More customers are searching online for gift cards and this year, they’re looking for cards they can spend anywhere, according to Hitwise.

The company said searches on the term gift cards have increased 14 percent compared to same week in 2006.

Hitwise also said the top two branded gift cards that were search for last week were Visa and American Express.

Why might those gift cards be popular?

Hitwise said it could be that shoppers, watching as gasoline hovers around $3 a gallon and groceries bills creep ever higher, are looking for ways to help pay for every day expenses after Christmas.

“One big trend this year is that consumers are looking for the gift cards which are more universally accepted across a variety of merchants, such as Visa or American Express, to provide recipients with the options to spend their cards wherever they need, which this year could include necessities like groceries or gas,” said  Heather Dougherty, director of research at Hitwise.

Other top branded gift cards searches included Wal-Mart, iTunes, Best Buy, Target, MasterCard and Hess, it said.

(Photos: Reuters)