Some folks have a bit of a cultural taboo against using money as a gift. They might think it’s a bit crude. After all, money isn’t exactly a personal gift and doesn’t show much forethought, right? In fact, gifting money is one of the best options in many cases. Yet gifting with money is often the best choice because you can ensure the receiver can put it to good use.

For one, providing money as a gift offers flexibility. No matter how well you know someone, you may not truly understand what they need or want. Money is a versatile gift that can be used to purchase a wide variety of items, allowing the recipient to choose something they truly want or need. This way, you can always ensure that your gift, and thus your resources, are put to good use.

Fact is, if you buy someone a coat, your gift might simply gather dust in the closet. A father from Rwanda might send a jacket to his daughter in Boston, but the weather in Rwanda is so different from New York that the coat itself might simply not be appropriate.

Money, however, is always useful. Even if someone doesn’t need the cash right now, they might need it later on. The cash gift a Rwandan father might give to his child in America could help fund a trip to one of America’s many beautiful national parks.

Money Can Now Go the Distance

We live in a mobile world. A student from Botswana might enroll in a university in Boston, for example. In fact, over 40,000 students from Africa study in the USA each year. This encourages the sharing of ideas and the spread of knowledge. Yet when it comes time for a birthday gift, sending physical gifts will take a long time and also be expensive. With an international wire transfer, you can send money to and from Africa, South America, or wherever else, to North America quickly and easily.

Gifting Cash is Easier for the Giver Too

Gifting cash is often more convenient than searching for a specific item to purchase. This can save time and effort, especially if the recipient lives far away. They say time is money and for the people shopping for gifts, that’s certainly true to some extent or another.

You could spend hours hunting around online for a gift. Or you might spend hours walking around a shopping mall in Johannesburg, looking for that perfect item. Maybe you find it. Maybe you don’t. Or maybe you find something that you thought was great, but in reality, the recipient doesn’t need it. Even if you find the right gift, if your loved one is in Philadelphia, how do you get it there? By paying for expensive shipping services, which adds to the bill.

Cash Can Change Lives

Providing money as a gift can help the recipient gain financial independence by providing them with funds to save, invest or use as they see fit. Even if a person doesn’t have a high need for money right now, they may need it in the future. Someone might suffer a medical emergency or need to move to a new location to start their career. By providing cash as a gift, you can lend a hand if not today then perhaps tomorrow.

How about Gift Cards

Another popular option is a gift card. In some situations, gift cards may make a great gift. However, gift cards are less flexible than money. For one, gift cards can often only be spent at a certain store. If the receiver doesn’t need anything from that store, the card may not be very useful. Cash is much more flexible.

Also, some gift cards actually have an expiration date. This means that if you or the person receiving the gift forget about it, the card could become worthless. Some gift cards also charge a processing fee or something similar.

At the end of the day, money is more flexible and easier to use than a gift card. Money doesn’t expire (in most situations, some currencies have been retired) and can be spent pretty much anywhere on anything. In most cases, gifting money is simply a better choice.