by Dogfly3330 » Thu Feb 19, 2015 1:10 pm
I can't speak for other collectors - - but I hate the scratches caused by swiping the cards at the point-of-purchase machines!
So, for the past decade or so I've been placing cards with a magnetic strip in a plastic collector sleeve first, before purchasing them and while activating and using them. (This is not necessary for cards with bar codes only, like Target, obviously.) The sleeves are crystal clear, very thin plastic, that I bought from a dealer years ago. He has since passed on, and I have not been able to find more, so I continue to reuse them, until they fall apart or are no longer usable. I've bought different sleeves from another dealer, probably made from polypropylene, but they are not thin enough to use for anything other than storage.
I've successfully used this method hundreds of times at stores - from Taco Bell to Walmart to Starbucks - and even pay at the pump gas stations. Sometimes it takes more than one try. I usually explain it to the cashier / store associate first - - and watch to make sure they don't take it out of the sleeve to swipe it (and then put it back in the sleeve). That's happened more than once.
Is this an inconvenience? You bet. But despite repeated use, the gift cards show absolutely no wear and tear from the experience, and stay in mint condition. The bottom line: If you have 2 cards, side by side, one with scratches, one without - - which one would you prefer to have in your collection?