Let Your Friends and Relations Choose How to Use Their Gift Cards This Holiday Season

/01/bizspark2.gif">This post is part of Mashable’s Spark of Genius series, which highlights a unique feature of startups. The series is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark.. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here.

Name: Tango Card

Quick Pitch: Say bye-bye to a wallet full of unused gift cards — the Tango Card allows the recipient to shop where he/she wants, donate any portion of the balance to charity or even redeem it for cash.

Genius Idea: Oh, awesome. Your grandma gave you a gift card this Christmas that will score you $50 worth of meals at the local Rib Shack, and you’re a staunch vegan. Re-gifting, anyone?

Although gift cards make pretty good presents, it can be hard to choose the right one for any given friend or relation. That’s where the Tango Card comes in. This gift card allows the recipient to choose where they want to shop, donate money left on the card to charities (including America Scores, Grameen Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, InSTEDD, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, National Park Foundation, Summer Search, USO) and redeem any balance left on the card for cash.

Yes, there are a limited number of locations you can choose from when it comes to shopping, but two of the top three most-wanted cards are included in the mix: Target and Amazon. The rest are Gap, Home Depot, Nike, Pottery Barn, REI, Rixty, Spafinder, Starbucks and Zappos.

Recipients can even download a free iPhone app [iTunes link] that will help them keeps tabs on card value and store card info for online shopping.

Like Cardpool — an online marketplace for users to buy, sell and trade giftcards — Tango Card aims to make the gifting process easier and more rewarding for everyone involved. It’s a simple solution, but one we think will certainly come in handy this holiday season.

Image courtesy of Flickr, mmlolek

BizSpark is a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today.

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