The easiest solution to buying a holiday gift for someone comes in a tiny package: the gift card.

The gift card allows recipients to purchase whatever they like once the mad rush of the holiday season is over.

But the kind of gift card you give may result in a less than desirable present. In fact, the problem with gift cards is that a lot of them never get used. In fact, this year alone, nearly $1 billion in gift cards will be unspent.

So how can you guarantee that you pick the right gift card for that special someone in your life? The answer might surprise you: don't make it personal.

Research done by the University of Cincinnati suggests that you shouldn't over-think buying a gift card for someone. For example, you might buy a gift card from a sporting goods store for someone who's interested in sports. However, that person probably prefers a more general gift card, perhaps a Mastercard or Visa gift card that can be used anywhere, for buying sporting event tickets or other items.

"We further find that the tendency for givers to select overly specific gifts can contribute to gift nonuse," says Mary Steffel, a University of Cincinnati researcher and assistant professor. "Recipients take longer to redeem gift cards that are specific to a particular store or product category than gift cards that can be used at more places and for a wider range of products. Givers, however, don't recognize this and overwhelmingly gravitate to more specific gift cards."

This is doubly true for romantic partners because we try to give cards that are more personal, even though the recipient would prefer something more versatile.

But why do we fail to realize what recipients really want? We tend to focus on people's personality and traits when buying gifts. Researchers suggest that we should focus instead on their preferences for gifts that are more versatile.

"We find that encouraging givers to focus from what recipients would like rather than on what they are like makes givers more likely to choose the more versatile gifts than their recipients prefer," says Steffel.

Mitch Lipka of Daily Finance suggests that you read the fine print, too, before buying certain gift cards.

"Keep in mind that not all cards are created equal. Cards that can be used in stores of all sorts— those with Visa, MasterCard or American Express logos— often come with fees that diminish their value," says Lipka. "And they also usually cost a premium on top of the face value."

Also, don't give cards with expiration dates or cards the recipient can't easily use. It's also a good idea to give the recipient the original receipt for the card, in case it's lost or stolen.

Finally, skip the gift card for that new, trendy restaurant that may close within the year. Give a card for a business that's much more likely to last.

[Photo Credit: 401kcalculator.org]