The 5 best gift cards for teachers

Start with one question: is this for the classroom, or for the teacher once the door is shut behind them? Classroom gifts go on supplies, books and the small things that quietly come out of a teacher's own pocket. The other kind goes on coffee, a long bath at the end of term, or something they would never buy for themselves. Both are welcome, and the amount tends to settle it. One family giving on its own sits comfortably at a modest sum. When the class collects together the total climbs fast, and a larger card gives the teacher room to spend it on something they remember.

These are the best gift cards for teachers on our site, starting with the one that decides the least.

1. Thank You Choice Gift Card

The Thank You Choice Gift Card is our own, and it is the only card here that picks nothing for anyone. It is exchanged on gift-card.com for whichever gift card the teacher actually wants, so the brand is their call rather than yours. That makes it the sensible option for a group gift from the class, when thirty families will never agree on one shop.

2. Starbucks Gift Card

A Starbucks Gift Card is the small thank you that gets used, usually before the week is out. Coffee belongs to a teaching day rather than to a treat saved for later, and there are locations near most schools in Canada. Good for a single gift from one family, particularly when you want to say thanks without making a fuss of it.

3. Indigo Gift Card

Books are the gift teachers rarely turn down, and the Indigo Gift Card is valid at Indigo, Chapters and Coles across the country. It stretches to the classroom library as easily as to a novel the teacher reads for themselves in July. A fair pick for the end of the school year, when there is finally time to read.

4. Staples Gift Card

The Staples Gift Card is the practical one here, and it goes where a lot of teachers quietly spend their own money. Markers, folders, printer ink and the odd bit of tech for the home office all sit in the same shop, online or in store. Best suited to a classroom gift, or to a new teacher setting up a first room.

5. Lush Gift Card

A Lush Gift Card points away from the classroom altogether. Bath bombs, soaps and handmade skincare are the sort of thing people enjoy and never get round to buying for themselves, which is exactly why they work as a gift. Fitting for teacher appreciation week, when the thank you is meant for the person rather than the job.

Two moments carry most of these gifts. Teacher appreciation week falls in the spring and is about the person, so it suits something small and warm that turns up out of nowhere. The last weeks of school work differently, because a whole year is being closed off and the gift reads as thanks for all of it. That is why most end of year teacher gift ideas run a little larger, especially when the class collects together. A group gift also takes the guesswork out of it, since one decent amount on a single card is easier to use than fifteen small ones. Our choice gift cards are made for that kind of pooled gift.

The card arrives as a code in an email, usually within minutes of the order going through. You can forward that email to the teacher, or print it if the thank you is happening on the last day of term. After that it behaves like any other payment. The code is entered at the online checkout or shown at the counter in store, depending on the shop. If the total comes to more than the card is worth, the rest is paid the usual way, and anything left over stays on the card for the next visit.

Ordering at Gift-card.com takes a couple of minutes. You choose the amount and write your own message on the product page, and that message travels with the card in the same email. At checkout you decide who receives it, you or the teacher directly, and the code lands in that inbox shortly after payment. If you are still weighing up brands, the All-in-1 Choice Gift Card leaves the whole decision with them. For a school or a company thanking a full staff room at once, our business page is the place to start.

Whichever card you land on, the teacher spends it on something they picked themselves.