Is a gift card a lazy gift?
Short answerNo — if it's targeted. A specific card (Booktopia for a reader, Market Lane for a coffee obsessive) communicates that you know them. A generic supermarket card communicates that you don't.
A gift card is only lazy if you've defaulted to one because you couldn't be bothered. The specificity of where the card is from is the signal — that's what separates 'thoughtful' from 'gave up'.
Targeted gift cards work because they require knowledge. A Booktopia card for a reader, a Market Lane Coffee card for someone who takes their morning brew seriously, a Mecca card for someone deep into skincare, or a Bunnings card for a renovator — all of these say 'I know what you actually like'.
Generic gift cards are the problem. Coles, Woolworths, Westfield, and Visa cards are functionally cash with worse usability. Giving these signals you ran out of time. Cash itself, in many contexts, is more honest.
Pair a card with one small thoughtful item if you want to lift it further. A $50 Booktopia card with a single book you specifically chose for them is far stronger than a $100 card alone.
Two contexts where gift cards genuinely struggle regardless of specificity: significant milestones (weddings, 30/40/50th birthdays — give a real gift), and very close relationships (partners, parents, siblings — they want evidence you've been paying attention).