It’s grad season, which also means it’s time to start putting together congratulatory gifts. Being completely honest, we all know what most college graduates want: cash and/or gift cards. Receiving cash and gift cards can be fun, but it can also feel impersonal giving it. Luckily, there are different types of gift cards out there that can help the new broke college grads in your life that also show you have been thinking about them. Here are 10 different gift cards to give different grads.
- HomeGoods
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A HomeGoods gift card is for the grad that already has her own apartment or living space lined up for after graduation. Chances are, she probably does not have much decoration or interior design picked out for it yet, so this gift will help them find some items to personalize her space. Plus, one of the funnest things about HomeGoods is that no two HomeGoods are exactly alike, and even the same location can change within just a few days. Therefore, every time she goes, it will be a fun, new experience finding decor.
- DoorDash, Postmates, Uber Eats, etc.
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A food delivery service gift card is for the grad that is still learning how to cook, or maybe just doesn’t like cooking. Delivery fees and restaurant prices get expensive, so it’s nice to have a gift card that lets someone treat themselves. She can also use it if she burns the dinner she was trying to make.
- Trader Joe’s
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A Trader Joe’s gift card is for the grad that can somewhat cook, but appreciates top tier frozen food and snacks to supplement her meal. Whether it’s buying out all the potstickers or getting a TJ specialty candy, this gift card will probably be used up within the first week after receiving it. Most seniors, especially UCLA seniors who’ve shopped at the Westwood location, are a sucker for Trader Joe’s, so you cannot go wrong with this one.
- Zara
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A Zara gift card is for the fashionable friend in your life who has a slight shopping addiction. Zara is a dangerous store because individually, pieces of clothing are not extremely expensive, but you can easily create a haul and end up paying hundreds of dollars. Therefore, why not feed her addiction and help pay for her next Zara trip. It is a great store for not only everyday clothes, but it also has a professional line and business casual pieces to help them build up her career wardrobe now that she is out of school.
- Amazon
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An Amazon gift card is for the grad who likes to spend her money on a variety of things, she just can’t be put into a box. This grad also values convenience and getting items within forty eight hours or less after ordering them. If she doesn’t have Amazon Prime, instead of getting them a gift card, purchase them a three or six month subscription. It’s an out of the box gift that will make them super excited as well.
- Target
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Honestly, any grad can get a Target gift card because who doesn’t love Target? (If she doesn’t, I highly suggest she reevaluates her morals). However, specifically, a Target gift card is for the grad who doesn’t mind taking her time shopping, and also has enough time to get lost in Target and wander down the aisles. Target also has so many departments that if you are debating between other gift cards such as HomeGoods and Trader Joe’s, Target is the best answer because it has both decor and great food.
- Bumble/Hinge/Tinder Subscription
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A dating app subscription is for the single grad who swears she is going to find her soulmate now that she is out of college. In my opinion, Hinge Premium, Tinder Gold, Bumble Boost, and all the plans in between are way more expensive than they should be. Why are they $30 a month??? Paying for a month or two will make your graduate laugh and maybe it will even enhance her dating app experience. Maybe she’ll even find her next significant other. Even if she doesn’t, having the subscription does make opening the app more fun.
- Disney+/Hulu/Netflix/Any Streaming Service
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A streaming service gift card/subscription is for the grad that loves movies and tv shows, and has enough time this summer to get invested in some new series. Almost everyone has at least one service, but there are so many out there now, and having a subscription to each one gets expensive. Each streaming service has a unique or original series now, so it’s easy to jump between them depending on the mood. You can even make a little streaming basket with popcorn and other show/movie watching snacks and maybe even a blanket to cuddle in.
- Spotify
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A Spotify gift card is for the grad you never see without Airpods or headphones. Being graduated means no more student discounts on the service. Help them out the first few months as she is getting adjusted to the real world, especially since music is an essential to almost every college grad’s mental health.
- Honorable Mentions
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Still not inspired by the list above? Here are a couple more gift card ideas for people with certain niche hobbies.
Sephora – For the grad who loves to do her makeup
Michael’s – For the grad who loves crafting and DIY
Five Below – For the grad that likes cute knick knacks
Adobe Subscription – For the creative grad who no longer has access to free Adobe creative cloud
Nike/Adidas – For the athletic grad
Gift giving is supposed to be fun, so don’t stress about it too much. After all, it is the thought that counts. If all fails and none of these items speak to you, cash and/or a visa gift card are not a bad back up. I promise the graduates in your life will appreciate that too.