The trendiest gift this Christmas may not be the iPod or high-definition television. It may be the gift card.

Growing in popularity since the concept emerged a few years ago, the gift card resembles a debit card — with a fixed amount of spending embedded electronically.

Unlike the gift certificate, the gift card can be used again and again until the money is spent. “With the old gift certificate, you went to the store, bought something and then got your fifteen dollars in change back,” said Mary Flach, store manager at Belk in the Natchez Mall.

Gift cards are modern in every way, containing either a bar code or magnetic strip that can be processed electronically at the check-out area.

The Christmas season is the most popular time of year for gift card purchase, said Beth Sibio, manager of JCPenney in the Natchez Mall.

“The recipients can tailor the gifts to whatever they want or need,” Sibio said. “And it’s wonderful for long-distance giving.”

Customers may purchase gift cards at any register in the store, Sibio said. “They also are available on the Web site, jcpenney.com.”

John Christopher, store manager at Kmart in Natchez, said his store is trying a new idea in selling gift cards.

Instead of selling Kmart gift cards only, the store has cards for sale from a number of other businesses, such as Major League Baseball, NASCAR, Bass Pro Shop and others.

“We’ve always had our gift cards, but this is the first year to do gift cards from other businesses,” Christopher said.

The rise in popularity of gift cards probably relates to the ease of purchase as well as the confidence that the gift card will buy the item the recipient really wants to have, he said.

Sibio said she has heard some comments about the impersonal nature of gift cards, but she disagrees.

“The feedback that I receive when I give gift cards is that the recipient likes to pick and choose, to get something they want,” she said.

Flach said any gift-giver who wants to give a personal gift such as clothing might consider a gift card.

“It’s very convenient among our male shoppers,” she said. “Sometimes they have no clue as to size.”

Bill Furlow of Natchez Coffee Co. said gift cards are a natural for a business such as his, which he operates with his wife, Davilynn Furlow.

“We knew from the outset that we’d sell gift cards,” he said. The coffee shop has been open since late February.

“The gift card is flexible. If you want to give a $5 gift or give a $20 gift, you can,” he said.

The gift cards have been popular as items to put in bags prepared for out-of-town wedding guests, Furlow said. “And we promote them as good stocking stuffers.”

Sibio said Penney has taken measures to protect gift-card holders by way of a company-wide data tracking system.

She suggests that the buyer of a gift certificate keep the store receipt or send it along with the card to the recipient.

The Better Business Bureau of Mississippi put out an advisory that says exactly that — keep the receipt as proof of purchase.

The bureau advisory also cautions against buying gift cards on Internet auctions, as sometimes the cards sold there are stolen and therefore worthless.

Instead, the buyer should purchase a gift card directly from the retailer, the advisory says.