Best Buy to offer gift cards to HDDVD owners

[Race Car Driver]

An Important Message from
Best Buy for HD DVD Player Owners
For months, there has been much debate surrounding the two competing high-definition video formats: Toshiba's HD DVD and Sony's Blu-ray Disc. Recently, Toshiba announced that they will no longer produce HD DVD players, and movie studios have decided not to release new titles in the HD DVD format.

Exciting news if you bought your HD DVD player from Best Buy
As the owner of an HD DVD player, you may have concerns about these developments. At Best Buy, we are dedicated to making sure you always have the right technology for you. That's why we're offering you a complimentary $50 Best Buy gift card for each HD DVD player you purchased from Best Buy before February 23, 2008. (See details and qualifying models.) Use the gift card to treat yourself to anything you want in our stores or online. Most qualifying customers will automatically receive their complimentary gift card by mail in the coming weeks. If you qualify and haven't received yours by May 1, 2008, please call us at 1-888-BEST-BUY to verify your eligibility (have your receipt handy, if possible).

Good news (even if you didn't buy from us)
Be assured that your HD DVD player will continue to play existing HD DVD titles (and upconvert standard DVDs to near-HD quality) as it always has. If you purchased a Best Buy service plan with your HD DVD player, we will continue to honor it for the life of the plan. If, however, you wish to trade in your HD DVD player and HD DVDs, we offer a convenient way to do so via our Best Buy Trade-In Center. Beginning March 21, visit BestBuyTradeIn.com to get an instant estimate of the value of your HD DVD player and movies. See below for further information, along with additional resources that we hope you'll find helpful as you examine your options.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=pcmcat147600050717&type=category&DCMP=rdr0001332

[H.T.C]

Instead of a gift certificate best buys could do the midnight trade-in program that bernies does with $100.00 in exchange for a new player

Edit:it would be more green friendly with old units being recycled. :T

[Chris D]

Wow, so if I read that right, since I bought a HD-A35 in like November, I should be receiving a $50 gift certificate, without having to do anything else at all!

I don't think I'll trade mine in, I think I'll keep it.

Cool move by Best Buy.

[Hdale85]

I even get the gift certificate for buying the Xbox 360 drive. Thats awesome. Although I wonder how they get addresses if you don't use their reward zone thing and all that.

[Chris D]

Yeah, I don't know how they would know, so in that case, I'd call them up. (I'm a Reward Zone guy, so they should have my stuff)

[Hdale85]

I'm a reward zone guy too... But I'm not sure if I had it when I bought the drive.

[Charles]

You can call 1-800-Best Buy to find out if your on the list. If you paid via credit card they should have your purchase on file and set you up for the gift card. If you have a reciept, there should be no issue.

[Chris D]

Just got my $50 gift card in the mail today, and hadn't called them or anything. Very nice. :T

[PewterTA]

I just got an e-mail from Amazon.com, I have $50 credit code I can use over the next year at their website on anything for purchasing the xbox 360 HD drive.

I think that's really cool that they are doing that, all in all, I don't think they really have to. Not saying I'm not going to use it mind you, but I have a bunch of HD-DVDs that will still be good on the unit! :T

[impala454]

Got a $150 gift card from BB. Was very surprised, I'd bought my XA2 for rock bottom display price of $369 last november, and two xbox hd-dvd drives (one of them bought just for the insane deal w/free boxed sets, and sold the drive on ebay haha).

[gc8ej25]

Wal-Mart and Amazon have followed suit.