Liz, here! I’m passionate about blogging all things mobile couponing: which apps will save you the most money and how you can stack multiple mobile savings methods together to score the best deal at the mall or your favorite restaurant. Once I started using SnipSnap to cut virtually all my shopping receipts, I started to explore other web-based ways to save without spending a lot of time or energy. Recently, I discovered GiftCardRescue.com, a site that lets users trade unwanted gift cards to over 250 popular retailers for cash. I thought to myself: score! I know tons of people (school teachers definitely included) who receive tons of gift cards they’ll never use every year. I also know lots of people (I include myself in this group) who are die-hard shoppers at certain retailers and would love to buy discounted gift cards to stores they love to shop at. This week, I got the chance to talk to Carrie Brenner, who blogs about Gift Card Rescue and overall frugal living advice at blog.giftcardrescue.com. Here is what she had to say about how to pocket extra cash with gift card exchange:

Have you ever received a gift card to a merchant you didn’t shop at? What about a restaurant that’s not located in your area? These gift cards just end up sitting in your wallet for long periods of time and take up space.  Don’t worry, you’re not alone. According to CEB TowerGroup, the amount of money left unspent on gift cards last year totaled $1.7 billion. Now, that’s a lot of unspent cash!

Well, thanks to GiftCardRescue.com you can say goodbye to all your pesky unused gift cards! GiftCardRescue.com allows you to exchange your unwanted gift cards for cash or Amazon credit. They also sell gift cards from over 250 merchants at a discount. That’s right; you can get a $50 gift card and only pay $40 for it! Where else can you do that?!

Another great thing about purchasing a discounted gift card is that it allows you to save even more! When you combine a discounted gift card with coupons and store sales you can maximize your savings. If you want to make things even easier, stack your coupons by using the SnipSnap mobile couponing app. With the SnipSnap app, you can avoid the hassle of clipping millions of coupons and you’ll no longer have to worry about leaving them at home!

As far as the exchange process, GiftCardRescue.com makes buying or selling a gift card extremely easy with their online system. If you’re selling a gift card you simply click on the appropriate tab. Once you’re on the “Sell Gift Cards” page, you’ll enter the gift card’s merchant, face value, and expiration date. After this information has been submitted, you’ll be given an offer for your gift card instantly. Two offers will be presented; a cash offer and an Amazon offer. The Amazon offer is 5 percent more than the cash offer and is sent to you via e-mail as an e-code. Once you’ve selected your preferred method of payment, you’ll be given instructions on how to mail your gift card in and complete the transaction. When GiftCardRescue.com receives your gift card, they’ll verify its value and send your payment within the next 2-3 business days.

If you’re buying a gift card, you’ll start by clicking the “Buy Gift Cards” tab on the homepage. Once you’ve done so, you’ll be redirected to a page with all their current gift cards in stock. Each merchant is listed by category with its current discount. When you click on the merchant, you can view the gift card details such as, the number of gift cards in stock, the face value of each gift card, and the discounted price of the gift card. Once you decide what you’d like to buy, simply select the card and proceed to check out. When payment is received, GiftCardRescue.com will mail you your gift card within 2-3 business days. Oh, I can’t forget to mention that standard shipping is free!

GiftCardRescue.com provides consumers with a unique and useful service. Now that I’ve been purchasing discounted gift cards, I don’t think I can ever go back to paying full price for one at a store. Especially during these economically challenging times, every little bit really adds up!

Check out GiftCardRescue.com on Facebook and follow them on Twitter to connect and see how other people are trading gift cards for cash!