Is the New Facebook Card Right for You?

Facebook is full of new ideas lately. Its latest announcement, on January 31st, was the addition of gift cards, which are known as Facebook Cards. At first glance, this may seem a bit confusing. Previously, Facebook’s gift cards could be bought in supermarkets and convenience stores and could only be redeemed for virtual gifts on the site. The new gift cards are completely different. They are purchased through the social media platform, sent to the recipient and can are redeemed for real-life products rather than virtual gifts.

Facebook launched its gift service in Fall 2012. This function allowed you to purchase and send a physical gift to anyone via Facebook. The Facebook Card is an extension of this. It is a physical gift card that will be mailed to the recipient upon purchase. It will hold balances for various brands on one card and the balances will be accessible through Facebook. Users can monitor the Card on desktop, mobile and everything in between, so they know how much money they have left to spend with each brand.

That being said, here are some questions you need to ask yourself:

- Would I want the convenience of multiple gift card balances on one card?

- Do I mind my purchasing behaviors being tracked by marketers on Facebook?

- Do I mind brands using information from my purchases to target ads to me?

- Would I enjoy being able to track purchases and balances through my Facebook account?

- Is this something I would be able to use with friends, family, and maybe even clients?

- What are the main uses I could have for a feature like this?

I’m sure you’ll find yourself with some pros and some cons, but does the good outweigh the bad? It will be interesting to see how this new feature is received and how it fares.

The Facebook Card could be extremely convenient and widely accepted or it could be rejected, for fear of even less privacy. We still think it is a pretty nifty idea – how do you feel about it? Leave a comment below or tweet us, @LogoSnap.