You want to feel excited about the holidays, but how can you? You’re running out of time to find the perfect gifts without racking up debt or overspending.

Breathe a sigh of relief. Braid Holiday Pools has got you covered.

With Holiday Pools, you can:

Purchase gifts that impress and surprise without compromising your finances.
Spend without dipping into savings.
Take the stress out of holiday shopping for yourself and the people you pool with.

A Christmas miracle? We’ll let you decide.

First, we’ll show you how five Holiday Pool ideas can make your days merry and bright.

Including:

Pool money for a group gift
Start a free holiday savings pool
Give the gift of a holiday pool
Host a holiday raffle
Start a digital piggy bank for kids

What is a Braid Holiday Pool?

Braid is the first-of-its-kind app that lets people collect, manage, and spend money together in a dedicated place.

Braid simplifies pooled money all year round. But it’s perfect for the most wonderful - err, expensive time of the year.

With Braid, you can go in on group gifts, give the gift of money, and more!

Keep reading to discover five ways to use Braid Holiday Pools, with a step-by-step guide to set yours up, so you can give a fantastic gift this year.

Ready to set up your first Holiday Pool? Click here to get started!

1. Pool money for a group gift

You believe it’s more blessed to give than receive, but sometimes that puts you in a pickle.

You love giving the perfect gift. But you don’t love getting a higher credit card bill than the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.

Try as you might, you haven’t found a way to give great gifts without sky-high debt in January.

Our first idea can help: start a Holiday Pool for a group gift.

Set it up in minutes and start pooling money for a more significant gift with one Pool Link.

What are Pool Links?

Each pool has a unique Pool Link, and there’s so much you can do with it:

Customize it to say precisely what you want. Instead of internet gobbly-gook, your Pool Link can be braid.co/p/Mom-Christmas-Gift or braid.co/p/Group-Gift-for-Football-Coach.
Personalize your Holiday Pool with a brief description, color theme, and cover image.
Share your Pool Link anywhere: text messages, emails, social media, websites, and QR codes.

People can add money to your Holiday Pool without creating a Braid account or signing up. They click on your Pool Link to contribute via debit card for free or via credit card for a 3% fee. They can include a personal message, too.

Once everyone has pitched in, you can transfer pool funds to your account for free and purchase the group gift.

No more hemming and hawing over lower-budget, lesser-quality gifts. When you pool money for a group gift, you can skip the stress of holiday shopping and give a better gift.

Click here to start a Holiday Pool for group gifts!

2. Start a free Holiday Savings Account

Would you like to budget and manage holiday spending without feeling like a miserly Scrooge?

Start a free Holiday Savings Pool to easily save for holiday gifts, menus, travel costs, and other festive expenses:

Your Braid Savings Pool keeps holiday money separate from checking or savings accounts, so you never accidentally spend money you’re not supposed to.
You and your partner can save together.
You can set up recurring payment options and stay on track with savings goals.

Braid Holiday Pools are better than many holiday savings accounts banks offer.

For one thing, many holiday savings accounts require a minimum balance, have fees, and only stay open for a limited time.

Braid is flexible. You can keep your Holiday Savings Pool open as long as you want. You can even keep it open and continue saving for next year! Braid is also free, so you can save without worrying about fees.

Start a free Holiday Savings Account here!

3. Give the gift of a Holiday Pool

Do you want to know a secret?

People like getting money as a gift - especially when dealing with climbing inflation and a struggling economy.

But as much as you want to support loved ones, cash can feel like a cold, impersonal cop-out. So can Visa or retailer gift cards.

Not to mention, they’re inconvenient. They lock people into specific stores or services. Plus, they’re easy to lose, and keeping track of card balances is a hassle.

Give cash by giving a Holiday Pool. Recipients can:

Spend pool funds anywhere Mastercard is accepted
Spend without pressure or deadlines
Transfer pool funds to their bank account

Gifting Holiday Pools also takes the pressure off of the giver. You don’t have to worry about shipping delays, and you can personalize the money pool, so it feels more special than boring dollar bills.

Make financial gifts more festive with a Braid Holiday Pool!

4. Host a holiday raffle

Do holiday stress and pressure weigh you down? The relief you’re looking for is closer than you think.

Giving, in the words of the wise Maya Angelou, "liberates the soul.” Why not host a holiday raffle with Braid Holiday Pools and support those less privileged and fortunate?

You’ll give everyone a convenient way to unlock their generosity and experience the freedom that charitable giving brings.

Whether the raffle offsets someone’s medical bills, provides refugee support, or supports a meaningful cause, anyone can conveniently donate with your Pool Link.

Click here to start pooling for a raffle with Holiday Pools!

5. Start a digital piggy bank for the kids in your life

Do kids always guess what their gifts are? Surprise them with a digital piggy bank.

You can set up the Holiday Pool and contribute the initial monetary gift. Then, kids can use their digital piggy bank to:

Collect money at birthdays or other important events, like graduations, recitals, or religious milestones
Collect allowance, babysitting, pet-sitting, and housesitting money
Watch their savings grow and save as long as they want
Spend pool funds with the Braid debit card with the supervision of their parents

Parents or caregivers can act as pool admin for recipients 18 years old or younger.

When you give a digital piggy bank, you give more than money. You’re also helping kids learn: