Treat Yourself
The Best Gift Cards for College Students
By Chris Pagnani
May 7, 2024
Graduation season is here! Whether you yourself have a child that’s getting ready to head to college in the coming months or an extended family member or family friend that’s about to start the next chapter of their life, they will likely need all the financial support they can get when they move away from home and begin living on their own for the first time. However, depending on how many of these intrepid young adults you may have in your life, the cost of graduation gifts can start adding up quickly.
To save money on your graduation season gift-giving, you’re going to want to try Fetch. Our rewards app allows you to earn points on every receipt you snap, and those points can then be redeemed for free gift cards. In other words, you can earn gift cards simply for making the purchases you’re already making, give those gift cards to your grad, and eliminate the cost of buying graduation gifts altogether.
Download Fetch today, start snapping receipts, and redeem your points for gift cards your college student is sure to love! Not sure which gift card to go with? Read on for Fetch’s picks for the best gift cards for college students.
College gift cards your grad is going to love
The best graduation gift cards will help your grad offset the cost of everyday expenses and save money in college. As far as what college students tend to spend money on (beer), there are any number of expenses they’ll be presented with on a weekly basis (beer), so it’s important to pick gift cards they can get a lot of use out of.
Still, since college isn’t just Beer School, here are a range of gift cards college students will find useful.
Best restaurant & coffee gift cards for college students
With their school and social lives being as busy as they are, college students often end up spending way more money grabbing food on the go than they do making well-planned-out trips to the grocery store. From their morning coffee to a quick bite at lunch to perhaps a more leisurely meal for dinner or on the weekends, all of the following Fetch restaurant gift cards are sure-fire fan-favorites among college students:
- Starbucks
- Dunkin
- Chipotle
- Burger King
- Buffalo Wild Wings
- Domino’s Pizza
- Papa John’s
- Olive Garden
- Panera
- Subway
- Steak ’n Shake
Best gift cards for groceries for college students
Since living on your own involves some degree of learning how to cook for yourself, it’s important to first teach your grad some of the basics of putting together a weekly grocery list. Once that’s settled, you’ll want to hook them up with some gift cards that will actually allow them to afford the luxury of a home-cooked meal (and beer) every now and then. Here are some of the most popular Fetch gift cards your grad can use on groceries:
- Target
- Kroger
- Whole Foods
Gift cards college students can use on just about anything
And, if you’re not sure which restaurants or grocery stores are nearby, college kids can buy anything from books and clothes to music, video games, and, yes, even beer with the following Fetch gift cards:
- Amazon
- Visa
How do I get free gift cards with Fetch?
Earning free gift cards with Fetch is easy:
- Download the app.
- Snap receipts and play games to earn points.
- Redeem your points for gift cards in the Rewards section of the app!
Once you receive your confirmation email saying your e-gift card is ready, forward that email to your grad. That’s all there is to it!
The fastest way to earn Fetch gift cards
To ensure you’re able to get your free gift card as soon as possible, follow these point-boosting Fetch hacks:
- Snap Every Receipt: You’ll get 25 points for every receipt you snap in the app.
- Shop Offers: Your personalized offers allow you to earn even more points on the products you buy each week at the store, so be sure to review your offers and “like” your favorites for easy reference.
- Buy Boosted Brands: Follow the “flame” symbol, and find out which brands will earn you even more points for every dollar you spend with Boost.
- Try Fetch Play: With Fetch Play, you can earn points toward free gift cards simply for playing games on your phone (no receipt-snapping required!).
- Follow Fetch on Social Media: Fetch is always announcing new point-earning opportunities on Instagram, so follow Fetch to make sure you never miss out on a chance to win!
Treat the college kid in your life with a free gift card from Fetch
Let Fetch help you save money on graduation gifts this year. Download the app, earn points, and use those points to get free gift cards you can give to any college student in your life. Your grad will thank you, as will your wallet.
Topics: Gift Cards, rewards, school
Chris Pagnani is a writer, SEO, coffee snob, and obsessive record collector here at Fetch. In his past life, he taught high school English before leaving education behind to spend several years touring around the country playing drums in a band.