In the past, gift certificates were the popular giveaways most stores and establishments offered to customers on special occasions. These are paper vouchers that stand in place of cash. Each has its own exact amount that you can use to purchase items at specific retail stores and other commercial establishments. Nowadays, gift cards are more efficient and better suited to serve as presents and giveaways. And speaking of gift cards, one of the most popular are probably Subway gift cards, along with other gift cards from well known food chains and retail stores.

Gift cards are usually made of plastic that contains a microchip that stores information such as the specific amount or balance of the card. Gift cards, otherwise known as a prepaid or stored-value payment device, are quite similar to debit cards in the sense that they are both preloaded with an exact amount. The only difference is the fact that gift cards cannot be reused once the stored funds are used up.

When it comes to gift cards, there are two types available. Although many gift cards are exclusively provided by credit card companies, there are those that are sold by select retailers such as Wal-mart, Target and food chains like Pizza Hut, McDonald's and of course, Subway. These establishment-specific gift cards are known as closed-system cards due to the fact that you can only use them at stores and business establishments specified in the card itself. Take Subway gift cards, for example, you can't take it to McDonald's or Pizza Hut. You can only use it at a Subway restaurant, and nowhere else.

On the other hand, there is also what you can call as the open-system card. These are the gift cards that are exclusively sold by credit card companies like MasterCard, Visa and American Express. These types of gift cards are called open-system because they can be used virtually anywhere where credit cards are accepted. And since all major credit cards are recognized by almost every establishment, you can pretty much go wherever you want to use your open-system gift card. Receiving free gift cards from a close friend or relative on your birthday will most definitely be a blast, don't you agree?

If you haven't heard of gift cards before, then you are probably from another planet. Or you were born only yesterday. In the past few years, more and more people are switching to gift cards as a present, instead of the traditional gift-wrapped items. The only thing that many people are having trouble with is finding an effective method in getting a gift card for free. There are websites that promise to give you gift cards after you do a specific task, and then you find out that you will have to bend over backwards before you get what you were promised. But despite all of that, there are still a few effective ways you can obtain a free gift card.

There is one such place, though, where you can definitely get free gift cards without having to go through rigorous processes. By checking out Subway's official website, you might just get the chance to receive a free gift card courtesy of one of the best sandwich makers in the world. This free gift card giveaway is the result of a settlement between the fast food chain and its loyal customers. Once you receive your free gift card, you have two options. You can either give it to someone as a present, or you can just use it yourself to satisfy your own taste buds.