I think it’s because people think giving pure cash is thoughtless and basic.
This idea needs to die. I’d rather have $10 cash that I can stash away to save up for something that I actually want than a $25 gift card that locks me in to a single store.
I’m at a stage in my life where I can generally buy little things when I want to. But my wife and I don’t make enough to regularly drop hundreds or thousands of dollars on non-essentials, and my other family members can’t do more than $25 or maybe $50 for birthdays or Christmas.
It took me years to convince my parents and wife to just give me cash. When I finally did, it enabled me to save up for a $1k guitar over several years.
I’d much rather have one awesome gift every 5 years than a steady stream of $35 gift certificates to various stores and restaurants.
Not giving someone what they’re actually asking for is far less thoughtful than cash.
…why not just use the CC on Amazon?