When your friend or family member is celebrating a holiday or special event, circumstances can sometimes prevent you from celebrating with them. No matter how far you are away from your loved ones, you should still let them know you care. Fortunately, sending gift cards or money online is easier than ever.

You probably know how to send money as a gift through wire transfers, but what if you want to get a little more creative? These thoughtful money-gifting methods will put a guaranteed smile on your recipient's face.

1. Send a Prepaid Visa Gift Card

If you don't know what exactly a person wants as a gift, you can never go wrong with a prepaid credit card. On the Vanilla Gift section of Visa's site, you can easily purchase a gift card in the $10-$500 range.

Thanks to Visa's wide array of prepaid card designs, you can find a card for just about any occasion---birthdays, baby showers, weddings, and graduations are just some of the milestones that the cards are designed for. Plus, Visa gives you the option of writing a custom message on the card at no extra charge.

Once you pick out a design, simply choose the amount of money to put on it, enter the recipient's email address, and check out. Visa activates the card as soon as you buy it, so your recipient can start spending as soon as possible. The only downside to these cards is that they're only usable for merchants located within The United States.

2. Give the Gift of an Amazon eGift Card

Perhaps you don't just want to send money, you want to send a gift that's a little bit more personal. Maybe the person that you're sending the gift to is a bookworm, a fashion lover, or an avid techie. Thankfully, Amazon has something for just about everyone. From video games to home goods, pet supplies, and clothes, your recipient is bound to find something they've been looking for.

Amazon has a large selection of gift card designs, making it one of the best ways to send money for Christmas, birthdays, weddings, graduations, and many more occasions. Better yet, some of the card designs are animated, and you can even upload your own pictures to certain cards.

You have the option of sending an eCard with money over text message, or by email. Amazon also lets you set a date for delivery. That means you can buy the card now and have Amazon send it on the date of your choice.

3. Buy a Gift Card for Local Restaurants

Maybe your gift recipient isn't really a shopper but loves to dine at local restaurants. In that case, the obvious choice is to buy a gift card through OpenTable.

Not only is OpenTable is a great restaurant picker app and website, but you can also use the site to buy and send digital gift cards for nearby eateries. It's a great way to support local businesses, while also showing your recipient that you care.

When you type in a specific location, you'll see a list of partnered restaurants. Click Buy gift card for any restaurant, and you'll get redirected to a purchase page where you can customize and send your gift.

4. Send Money Through PayPal

If you have a PayPal account, you can send an eCard with money through PayPal. The only catch is that your gift recipients need to have a PayPal account as well, but creating an account is free, so it shouldn't be a problem.

To send money as a gift, simply follow the above link and sign in to your PayPal account. You can then enter your recipient's email or mobile number, as well as the amount of money you want to send.

As for card designs, PayPal only gives you six to choose from, so you might not find the theme for the specific occasion you're looking for. Despite this, it's still one of the best ways to send graduation money or cash for a birthday gift.

5. Buy Gift Cards on GiftCards.com

GiftCards.com has a huge library of digital gift cards. It's packed with gift cards for major clothing stores, restaurants, airlines, department stores, online shops, and much more.

If you aren't sure what type of gift card to send to your friend or family member, Giftcards.com is where you should start your search. As you browse, you'll see small icons below each gift card option---the smartphone icon means the card is available as a digital gift.

You can opt to email your gift right away, or set the delivery date in the future. In addition to letting you customize a message, Giftcards.com also lets you choose a celebratory video to go along with your eCard.

6. Gift Home-Cooked Meals With Blue Apron

You probably know Blue Apron as one of the best ways to get fresh and healthy food delivered to your home. Upon signing up, Blue Apron will send you all the ingredients you need to create a healthy and delicious meal. Anyone who enjoys cooking, or wants to learn how to cook better can benefit from a Blue Apron subscription.

On Blue Apron's site, you can buy a digital gift card for $60, $120, $240, or a custom amount. The $60 card covers a one-week meal plan, while the $120 amount covers two weeks, and the $240 value covers four weeks.

When you purchase a Blue Apron gift card, you can send it directly to the recipient's email. Blue Apron might not give you any fancy card design options, but at least you can still write a custom message in the email.

Learn How to Send Money as a Gift Creatively

One of the most stressful parts about holidays and special events is gift-giving. Although money isn't the most personal gift, when you prepare it with a kind message on a digital card, it becomes a lot more meaningful.

Want to send a friend or family member a physical gift instead? You might want to check out these online shopping sites with free international shipping.

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