According to this story, getting a general purpose (Visa/MasterCard) gift card from a bank is a royal pain in the butt. I understand that banks have financial reporting regulations but do they really need to make you jump through all the paperwork hoops for a $50 gift card when you can buy one at CVS or Safeway with zero documentation? My guess is that the share of gift cards sold directly from banks is a VERY small part of the market because of this.