Originally Posted by dungeonlurker

I would strongly encourage you to pay cash for the MacBook, and redeem your points at a better rate - you could get gift cards (usually at 1 cent/point) to pay for things you would ordinarily pay cash for.

Depending on what card you have, you may also be able to transfer points to frequent flyer accounts to get a better value - but you might not want to travel.

If not, gift cards are an okay option, as long as you'll use them. Take a look at the retailers offered and see if theres anywhere you would shop anyway and pay with cash - you can then pay for the MacBook in cash and offset that by using a gift card at another merchant.