to give at Christmas, because it encourages families to sit down, talk, and spend quality time together. December is busy, and a restaurant gift card gives someone a reason to slow down in January after the decorations have been put back into storage in the loft. Restaurant gift cards also work for couples, colleagues, and friends and anyone who could do with a break from the cooking and washing up.

Out of all of the restaurant gift cards, our own Restaurant Gift Card is one of the best gift cards for Christmas as it offers the most flexibility. It’s available in any value from £10 up to £500, and the person you give it to picks the restaurant from a group of more than 5,000 participating pubs and restaurants across the UK.

If you know a restaurant they love or have been meaning to try, a single-brand gift card can feel more personal. The following are among our best-selling single-brand restaurant gift cards.

• Gordon Ramsay Restaurants Gift Card. For a special evening out, the kind that marks an anniversary or a big birthday.
• Côte Brasserie Gift Card. French brasserie cooking, ideal for a relaxed lunch with family.
• Wagamama Gift Card. Steaming bowls of ramen for the friend who loves Asian flavours.
• Miller & Carter Gift Card. For the steak lover who always orders the same thing and is happy that way.

Even the top gift cards to give for Christmas only work when they match the person. These tips can help you make the right choice.

1. Think about what they like to do, not what they own. A keen cook, a film fan, or someone who loves an active weekend in the outdoors will give you a good idea about what they will appreciate.
2. Choose a single-brand gift card for the person you know well. A single-brand card can show that you know their favourite shop or restaurant.
3. Flexibility can work for the person you don’t know as well. A multi-store card lets them choose from many brands, so you don’t have to guess. The All-in-1 Choice Gift Card can be spent on more than 350 different gift cards, making it the most flexible gift choice gift card we offer. For a Christmas-themed version that works in the same way, go for the Merry Christmas Classic Choice Gift Card. 
4. Set your budget first. Decide what you want to spend before you browse, and go with the value that fits. Most gift cards, whether it’s a physical or digital gift card, are available in custom values that allow you to spend as much or as little as you’re comfortable with.
5. Add a personal message. You can write a personal message for your recipient that’s delivered along with the gift card. A few kind words make a gift card feel far less like an afterthought.
6. Decide who receives it. At checkout you can choose whether the gift card is sent to your address or directly to your recipient. Physical gift cards are sent by post, while digital e-gift cards are sent immediately by email on completion of the order.

Still not sure what gift card to buy? Browse our full range of Christmas gift cards for more inspiration and see if you can find one that suits your recipient. For a themed gift card, the Merry Christmas Classic Choice Gift Card lets them choose multiple gift cards from a wide range of brands. And if you are buying for your father or your brother, our guide to the best Christmas gift cards for dad has ideas just for him.

Whoever you still have to buy gifts for on your list, you’ll find the right Christmas present on Giftcard.co.uk. Browse a wide range of gift cards across 25 categories, covering shopping, food, travel, entertainment, hobbies, and experiences.