Between birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays, it’s easy to run out of gift ideas. Don’t throw your hands in the air yet—consider a subscription box. There are boxes for nearly every interest, and your giftee can try a bunch of stuff that would be far too expensive for you to compile yourself. You can buy them for one month, but I think three months makes the perfect gift since they’ll get that warm, giddy feeling again and again. I’m also a firm believer that you need to gift yourself every so often. These boxes work whether you’re buying for yourself or someone else. WIRED Gear writers hand-tested every one of these recommendations.
None of the options below require contracts, so you can cancel at any time. (Check the fine print of the plan you’re choosing and see how many days before billing you need to notify to cancel.) If you purchase a multiple-month subscription, you can cancel the auto-renew, but you won’t get money back for the boxes that haven’t shipped yet. We’ve noted when boxes have separate gift options, which typically cost a little more, but you won’t have to worry about canceling. Keep in mind that subscription boxes tend to ship at a very specific time every month, so they won’t mail out immediately upon ordering if you’re rushing for a last-minute gift.
Be sure to check out our many other gift guides, like Gifts for Teens and 25 Gifts Under $25, and some of our favorite gifts, like this tiny TV.
Updated November 2024: We’ve removed four older picks and added a hot sauce box, a meat box, a beauty box, and a giftable meal kit. We also updated pricing throughout.