Gift cards get a bad rap. "Impersonal." "Lazy." "The gift of not knowing what to give." All of that is true when you send a gift card badly. It's not true when you send one well.
The difference is in the specificity
A $50 Amazon card to a friend feels lazy because it's the maximally generic gift. A $50 Steam card to your gamer nephew for a specific game he's been talking about is a thoughtful gift, delivered fast.
Specificity turns a gift card from a shrug into a signal.
How to nail it in one minute
Ask yourself: what is this person into right now? Not what were they into last year — right now. Pick the card that matches. Write a two-sentence note. Send.
The two-sentence note matters. "For that trip you've been planning" or "For the game I saw on your wishlist" changes the entire feeling of receiving the card.
When gift cards are the right answer
Long-distance birthdays. Thank-yous for a favor. Congratulations for a promotion. New parents (they don't want more stuff, they want small things solved). Someone who lives in a country where shipping is unreliable.
When they aren't
Milestone birthdays for a close family member. Anniversaries. Wedding gifts. Anywhere the gift is the point, not the utility. In those cases, spend more time and less code.
The Randzify way
Pick brand. Pick amount. Add note. Send by email or link. From Randzify to their inbox in about 30 seconds. Nobody has to know you decided at the last minute.