The thing with these gift checks are, you have to sign them in the presence of someone who can authorize them (at least they used to be, I'm not sure about now).
My mom had one and she was going to use it at a dept. store. - She got to the cashier and the cashier told her to sign it. After trying to use it in the cash register, the cashier then realized that she needed the maganer to approve it...When the manager came over, he wasn't going to allow my mom to use it because it had already been signed (i.e. it had to be signed in his presence or else it was void). My mom was furious and fought like hell for him to approve it. The cashier said that she witnessed her signing it and he allowed it, but still...
So be careful. I'd deposit them as well. That's probably the safest bet.
EDIT: I found this on the AmEx site:
Quote:
Do I need to sign Gift Cheques before giving them to recipients?
No. Only the recipient should sign the Gift Cheque. Each Gift Cheque should be signed in the upper left corner immediately upon receipt. When the recipient cashes the Gift Cheque, a cashier should watch the recipient countersign the Cheque in the lower left corner.
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So I guess the cashiers can now approve them, but it's still too tricky.
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