Sending European digital gift cards is one of the simplest ways to recognize and incentivize people across borders. It cuts out shipping costs, avoids currency headaches, and gives your recipients something they can use right away.
Teams of all shapes and sizes use bulk digital gift cards to support employee recognition and customer engagement, and to offer app-based rewards. Going digital works great whether you’re running a one-time campaign or a year-round incentive program. A digital format keeps your workflow consistent while still giving recipients local choice.
💬 “More businesses are global faster, especially with the rise of remote work,” says Leif Baradoy, Giftbit CEO. “They need rewards and incentives that are as global and flexible as their other business operations.”
European audiences expect rewards that fit their daily lives. Country-specific gift card options help you meet that expectation without adding operational complexity. In this article, we’ll explore how to send gift cards to audiences in Europe (that actually work).
We’ll also detail the European countries currently in the Giftbit rewards catalog.
Using digital gift cards for audiences in different countries is almost always a great idea. They’re fast, predictable, and easy to scale.
That said, you can’t just order a stack of cards and send them out willy-nilly. Why?
Many popular digital gift cards are region-locked. For example, an Amazon gift card purchased in one country (say, Amazon.com) usually cannot be redeemed on another country’s Amazon site (say, Amazon.co.uk).
And this can create real friction. If you send U.S. Amazon gift cards to people in France or Germany, they likely won’t be able to use them as intended.
Learn More:
Can Amazon Gift Cards Be Used Internationally? Tips for Program Managers
This same limitation applies to Apple digital gift cards, which are also tied to the country where they are issued. A card bought in one region will not work for App Store, iTunes or other Apple services in a different region.
Learn More:
How To Use Apple Gift Cards For Global Incentive Programs
All this means that if you’re running a European-wide incentive program, you can’t just send one card type globally and expect it to work for everyone.
Instead you need to confirm each recipient’s location — OR use a global-friendly gift platform (and/or API) that automatically matches the right gift cards to the right country.
If you don’t, you risk creating confusion, damaging recipient trust, and undermining the impact of the program.
👇 We’ll cover the right approach next 👇
Yes, there’s a lot of potential pitfalls if you try to ‘go it alone’ sending European gift cards. Working with a global gift card distributor is what’s going to help you avoid them (without added effort ✌️).
TLDR: Look for a reliable gift card distributor that offers a strong local catalog for your target regions. They’ll ensure your recipients only receive gift cards they can actually use in the country where they live, so you can focus on other things.
You’ll have confidence that every reward will be redeemable. It also removes the need to manually research which brands work in each country.
A good platform also handles several operational steps you would otherwise need to manage yourself. It’ll help you keep your program consistent (and scalable) while giving your recipients options that feel relevant and familiar.
Specifically, you’ll gain: