Not the gift card you wanted? Regift it, or donate to charity

Gift cards are the most requested gift, with shoppers planning to spend about $26 billion on them — an average of $153 per shopper who intended to buy them — according to the latest National Retail Federation’s survey.

The top-selling cards are Amazon, Target, WalMart, Sephora, Macy’s, Starbucks, iTunes, Best Buy and Visa, said Shelley Hunter, content manager at Giftcards.com, an online retailer of gift cards.

But while 59 percent of shoppers said they’d like to receive one, they may not always want the one they receive, which is why there were about $1 billion in unused gift cards projected last year, according to CEB TowerGroup, which tracks gift card trends.

“An unused gift card doesn’t do the shopper any good,” said Patrick Ramsey, general manager of Cardpool, a gift card exchange website where consumers can sell their unwanted cards. We also found ways to regift and donate cards.

Bring the card back to the store and regift it: Most stores allow you to trade in old, unused gift cards for new ones, which is great news for regifting cards that have developed noticeable wear and tear as a result of sitting idle for years, said Jill Gonzalez, analyst for CardHub, a personal finance website that empowers consumers to make smarter financial decisions and to find the best credit or gift cards for their needs. You could also take new gift cards to the store and just ask for new envelopes for them, so you can hand them over to the new recipient.

Donate to a charity: You could give the card directly to a charity, or you could gather up your cards and send them to Gift Card Giver (www.plywood people.com), an organization that collects and distributes gift cards to people and organizations that need them. They’ve given department store gift cards to families devastated by fires, Victoria’s Secret cards have gone to a women’s shelter, and gas cards have helped a family drive across the country for medical treatment. The card donations count as tax write-offs for you.