Do you know someone whose birthday is coming up and you need to buy them a gift? Or maybe you need to buy someone a congratulations, graduation, thank you, or special holiday gift. It can be difficult to know exactly what to buy for that special someone.

Gift-giving is not as easy as one might expect. You’d think it would be a piece of cake, with the thousands of products and services available online or at your local department store. However, in reality, the more options you have, the more difficult it becomes to shop.

To compound the problem, in the modern age of instant gratification, most people of all means will simply go out and buy whatever they want or need. Translation: Anything you can buy this person that they really want, they probably already have.

Traditionally, the solution to the problem of what to give someone has been solved by giving away cash. Inserting a medium or large bill into an envelope with a card has been a socially accepted way of giving gifts for decades. The problem is that it’s a bit boring and uncreative.

So what can you do if you’re stuck between the inability to choose between a million products on the one hand and the option of giving away boring old money on the other? Answer: give them a debit gift card.

Debit gift cards are simply prepaid cards that carry the symbol of a major credit card issuer such as Visa, American Express, or MasterCard. The recipient uses them like a credit card, up to the denomination or value with which it was originally loaded.

If you’re considering buying a debit gift card, here are 5 reasons why they’re better than giving away merchandise or cash:

1. Safer than giving cash:

Cash can be lost or stolen. But, with a prepaid debit card, if it’s lost, the recipient can choose to call immediately to provide the card number and freeze the card for future purchases. You can’t do that with cash!

2. Debit cards are more fun to receive than cash:

When it comes to gifts, receiving a prepaid gift card feels so much more exciting than simply receiving cash. It gives the impression that you put a little more thought into the gift, rather than just taking some money out of your wallet and putting it in an envelope. Also, unless you’ve taken the trouble to get them a crisp new bank statement: cash is just dirty, literally.

3. Offers protection against damage or loss of purchased items:

Most prepaid debit gift cards come with product purchase protection. This means that if the recipient is required to make a purchase of certain goods and the goods are lost, stolen or damaged within 90 days, the shipper will cover replacement costs. (See your card policy for details before purchasing.)

4. You do not need to run a credit report or request:

Of course, to use a traditional debit card you need a bank account, and to use a credit card you have to go through a lengthy credit application. Not so with prepaid gift cards! You can buy one over the counter or online and have it shipped directly to the recipient.

5. You can check your balance online or by phone at any time:

If the recipient needs to know their balance, they can check it at any time by calling the phone number provided with the card. The same number can also be used to report the card in case of theft.

Consider these 5 benefits of giving someone a prepaid debit card as a gift instead of merchandise or cash.