Gift Cards for US Territories: Easier Rewards for Puerto Rico, Guam & More

If you're running an American gift card program that includes recipients in Puerto Rico and other overseas territories, you may have stumbled into some problems. Namely, just because a gift card works for someone in the 50 US states, that doesn't mean someone in Puerto Rico or another U.S. territory will be able to redeem it. 

Sound complicated? It doesn't have to be—as long as you work with a gift card distributor that understands your needs (and actually cares about them). Ideally, that distributor will also have a robust, global gift card rewards catalog with great options for the US territories, too. 

👉 If you would like to use gift cards in an incentive program with recipients in Puerto Rico (PR), Guam (GU), U.S. Virgin Islands (VI), American Samoa (AS), and/or Northern Mariana Islands (MP), here's what you need to know.  

Surprise: gift cards aren’t always universal (even 'American' ones)

It probably won't surprise you to hear that you might need to send a different gift card to recipients in Poland versus those in, say, the Philippines. 

But if you have recipients spread across the U.S. and its territories, you'd be forgiven for thinking you just need one type of gift card for everyone.

But wait until you actually try to send one of those 'American' cards to someone in Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands. Sometimes it'll work, and sometimes it won't—and it all comes down to what gift cards you're sending where. 

That's because the U.S. territories often fall into a gray area when it comes to gift card incentives. 

Indeed, many popular gift card brands have restrictions or simply don’t support redemptions in the U.S. territories.

That’s why it’s important to do a little extra homework before you hit “send.”

For organizations that value every recipient, making sure your incentives reach everyone is critical. And unexpected gift card restrictions can definitely stand in the way of a smooth and delightful redemption experience. 

The good news? 

With advance planning and the right gift card provider, your program can work well for recipients everywhere from the States to Puerto Rico, Guam, and beyond. 

What about gift cards that only include the 'U.S.' in their terms? 

Some brands only mention "U.S." or "United States" in their terms, without mentioning any regional distinctions. 

It might be tempting to assume this implies they'll work in places like Puerto Rico. But we recommend you don't make this assumption. Why? Because if your assumption turns out to be wrong,  that could easily lead to disappointed recipients who never actually get their gift or reward. 

💡 Our recommendations: 

If you're rewarding people mostly in the 50 U.S. states with a limited number of recipients in the territories, offer them the full Giftbit catalog. Any recipients who live in the territories will usually choose something they know works locally. ∗

But if you're sending rewards primarily to recipients in U.S. territories, we recommend you either:
• Create a custom choice experience with only brands confirmed to work in those regions (details below).
• Or simply reach out to our team. We’ll be happy to help you choose the right brands and options for your program. 

∗ Note: no matter how much work you put into your program, some amount of recipient issues is a given (like your contact info being wrong, an email getting unfairly flagged as spam, or a recipient accidentally deleting their email or simply missing it in a crowded inbox). That's why the best gift card companies will also provide complete, dedicated recipient support, at no extra cost to your program. This is especially important when sending to regions with added delivery complexities.     

Gift cards that work in some U.S. territories

The U.S. territories include Puerto Rico (PR), Guam (GU), U.S. Virgin Islands (VI), American Samoa (AS), and Northern Mariana Islands (MP).

Gift cards from many popular American brands and retailers can work in these areas. 

But alas, the rub: not all brands support every territory. So you may need to do a little extra planning, depending on where you're sending your digital rewards. 

To help you get started quicker, we've done the legwork. The following brands in the gift card catalog currently work in at least one U.S. territory beyond the 50 U.S. states. 

🇵🇷 Gift cards that only work in Puerto Rico