Best way to buy American Express or MC/Visa gift cards?

[mominjune]

Is there a way around fees when buying more generic gift cards from Amex/Visa/MC? From what I can see, it looks like there is usually a $3-4 fee for buying the gc, and then a possible maintenance fee (ie $2/month after a year).

I want to get a gc for a friend for a pretty large amount, and would rather do this rather than a specific store. Any feedback on the ease or difficulty of using these more generic cards is appreciated as well.

Thanks!

[mommy2amelia]

AAA was running a deal that if you bought (I think) $100 worth of gc then they waived the fee. If you don't use the gc up then they do deduct some--I think it's a year.

[musicalgrl]

We always buy Visa gift cards through our bank...TD Bank offers them for free if you have an account with them. Definitely check your bank (if you don't use TD). Good luck!!