New at Target: the Facebook Card

According to CIO, Facebook users can now say "charge it," with a new physical gift card the social network rolled out yesterday that people can use to make purchases in retail stores. The product, called the "Facebook Card," is a plastic, reusable card that users can give their friends to redeem at four different partner companies: Jamba Juice, Olive Garden, Sephora and Target. Facebook describes the product as "a new type of gift card" in a blog post announcing its launch.

Here's how the card works: A person can select a gift for a friend on the site's Gift Cards & Digital category to be redeemed at one of the affiliated stores. After the user chooses the amount of the gift, the friend is notified and receives the card in the mail a few days later. When the card arrives, the friend can use it at the retailer that was chosen for the gift amount.

If the chosen retailer were Target, for example, the person doing the giving can choose between, say, a US$10, $50 or even $100 value for the card. Once the recipient receives it in the mail, it can be used at any local Target store, Facebook said (although it will not work at Target.com).

Facebook did not provide details on whether additional vendors would eventually be included in the program. It is also unclear how the card will be sent to recipients who have not provided their mailing address to the site, or whether there would be any other methods to distribute the product for people who do not wish to share their address with Facebook.