Starbucks expecting record gift card sales Dec. 19

SEATTLE -- Starbucks is expecting a record setting-day for gift cards on December 19, according to a release on BusinessWire.com.

The company said that last year, it sold and activated more than 2 million Starbucks Cards on the Thursday before Christmas in the U.S. and Canada. The company said it is on track to do the same this December 19th.

Starbucks began its gift card program 12 years ago, and since then it has recorded $16 billion on 450 million cards in 27 different countries. In the past year alone, $4 billion has been loaded onto Starbucks Cards worldwide.

Starbucks estimated that one in every ten adults in the U.S. received a Starbucks Card during the 2012 holiday season.

More information about Starbucks' holiday card projections can be found here.