Gift cards, vouchers, and other ways to get free money for Christmas
If Christmas is close and there is no money left for gifts, you still have places to turn. Charities, community groups, and a few national programs may be able to give you a gift card, a voucher, or help paying for presents so your kids have something to open. None of it is guaranteed, but all of it is free to ask for.
Everything on this page is about the money itself — gift cards and certificates, vouchers, store shopping programs, and ways to raise cash for gifts on your own. If what you need is a toy program, a holiday meal, or a full list of charities that help in December, start with Christmas assistance programs that give out free toys, meals, and holiday help. If you want to apply with the Salvation Army in particular, see how to sign up for Christmas help from the Salvation Army.
You can also hear from other families first or ask for additional options. Our moderated forum where people share how they found holiday help has posts from across the country about which programs answered.
- SCAM WARNING: Gift cards, vouchers, and the concept of free money is used by scammers to take advantage of people. Be very mindful of any offer. No real program should ask you to pay any fees or provide access to your financial details - see the guide to avoiding scams for more warning signs.
Vouchers and gift certificates from local charities
A voucher works like a gift card with a narrow purpose. A charity gives you a paper or electronic certificate, and you redeem it at a partner store — often a thrift store the charity itself runs — for toys, clothes, or household items at no cost to you.
Clothing closets and clothing banks are one of the most common sources. Some hand out items directly, while others give qualified families a voucher or gift card to shop with, and a number of them let kids pick out their own things. Learn more about local clothing closets and clothing banks.
St. Vincent de Paul conferences (see the NHPB guide to Saint Vincent de Paul) use a combination of thrift store vouchers and giveaways to help people around the holidays. Catholic Charities agencies may offer holiday gift cards or certificates in some areas, and their programs go by different names from one diocese to the next. Find out more about the assistance programs Catholic Charities runs.
Assistance League chapters focus on giving goods directly rather than handing out money, but some issue thrift shop vouchers through partner agencies such as schools or social workers. Every chapter decides its own programs, so what exists in one town may not exist in the next. Read about what Assistance League chapters offer.
Civic and fraternal groups are worth asking about too. Lodges and service clubs in many towns collect donations each season and pass out store gift cards, certificates, or holiday baskets to families referred by a member or a local agency. There is no single sign-up for this kind of help, so you usually get connected through a phone call or a referral from a school, church, or caseworker.
Most voucher and certificate programs take applications in the fall, and the help runs out quickly. Be ready to show identification, proof of address, and sometimes proof of income, and always call ahead to ask what a program needs from you.
Holiday shopping events run by local police departments
In many communities, police departments, sheriff's offices, and law enforcement charities hold a December event often called Shop with a Cop. Officers take selected children shopping for gifts with money raised from local donations, and some programs add winter clothes or food for the whole family. The budget and the details are different in every town.
There is no national application for this. Children are usually referred by their school, a social worker, or a local charity, and some departments post their own sign-up form in the fall. Call your police department or sheriff's office, ask whether they run a holiday shopping program, and ask how a child gets referred to it.
Store gift programs and how to find them
Some large retail chains work with charities each season on gift certificate programs or shopping events for families with little income. These are arranged locally, the partner stores change from year to year, and no store promises this help everywhere.
- SCAM WARNING: Treat any specific claim you read online with caution and confirm it with the charity or store directly.
Two tools help you find what is actually running where you live. Dialing 211 or visiting https://www.211.org connects you with a free service that tracks local holiday programs, and you can also set up real time alerts to Christmas giveaways in your area so you hear about shopping events and gift card programs as soon as they are announced.
Raising money for gifts on your own
If programs fall through, some families raise the money themselves. Crowdfunding lets you set up a page that relatives, coworkers, neighbors, and friends can give to, and most donations in a typical campaign come from people who already know you rather than from strangers. Read about how crowdfunding works for people in a financial crisis before you start, so you understand the fees and what makes a campaign succeed.
There are also year-round routes that can be used for Christmas. Our guide to what free money really means and where to look for it covers benefits, unclaimed funds, and other legitimate sources. And cash back apps and sites that pay you for shopping you already do return part of what you spend on the gifts you were going to buy anyway.
How to tell real help from a scam
Gift cards and free money attract scammers, and the holidays make it worse. Two warning signs never change: no legitimate program charges a fee to release a gift card or money to you, and no real charity asks for your personal or bank information through an unsolicited message or a survey site.
When you are unsure, go to the organization directly. Look up its website or phone number yourself instead of using a link someone sent you, and ask a local agency you already trust whether an offer is real.
Program details, application dates, and eligibility rules described on this page change from season to season and vary by community. Confirm everything directly with the organization before applying or traveling anywhere, and know that nothing here is a promise of help from any program.
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