Gift card sales reached $170 billion in the United States last year. This figure underscores a market where convenience often trumps sentiment, as over half of US consumers now prefer gift cards to traditional presents.
Key Takeaways
- 52% of US consumers prefer gift cards over other gifts, with $28 average spend per purchase.
- 65% of digital gift cards delivered via email, 25% SMS, 10% apps.
- Global gift card fraud losses totaled $1.3 billion in 2023.
- Closed-loop gift cards dominate with 70% US consumer preference for retailer-specific.
- The global gift card market was valued at $987.4 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $2.5 trillion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 10.8%.
Gift cards remain a popular spending choice, with continued growth driven by convenience and broad consumer appeal.
Related reading
01 · Category
Consumer Adoption & Spending28 stats
01
52% of US consumers prefer gift cards over other gifts, with $28 average spend per purchase.
02
Globally, 75% of consumers have received a gift card in the past year, spending 92% of value.
03
US millennials spend 20% more on digital gift cards than boomers, averaging $150 annually.
04
68% of UK shoppers redeem gift cards within 3 months of receipt.
05
Average US household receives 4.2 gift cards per year, total value $200.
06
41% of consumers buy gift cards for themselves, self-gifting up 15% YoY.
07
Globally, women are 10% more likely to purchase gift cards than men.
08
62% of Gen Z use mobile wallets for gift card redemption.
09
US consumers break 6.8% of gift card balances, averaging $21 billion unused.
10
73% of holiday shoppers plan to buy gift cards in 2024.
11
Average redemption rate for digital gift cards is 95%, vs 85% for physical.
12
55% of consumers prefer e-gift cards for instant delivery.
13
Canadian consumers spend CAD 250 on gift cards yearly on average.
14
48% of EU consumers use gift cards for everyday purchases.
15
US parents buy 30% more gift cards for kids' activities.
16
67% of consumers share unused gift card balances with family.
17
India sees 80% of urban consumers using digital gift cards monthly.
18
Average time to redeem US gift card is 6.8 weeks.
19
35% of Brazil consumers prefer supermarket gift cards for groceries.
20
Global average gift card spend per capita $120in 2023.
21
71% of Australian shoppers use gift cards post-holidays.
22
US boomers redeem 78% of gift card value within 6 months.
23
44% of consumers buy gift cards online vs in-store.
24
China consumers average 5 gift cards received yearly.
25
59% of French consumers gift cards for birthdays.
26
Japan salarymen use gift cards for 15% of daily lunches.
27
82% of loyalty program members redeem points for gift cards.
28
29% of US consumers lost a physical gift card in 2023.
Interpretation
Consumer Adoption & Spending Interpretation
For Consumer Adoption and Spending, gift cards are becoming mainstream with 52% of US consumers preferring them and a strong pattern of use, including US millennials spending 20% more on digital gift cards than boomers and an average of $150 annually.
02 · Category
Digital Transformation & Tech26 stats
01
65% of digital gift cards delivered via email, 25% SMS, 10% apps.
02
Blockchain-based gift cards piloted by 5 major issuers, reducing fraud 40%.
03
Apple Pay gift card storage used by 120 million users globally.
04
QR code scanning for physical-to-digital conversion up 50% in 2023.
05
AI personalization increased gift card recommendation sales 25%.
06
NFC-enabled physical gift cards adopted by 20% US retailers.
07
Global e-gift card platforms processed 2 billion transactions in 2023.
08
5G rollout boosted mobile gift card redemptions by 35% in urban areas.
09
API integrations for gift cards in e-commerce up 60% YoY.
10
Biometric authentication for gift card access trialed, 90% acceptance.
11
Cloud-based gift card management systems used by 70% large issuers.
12
AR previews for gift card designs increased conversion 18%.
13
Instant issuance digital gift cards average delivery time 15 seconds.
14
IoT smart displays in stores promote digital gift upsell 22%.
15
Voice commerce for gift cards via Alexa/Google up 40%.
16
Metaverse gift cards sold $500 million in virtual goods 2023.
17
Programmatic ad targeting for gift cards ROI 4:1.
18
Contactless POS acceptance for gift cards at 95% US merchants.
19
Gamified gift card apps retain 30% more users.
20
Data analytics predict 85% redemption accuracy for digital cards.
21
Subscription box services bundle 15% gift cards digitally.
22
Web3 wallets integrate gift cards, 10 million users.
23
Push notifications boost digital redemption 28%.
24
Hybrid physical-digital cards with chips 30% market penetration EU.
25
Machine learning fraud detection saves $2 billion annually.
26
Social commerce platforms sell 20% of digital gifts.
Interpretation
Digital Transformation & Tech Interpretation
Digital transformation is reshaping gift cards fast, with email delivery leading at 65% and adoption of QR and NFC experiences accelerating in 2023 and beyond, reinforced by AI personalization boosting recommendation sales by 25%.
03 · Category
Fraud, Security & Regulations27 stats
01
Global gift card fraud losses totaled $1.3 billion in 2023.
02
15% of US consumers reported gift card scams in 2023.
03
Card-not-present fraud on digital gifts up 25% YoY.
04
EU PSD2 regulations reduced unauthorized gift transactions 40%.
05
Black market gift card trading volume $500 million annually.
06
PIN compromise affects 8% of physical gift cards sold.
07
US states mandate 5-year expiration on gift cards.
08
Biometric verification cuts fraud 65% in pilots.
09
Phishing attacks targeting gift card codes rose 50%.
10
Dormancy fees banned in 45 US states for gift cards under $5.
11
Tokenization adopted by 60% issuers, fraud down 50%.
12
Organized crime launders $200 million via discounted gift cards.
13
UK PSR rules require full value retention for 5 years.
14
Account takeover fraud on gift balances $300 million losses.
15
EMV chip migration complete 90% for new gift cards.
16
Consumer education campaigns reduced scam reports 20%.
17
Cross-border gift card fraud $150 million in 2023.
18
Australia mandates no expiry under AUD 500 cards.
19
Real-time monitoring flags 95% suspicious loads.
20
India RBI caps gift card loads at INR 10,000 non-KYC.
21
Physical card skimming incidents down 70% with magstripe phaseout.
22
Class action suits over breakage totaled $100 million payouts.
23
Canada anti-money laundering rules apply to gift issuers over CAD 1M.
24
Dark web gift card prices average 60% discount.
25
Multi-factor auth required for high-value digital gifts.
26
Brazil BCU regulates gift cards as prepaid instruments.
27
Zero-liability policies cover 99% fraud claims for major networks.
Interpretation
Fraud, Security & Regulations Interpretation
In 2023, gift card fraud remained a major security and regulatory challenge with $1.3 billion in global losses and 15% of US consumers reporting scams, while card-not-present fraud on digital gifts rose 25% year over year.
More related reading
04 · Category
Gift Card Types & Issuers25 stats
01
Closed-loop gift cards dominate with 70% US consumer preference for retailer-specific.
02
Visa prepaid gift cards issued 500 million units globally in 2023.
03
Starbucks gift cards had $1.6 billion load value in US alone 2023.
04
Amazon gift cards accounted for 25% of all digital gift card sales in 2023.
05
Retailer-branded (closed-loop) cards make up 65% of market, open-loop 35%.
06
iTunes/App Store gift cards redeemed $20 billion worldwide in 2023.
07
Mastercard open-loop gift cards grew 18% to 300 million issued in Europe.
08
Grocery store gift cards represent 22% of US physical card sales.
09
Gaming gift cards (Xbox, PlayStation) loaded $12 billion in 2023.
10
Hotel & travel gift cards surged 25% post-pandemic to $8 billion.
11
American Express Serve gift cards have 15 million active users.
12
Multi-retailer cards like OneVanilla issued 100 million units US 2023.
13
Fashion & apparel gift cards 18% of sector's holiday sales.
14
Spotify & Netflix subscription gift cards $5 billion annual load.
15
Bank-issued gift cards hold 12% market share in Asia.
16
Target Circle gift cards integrated with loyalty, 40 million redemptions.
17
Fuel & convenience store gift cards $10 billion US sales.
18
Charity gift cards donated $2 billion via platforms like GiftCardsForChange.
19
Walmart gift cards loaded $25 billion, highest retailer share.
20
Experience gift cards (spa, events) grew 30% to $3 billion.
21
Discover Network gift cards popular in small business rewards.
22
UK high street retailers issue 80% closed-loop cards.
23
Mobile carrier gift cards (Verizon, AT&T) $4 billion reloads.
24
Virtual Visa cards for online-only redemptions 50 million issued.
25
Home improvement (Home Depot) gift cards $6 billion sales.
Interpretation
Gift Card Types & Issuers Interpretation
Closed-loop, retailer-specific cards are clearly leading in Gift Card Types & Issuers, with 70% US consumer preference and 65% of the market, while large digital ecosystems like Amazon still account for 25% of digital sales in 2023.
05 · Category
Market Size & Growth30 stats
01
The global gift card market was valued at $987.4 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $2.5 trillion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 10.8%.
02
In the US, gift card sales reached $170 billion in 2023, accounting for 1% of total consumer spending.
03
The digital gift card segment is expected to grow from $289 billion in 2023 to $1.2 trillion by 2030 at a CAGR of 22%.
04
Gift card market in Europe was valued at €150 billion in 2022, with a projected CAGR of 9.5% through 2028.
05
US closed-loop gift card load value hit $193 billion in 2022, up 11% YoY.
06
Open-loop gift cards accounted for 55% of the US market share in 2023, valued at over $100 billion.
07
Asia-Pacific gift card market grew 15% YoY to $250 billion in 2023.
08
Physical gift cards still represent 60% of global sales volume but only 40% of value due to higher digital averages.
09
Corporate gift card spending in the US reached $25 billion in 2023.
10
UK gift card market size was £7.5 billion in 2023, with 15% growth expected in 2024.
11
Global B2B gift card market valued at $120 billion in 2023, CAGR 12% to 2030.
12
US holiday gift card sales accounted for 25% of annual total, $42.5 billion in 2023.
13
Latin America gift card market to grow from $15 billion in 2023 to $35 billion by 2029.
14
E-commerce gift cards surged 30% YoY to $80 billion globally in 2023.
15
Canada gift card industry valued at CAD 6.5 billion in 2023, up 8%.
16
Middle East & Africa gift card market at $10 billion in 2023, CAGR 18%.
17
US restaurant gift cards loaded $28 billion in 2023.
18
Global prepaid gift card market share of overall prepaid was 45% in 2023.
19
Australia gift card sales hit AUD 4.2 billion in 2023.
20
Projected global gift card market penetration to reach 25% of retail sales by 2028.
21
Brazil gift card market grew 20% to BRL 12 billion in 2023.
22
US multi-brand gift cards valued at $15 billion in 2023.
23
India digital gift cards market at INR 5,000 crore in 2023, CAGR 25%.
24
Global gift card unused balances averaged $15 billion annually.
25
China gift card market size $180 billion in 2023.
26
France gift card sales €4.5 billion in 2023.
27
Global gift e-card market CAGR 16.5% from 2023-2030.
28
US specialty retail gift cards $50 billion load in 2023.
29
Worldwide gift voucher market to hit €500 billion by 2027.
30
Japan prepaid gift card market ¥3 trillion in 2023.
Interpretation
Market Size & Growth Interpretation
The gift card industry is expanding rapidly as the global market grows from $987.4 billion in 2023 to a projected $2.5 trillion by 2032 at a 10.8% CAGR, with digital gift cards accelerating even faster from $289 billion in 2023 to $1.2 trillion by 2030 at a 22% CAGR.
report visual · Comparison
Digital gift cards: faster redemption, higher preference
Digital gift cards are preferred and redeem faster than physical cards, helping drive conversion and repeat use.
Average redemption rate for digital gift cards is 95%, vs 85% for physical.95%
65% of digital gift cards delivered via email, 25% SMS, 10% apps.
65%
55% of consumers prefer e-gift cards for instant delivery.
55%
Web3 wallets integrate gift cards, 10 million users.
3
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Isabelle Moreau. (2026, February 13). Gift Cards Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/gift-cards-industry-statistics
MLA
Isabelle Moreau. "Gift Cards Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/gift-cards-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Isabelle Moreau. 2026. "Gift Cards Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/gift-cards-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
100 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
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