These Hallmark Cards Swap Cash for Venmo Codes

pcmag.com:

Cash or a check in a card is an easy gift for shoppers short on time or imagination, but who has cash or a checkbook these days? Before you go in search of ATM, consider Hallmark + Venmo Cards, which let you include digital funds inside your Hallmark greeting card.

Eligible Hallmark cards come with a QR code printed on the inside flap. Once purchased, the gift giver scans the QR code to add money to the card, and then then recipient scans the code to add the money to their Venmo account.

From there, it's usable like any regular Venmo funds. Recipients have 180 days to add the money to their Venmo account or it'll be returned to the gift giver's Venmo. The only hiccup is that both parties need to have a Venmo account in order to secure the funds.

Hallmark says these cards "add extra peace of mind and convenience for customers, removing the worry of lost cash or checks." Venmo argues it helps bridge the gap between older gift givers who are used to giving physical gifts with the younger generation that is used to everything being digitized. Thus, someone gets the personalization of a handwritten card along with the convenience of a digital gift card.

For the security-conscious, the gift giver can lock the QR code to only the intended recipient, so the money can't be stolen by someone else. All of the controls are in the Venmo app, so customers don't have to download anything specific in order to make it work.

Cards are available now on Hallmark's website and at select retailers. They're $4.99 each, with options for birthdays, weddings, holidays, and general congratulations.

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