Visa Gift Cards (Or AMEX, Etc) vs Personal Check for Group Gift

If you are all going in together and everyone contributing on one gift to be presented by the group, I would put cash in a card. Theres nothing like the look on someones face when they open an envelope full of cash. No reason for one person to deposit the money and then write a check. Plus it makes it all too obvious who the organizer was. That's poor taste imo. But, as in the case of my kids coaches, we usually just give our own individual card with a gift card in it. It's too difficult to organize a group of parents.

Ease of use. If you give a check, then the teacher has to go deposit it, wait for it to clear, etc. wherein, a gift card seems fancier than a check, and can be used on the way home if wanted.

I agree completely that cash is a great gift. And she'll get all of it.

Don't write a personal check, and make sure everyone signs the card.

cash for all the reasons below.

We just pooled all the cash and put it in a card. You never know where someone can use a gift card (I have had gift cards sit in my wallet for over a year as I repeatedly go to the store and try to find ANYTHING I was willing to spend even free money on), VISA gift cards seem like and extra hoop, and checks must be cashed. We just make sure everyone signs the card.

Those credit card gift cards are a total scam. I'm guilty of using them a few times until my friends and I were talking about it and really thinking about the way it works.
I run a small business and pay merchant fees everytime someone uses a credit card. Those fees are paid directly to the credit card company for the convenience of my customers using thier card. Then my customers in many cases are charged outrageous interest rates on their own accounts. Why should the customer pay at the front end too? The "convenience fee" is already being paid for by the merchant, can you imagine being charge $5 everytime you used your own credit card? Another point is what happens when the balance is reduced to $1 or less? I bet in most cases the balance is never completely exhausted= more income for the cc companies.
Be smart, pool the money, go to the bank and exchange it for crisp bills in a nice card. Let the teacher use the extra $5 towards whatever she wants instead of giving it away to a greedy corporation.

I think the personal check is too personal if it is a group gift. Sure, the other parents contributed and their names will be on the card, but it would be just *your* name on the check. Also, the VISA card could be more convenient for the teacher if she wants to use it on something special or as "mad money" without having to cash the check and keep track of it separately in her account.

I definitely understand the frustration of money that you want and intend for the teacher going to fees! See if you can find a no fee card, or see if you can find a store she loves and get a store gift card, or give her a "universal gift certificate" (aka CASH) as long as you are hand delivering it!! Just make sure that everyone contributing knows what the plan is =)

Cash is always nice and convienient, but rather than give a personal check, why not get a money order? Ya, she will have to go to the bank to cash it, but doesn't she have to go to the bank anyway to deposit her paycheck? It might be safer than a wad of cash. Or depending how much is collected, convert it to larger bills and put it in the card.
I personnally like the gift cards, and some of them don't have the upfront fees. When I do give gift cards that are specific to a retailer, I go directly to the retailer and get it from them. I have never paid any fees when I do that.

I don't write checks - sometimes it can take someone too long to cash them and I don't like carrying it...

So I either give cash or a gift card 9 times out of 10 - cash...