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Instant Pot / FinalStraw
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So you were gifted an Amazon gift card this holiday season? While it could seem like a cop out from your gifter, it really means the massive online retailer is your oyster. Whether you were gifted a $25, $50, $100 gift card (or more, if you're lucky), there's something incredible you can buy for yourself, including hundreds of products that earned a top rating from our tests and other users. Here are the 25 best things you can buy with an Amazon gift card.
1. A relaxing essential oil diffuser
After a stressful holiday season, you're really going to need to wind down and relax. Essential oil diffusers waft calming scents into the air like lavender and eucalyptus and this one from Innogear is the best one we've ever tested. It can run continuously for up to 11 hours—no flame required—and glows several fun colors for added ambiance. It's not too expensive, which means you can throw in some essential oils with the rest of your gift card.
Get the InnoGear Upgraded Diffuser for $14.99
2. A streaming stick for endless binge-watching
So you've just gotten Disney+, alongside your Netflix, Hulu, and HBO accounts. Use your Amazon gift card to bring your favorite shows to the small screen (a.k.a. your TV) with a steaming stick. The Roku Streaming Stick+ is the best affordable streaming device we’ve ever tested. It’s fast and offers full 4K and HDR for the ultimate binge-watching experience, which is much better than paying your cable bill.
Get the Roku Streaming Stick+ for $44.95
3. A board game that everyone will enjoy playing
Use your Amazon gift card to become the master of game night. I highly recommend getting Codenames—it's seriously so much fun. The premise simple: One player gives their team a single word clue and the number of cards on the board that clue pertains to and they must then figure out which cards they could be. It's much easier if you "know" your teammates, so friendships will be tested.
4. A makeup mirror with excellent lighting
Makeup lighting is typically better in the bathroom. But if you're tired of reaching over the sink or fighting with roommates over timing, then get yourself a lighted makeup mirror. After trying out a few, we found that the DeWeisn Tri-Fold Mirror has super-bright, adjustable lighting, a clear reflection, and three magnification options—a.k.a. it's the best of the best. So, treat yourself 2020 with flawless NYE makeup application.
Get the DeWeisn Tri-Fold Makeup Mirror for $30.98
5. An incredible smart speaker with a screen
Start 2020 off a little smarter by getting yourself a smart speaker. The Echo Show 5 is the perfect size for any space as it's the compact version of the Show model. I gifted myself one of these this year and I use it every single day to see timers, get news updates, and even make video calls. Plus, it's our favorite smart speaker with a display, so you can't go wrong.
Get the Echo Show 5 for $59.99
6. Everyone's favorite pressure cooker
If you gifter didn't have the great idea to give you an Instant Pot, then you should get one with your gift card. This cooking gadget is great for anyone—whether you love or hate cooking. Its pressure cooking setting makes it easy to streamline dinner, and it can also sauté, slow cook, and cook rice, so the possibilities really are endless. I have one and I use it nearly every night for making soups, steaming veggies, and cooking grains.
Get the Instant Pot Duo 6 Quart Pressure Cooker for $79
7. The DNA kit that everyone is talking about
Stumped on what to use your gift card for? You could use it to learn a little more about yourself and where you came from. With more than 15 million users, AncestryDNA is the most popular DNA testing kit on the market, which means you're more likely to pinpoint exactly where your ancestors are from and have a greater chance of connecting with a long-lost relative or two.
Get the AncestryDNA: Genetic Ethnicity Test for $59
8. A weighted blanket for cold winter nights
Nothing feels better than wrapping yourself in a cozy bear hug—which is exactly what weighted blankets do. When we tested some of the best weighted blankets, we liked snuggling up with the YnM Weighted Blanket and named it our favorite affordable option. It provides a good amount of pressure without being suffocating. Plus, its not too expensive, so there's probably enough on your gift card to cover it.
Get the YnM Weighted Blanket for $79.90
9. A way to make iced coffee in the winter
It may be winter, but every season is iced coffee season in my opinion. To make it at home (and avoid spending more money on your Starbucks runs), get yourself a cold brew maker. We chose this one as the best cold brew coffee maker of the year because it was not only the easiest to use, but it also made the best-tasting coffee.
Get the Takeya Cold Brew Coffee Maker for $17.99
10. A sleep mask that's perfect for napping
When we were getting to the bottom of the best sleep masks you can buy, our editor said the Nidra Deep Rest eye mask as "like having personal blackout curtains for your eyes." Yes, please! If you need a good nap after perpetual holiday shopping and parties, this mask will assure no light sneaks in thanks to its contorted shape.
Get the Nidra Sleep Mask for $11.95
11. An incredible selection of hot sauces
Use your gift card to begin your journey as a hot sauce connoisseur. This selection is a great place to start to keep things spicy. Made in Austin, Texas, Yellowbird hot sauces are vegan, gluten-free, and made with 100% natural ingredients. This combo-pack features five of the company's hot sauces—from mild to medium.
Get the Yellowbird Hot Sauce Combo for $35
12. A blender that's perfect for smoothies
Attempting a health kick in 2020? Starting each morning with a smoothie packed with sneaky greens is a great way to start. Plus, you don't even need to get huge blender to take over your counter to make them. The Ninja Fit is the best personal blender we've ever tested, and we love that it comes with tight travel lids, which means easy on-the-go sipping.
Get the Ninja Personal Blender for $49.99
13. A portable speaker to bring the jams with you
We could always use a portable speaker to play music at get togethers and to bring the jams with you on the go.This one from Anker is the best affordable Bluetooth speaker we've ever tested because it has great sound, 24 hours of battery life, and is pretty reliable no matter where you bring it. You might as well make it a resolution to perfect your playlist in 2020 while you're at it.
Get the Anker SoundCore Bluetooth Speaker for $27.99
14. Those Apple AirPods that everyone wants
If you were lucky enough to get a pretty hefty gift card, you should treat yourself to a pair of AirPods. You know you want them. They're honestly worth it, even if you can only pay for some of it via gift card. They're the best true wireless headphones we've ever tested for their great sound and seamless connection to Apple devices.
Get the Apple AirPods for $139
15. This cult-favorite egg cooker
Let's be honest: Cooking eggs is kind of hard. Too many times the yolk is overly runny or overcooked, essentially ruining your breakfast. But this cult-favorite egg cooker cooks every style of egg perfectly and will help you whip up deviled eggs as an appetizer or a quick breakfast. It's a great choice to use your gift card on to streamline your brekky.
Get the Dash Rapid Egg Cooker for $14.95
16. A reusable straw for sustainable sipping
Let's leave single-use straws in the 2010s. Start the new year a little more sustainable and ditch plastic straws by getting yourself a reusable straw. With the FinalStraw, you won't forget your straw because it comes in a convenient carry case that doubles as a keychain. So as long as you remember your keys, you'll remember your straw.
17. The best e-reader on the market
Have a long to-be-read list for 2020? Get yourself a Kindle, so you can carry around an unlimited library wherever you go. That way you won't be lugging around your heavy copy of The Testaments. The Kindle Paperwhite is the best e-reader we’ve ever tested and is waterproof, so you can even bring it on your tropical travels.
Get the Kindle Paperwhite for $119.99
18. Everyone's favorite water bottle
While VSCO girls may have claimed the Hydro Flask, you can still unironically drink from one (and have it stay cold for hours on end). It's one of the best water bottles we've ever tested because it keeps water cold for hours and comes in many stylish colors. Plus, it's a great way to remind yourself to actually drink water and stay hydrated in the new year.
Get the Hydro Flask Standard Mouth Water Bottle for $34.95
19. An innovative stand for your phone
Popsockets are popping these days. They create an easy carrying handle or stand, which is ideal for FaceTiming, taking selfies, watching YouTube, and anything else you might need your phone for much easier. Not to mention they come in some gorgeous and wacky patterns. Since they're relatively inexpensive, you can get a few designs with your gift card and swap them out.
20. The most affordable Echo device
Want to try out some smart tech, but don't want to spend too much? Use your gift card to get yourself the Echo Dot. We found that it's the best entry-level smart speaker that money can buy. It has all the major functions as its larger counterparts in a small footprint. I have one and find that it's the perfect size for setting timers for laundry, playing music while a cook, and getting weather updates in the morning.
21. The best cast iron skillet money can buy
One way to majorly upgrade your cooking is to invest in a cast iron skillet. This cookware is super versatile and can be used on the stove, in the oven, on the grill, and even over the campfire. Lodge makes the best cast iron cookware out there because it lasts a lifetime, comes preseasoned, and is always very affordable—which makes it a great thing to spend your gift card on.
Get the Lodge Cast Iron Skillet, 10.25" for $14.88
22. An amazing candle that reminds you of home
If you want to show off some hometown pride, this candle is perfect. These "Homesick Candles" have scent profiles of different states like peaches and barbecues of North Carolina or the smells of apple-picking in Massachusetts. They've also come in holiday and seasonal scents and can burn up to 80 hours. We've burned a few of these bad boys and can attest to their incredible scents and eye-catching design.
Get the Homesick Candle for $29.95
23. A smart scale to help you reach your goals
Tracking your weight can be important for reaching your health goals in 2020. But there are also things to consider like body fat, BMI, bone mass, and muscle mass. This smart scale from Eufy goes above to measure and track this data—all you have to do is step on in the mornings and watch your progress from your phone. It has its own app, but it also syncs with Fitbit, Apple Health, and Google Fit.
Get the Eufy Smart Scale C1 for $29.99
24. The most comfortable pillows for a good night's sleep
One thing you've probably overlooked spending your money on is upgrading your pillows. And a gift card is the perfect chance to do so. After testing some of the best pillows around, we found that this one from Xtreme Comforts are the only ones we want on our beds. It completely wowed our testers because the removable shredded memory foam allows you to fill the pillow to the exact firmness you prefer, and since it's shredded, it stays fluffy for the best night's sleep.
Get the Xtreme Comforts Memory Foam Pillow for $49.99
25. Our favorite electric toothbrush
It's finally time to upgrade your toothbrush to an electric one. This one from Oral-B is our and features a two-minute timer—broken up into four 30-second segments—so you can be sure they're brushing every section of their mouth for long enough. Seriously, your dentist will be proud.
Get the Oral-B Pro 3000 for $68.88
Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.