Finding the perfect holiday gift can drive you crazy. One solution is gift cards. No heavy packages to lug around the mall. Always the right size and color. They even let your favorite nephew download that album by the band whose name you're almost glad you can't remember.

The National Retail Federation found nearly 60 percent of those polled said they'd like to receive a gift card. No wonder just about everyone sells them. There are cards for shops, restaurants, movie theaters, airlines, online merchants and amusement parks.

To buy, look no further than your local grocery or drug store. Kroger, Safeway, Albertsons, Walmart and others have in-store kiosks stocked with most of the major brands. For those who wake up in a panic on Dec. 24, nearly every card can be purchased online and delivered within minutes by e-mail.

So what's not to like? Here are some tips on getting the most from your purchase:

1. Know the fees. Before you buy a gift card, or right after you receive one, find out if there are any extra costs. Cards should include their policies and fees on the back of the actual card. If yours is missing that information, check the retailer's website or call the customer service number listed on the card.

This is especially important if you give or receive a general-purpose, bank-issued gift card. These carry the Visa, MasterCard or American Express logo and may be used almost anywhere those cards are accepted.

While bank-issued cards offer the ultimate in flexibility, they are more likely to come loaded with annoying fees. I read the fine print on these types of cards found in kiosks across the metro area. Depending on the issuer, a MasterCard, American Express or Visa Debit card, regardless of value, could cost anywhere from $3.95 to $5.95 to activate.

If you forget about a general purpose card or don't use it right away, expect to get dinged. Most MasterCards charge a $2 per month "inactivity" fee if you don't use it within one year. Some Visa cards charge a similar amount, while American Express usually costs the most to activate but boasts its cards never expire and there are no additional fees.

2. What happens if you lose the card? You're not necessarily out of luck. These days sophisticated technology allows sellers to reissue a lost gift card, provided the sales receipt is available. However — ka-ching — MasterCard and Visa cards impose a $5.95 replacement fee.

3. Hate to pay full price for anything, including gift cards? You don't have to. The selection is smaller and typically for local brands, but warehouse stores like Costco and Sam's Club sell discounted gift cards. Savings are about 20 percent at Costco, where I found a $50 Einstein Bros. gift card for $39.99, Dazbog $100 card for $79.99 and similar savings on cards for Rock Bottom, California Pizza Kitchen and AMC Movie Theatres. Sam's Club discounts are smaller, about 10 percent, but include a greater variety of merchants including Applebee's, Outback Steakhouse, The Body Shop and Atlanta Bread Co.

The new player in the discounted gift card market is King Soopers. A limited number of stores host Deal Boutiques. Selection varies but again you'll find savings of 10 percent to 20 percent with a $100 Spafinder gift card for $85 or $25 Smashburger card for $20.

4. For more deals, check out resellers. Cardpool (cardpool.com) and eCardExhange (ecardexchange.com) are among the sites where $100 could net you a $120 card good at a major store. These sites buy gift cards from people who want to sell cards they don't need. Once they get the card, they verify its value and resell it at a discount. More important, the balance is guaranteed to be valid and shipping is free, so what you see is what you pay.

For one-stop shopping, check out Gift Card Granny (giftcardgranny.com), which consolidates offers from trusted reseller sites. You don't buy anything from Gift Card Granny, but it is a great tool to comparison shop across the Internet.

5. Think of gift cards as pre-paid meals or merchandise. If you have a favorite store or restaurant where you know you're going to shop soon, buy gift cards. Just avoid cards with fees, hidden or otherwise. Read the fine print before you buy. Keep receipts. And, if you're one of the millions who receive a gift card this holiday season, don't wait until December 2013 to use it.

Laura Daily is a founder of milehighonthecheap.com.

Gift cards sometimes offer a bonus

At this time of year, hundreds of retailers and restaurants actually reward you for buying gift cards. For example, buy a $50 retail gift card, get a $10 bonus card. Or buy a $25 restaurant card and get a free entrée. Pass along the bonus or treat yourself.

Be careful: Many of these freebies are not gift cards (they're more like coupons). Check the fine print for any minimum purchase requirements, date restrictions (you usually have to use them within 30 to 60 days) or menu exclusions.

If you have a favorite merchant on the list, consider buying gift cards for yourself and "cash in" on the bonus. Plus, get more bonuses by breaking down a large, single purchase. For example, if the bonus is for a $25 (or more) gift card and you're buying a $50 gift card, purchase two $25 gift cards instead. You just doubled your bonus.

Another bonus option: King Soopers and Safeway typically offer two times the value of any gift card (except one for the grocery store itself) applied to your fuel points. Every 100 points is worth 10 cents off a gallon of gas purchased at their fuel centers. During the holidays, rewards may be bumped up to four times the value. That means if you buy $100 in gift cards. you'll receive 400 points, or 40 cents off each gallon for your next fill-up — a win-win.