Gift cards — be it a physical card or an online gift certificate — are a common present during the holidays. The National Retail Federation estimates consumers will spend an average of $172.74 on gift cards this season, up from $163.16 last year, and expects total spending on gift cards will be $31.74 billion.

“People love gift cards,” said Chuck Davis, CEO of Swagbucks, a site that rewards gift cards to people who complete online promotional tasks like playing games or taking surveys.

Swagbucks commissioned a survey from market research company Prodege to find out more about this year’s gift-giving trends. Prodege found that more than 74 percent of the 10,000 online shoppers surveyed plan to buy gift cards for immediate family members or partners. It also discovered that roughly 25 percent of shoppers have at least one unspent gift card — between $25 to $50 in value — left over from the last holiday season.

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