Gift cards are an easy gift to give. They are also easy to forget about once you have them.

Americans spend upwards of 100 billion dollars each year on gift cards, and a fair amount of that money ends up being unclaimed. While many gift cards don’t expire, or at least take plenty of time to, they can be easily misplaced and that extra fifty or 100 dollars that you might have been able to use is gone for good. Fortunately, if you have a lot of gift cards stockpiled, or are the type of person that knows you will forget about them soon, there are still things you can do to take advantage of the remaining balances.

Exchange Gift Cards for Cash

If you don’t want to use your gift cards, but still want to get something for them, then you can look into selling them for cash. There are plenty of websites and companies out there that will offer you cash for nearly any unwanted gift card, like what you would find at Cards2Cash.com.

Companies like this offer you a percentage of the face value of your gift card. It’s better for you to look for a reputable company than trying to sell your cards to individuals over the internet because not only are your payments backed by the business, but you will also nearly always receive a higher percentage. Companies will typically offer you upward of 75% of the face value of your card. Sometimes, if you are willing to accept payment through a site like PayPal, you may receive an even better percentage.

Before you put your card up for sale, make sure to check the balance just in case. This will also confirm whether the card has expired or not, saving you time.

Donate Your Gift Cards

Depending on the type of gift cards you have, there may be plenty of local charities that would love to receive them as a donation.

Many charities like food banks or other drives that help gather food for those in need will gladly accept gift cards to grocery stores or online markets that can help them add to their food supplies. They can even give the individual cards to families who can then redeem the value on the card and purchase the food themselves.

If you want to donate gift cards, then you should do some research on the charity you plan to donate to, or stick with a charity that you’ve contributed to in the past. Unfortunately, there are some scammers out there, so you want to make sure that your donation goes to a good cause.

Another benefit of donating is that your gift cards may be tax deductible at the end of the year. Keep a good record of the transaction and get a receipt, and you may find a way to save money come tax time.

Use Cards to Buy a Gift

You could also use unwanted gift cards as a way to buy gifts for other people. If you receive a gift card from a store that doesn’t really appeal to you, visit their store or website the next time a friend or family member’s birthday is coming up and you may be able to find something that would be perfect for them.

The obvious upside to doing this is that you will receive 100% of the value of the gift card. If you also do a little research and find rebates or coupons that you can use at the same time, you stand to get even more for your money.

Regift Them

If all else fails and you simply can’t figure out what to do with that stockpile of gift cards, you can always give them to other people as presents.

While some people may frown upon the idea of “regifting,” it’s better to put the cards to use than to just let them sit around until you lose them or throw them away. Gift cards are basically free money, so you should do whatever it takes to at least let someone cash in on them.

Just remember who gave you each gift card so you can avoid the embarrassing situation of giving the same one back. If you can, keep a record of who gave you each card so you can be sure that you give each person a card they’ve never bought themselves.

Don’t let unused gift cards go to waste: find a way to use the money.

Lara Pickering is a Mom who tries to be as frugal as she can without scrimping so much that life loses its fun. She writes about a range of lifestyle issues in her articles.