All cryptocurrency payments need to be direct if at all possible. I think gift cards and converting to fiat needs to be a very temporary thing that dies off soon we need to start getting people actually accepting this stuff. I want to walk into a store not with a gift card(which is just cryptocurrency to fiat) I want to scan a QR code and click pay and be done. It's ridiculous how people claim to live "only on crypto" yet they use fiat for 99% of their purchases. Let's make progress and not settle for the first thing. Converting to fiat needs to die, sooner rather than later.
Discussion
I 100% agree and so you should attempt to find merchants that will accept crypto directly and not convert it back. XMRBazaar is great for this. If you need simple things such as AA batteries, toasters, cast iron skilllets, etc. I sell things like that directly for Monero. https://xmrbazaar.com/user/AuroraGeneralStore/
That has always annoyed me. You take away gift cards and the living on crypto crowd will starve. Are they using a cool strategy? Yes. Are they living on crypto, no.