The gift market in the UK is one of the most lucrative markets for global gift card players to expand and grow their business. This harps the most popular gift card types in the UK, enabling you to get any type of choice anywhere within the political territory.
The popularity of gift cards among customers has also increased over the past four to eight quarters and is predicted to keep growing. The existence of international gift card players in the UK market results from all these factors.
Meanwhile, the gift card market in the UK was estimated to be over $44 billion as of 2022. This value is expected to grow above $107 billion by 2027, with particular consideration for metrics like innovation score, growth strategies, investment, new product launches, and whatnot. Therefore, it is safe to allude to the fact that the UK is a great resort for gift users, who use them for varying purposes.
With the proliferation of different types of gift cards in the UK gift card, this article is to guide you through popular types of gift cards with the importance of choosing the right gift card for your loved one. This is because it is one thing for you to give a gift card as a gift to friends and family, and it is another thing for the gift card to meet the true satisfaction of the recipient.
Types Of Gift Cards In The UK
1. Physical Gift Card
This is a type of gift card in the UK that exists in either paper or plastic form. A physical gift card represents the brand designing the gift card with the logo or seal of such brand imprinted on the gift card.
For instance, you can find the Macintosh logo of the Apple gift card on its physical gift card when you get one. As such, this is a representation of the Apple Company brand that anywhere you see the Macintosh logo on a gift card, you can easily come to terms with the identification of the gift card as an Apple gift card.
Also, physical gift cards in the UK often than not with a custom image or design, which you can always create to your preference at the level of your creativity and purpose.
2. E-gift Cards
These can also be called digital gift cards or an Ecode, as you can only get them via email when you buy them. You can get this type of gift card from both physical and online gift card stores.
However, one major feature of e-gift cards is that they come with a pre-printed design, unlike physical gift cards, which you can design to your preference.
3. Multi-Retailer Gift Cards
You can use these one-stop gift cards at retail stores selling other products or content. This means you can have a multi-retailer gift card and access your products at some retail store that supports your gift card.
What Are The Top Most Popular Types Of Gift Cards In The UK?
- Restaurant gift cards
- Beauty and wellness gift cards
- Fashion gift cards
- Books and media products gift cards
- Electronics gift cards
- Jewellery gift cards
- Sports gift cards
- Travel gift cards
- Entertainment and gaming gift cards
- Other
1. Restaurant Gift Cards
These gift cards in the UK enable you to have a sumptuous meal at restaurants that hold or support gift cards. Most of the restaurant gift cards in the UK are multi-retailer, so you can use these cards at a few places to buy your favourite meal without going to the restaurant that owns the gift card.
You can use restaurant gift cards for beautiful restaurants, bars, pubs, and hotels of your choice; neither of these places supports the card. Some popular restaurant gift cards in the UK are The Dining Out gift card, Ivy Collection gift voucher, Restaurant Favorites gift card, etc.
However, most of these restaurant gift cards have a validity period of 12 months; as such, they can expire after 12 months if you don’t redeem them, as these cards are in different denominations ranging from £15.
2. Beauty And Wellness Gift Cards
These are gift cards specifically for users who binge-shop for beauty products. Beauty and Wellness gift cards enable you to redeem the gift card at physical and online stores, in most instances, at discounted prices.
Also, Beauty and Wellness gift cards offer you a wide range of value for your card, and you can use the gift card to buy different products at retail stores. You should also know that they exist in varying denominations.
Beauty and Wellness gift cards include Lavish Spa and Beauty gift cards, Treatwell gift cards, etc. Here, these gift cards can have a redemption period of 24 months and after which your gift card will expire.
3. Fashion Gift Cards
Fashion gift cards are one of the popular gift card types in the UK as they opens you to a wide range of options as it relates to shopping for your favourite fashion products, both online and at physical stores.
You can enjoy your fashionista lifestyle with different fashion gift cards that you can redeem at a variety of the UK’s best fashion retailers.
Examples of Fashion gift cards in the UK are VEX gift cards, Marks & Spencer gift cards, Harvey Nichols, Primark gift cards, Foot Locker gift cards, Argos gift cards, etc.
4. Books And Media Gift Cards
These gift cards enable you to access book and media products primarily online. If you are a staunch lover of books, other media products like podcasts, books, and media gift cards are your best plug in the UK.
How this type of gift card works can be likened to other gift cards as you can get them in varying denominations. Books and media gift cards exist in physical and online forms to earn gift cards at physical retail stores or online platforms.
These cards include a Nowhere Bookshop gift card, Pauline Books & Media gift card, Magic & Books gift card, an Amazon gift card, etc.
5. Electronics Gift Cards
Electronics gift cards are gift cards that enable you to access different electronic products. When you have this type of gift card, you usually get products at discounted prices. These electronic products include TV sets, home theatres, washing machines, etc.
Many UK residents use Electronic gift cards to buy products at discounted prices owing to the high cost of electronic products at regular retail stores. These cards are available in denominations ranging from £10 to £100.
Electronic gift cards in the UK include Maplin gift cards, Argos gift cards, Amazon etc. Also, you can have an One4all gift card to get your phones and electrical products at better prices.
6. Jewellery Gift Cards
Buying jewellery is luxury, and even as everyone can not afford this piece of luxury, Jewellery gift cards have simplified ways of accessing jewellery without breaking the bank. You can give or receive this gift card as a gift, especially to or from a loved one, as an expression of love and worth.
Jewellery gift cards represent jewellery products as their prices are high in the denominations of £50 to £3,000. Therefore, you can imagine the smile radiating over a recipient’s face when given a gift card of this great worth. This includes
Examples of Jewellery gift cards are Astley Clarke gift cards, Michael Hill gift cards, etc.
7. Sports Gift Cards
For sports enthusiasts, Sports gift cards enable you to get sporting products from different sports brands. You can access various gift card packages, from individual gift cards to bulk gift card packages, depending on your preference.
Sports gift cards are available in the trio types of physical, eGift, and multi-retailer gift cards with different denominations to the card value.
These gift cards include National gift cards, Decathlon gift cards, Ticketmaster gift cards, VEX gift cards, etc.
8. Travel Gift Cards
Travel gift cards are a new way to give someone some credit to your loved one towards a flight to a destination. This can be tailored to cover hotel bookings or transportation costs at your destination.
If you have a family or friend that loves adventures with travel and tourism, Travel gift cards are the best option to give them an experience they will never forget for. These cards are available in physical and digital forms, and you can get them in varying denominations in the UK.
Travel gift cards in the UK include Butlins gift cards, Hotel gift cards, Innkeeper’s Lodge gift cards, Virgin gift card vouchers, Airline gift vouchers, etc.
9. Entertainment And Gaming Gift Cards
Entertainment and games are the real deal, especially for young people, who always look for a way to enjoy their leisure time with entertainment and gaming content. This is relative as it beckons your choice of fun.
However, you can use entertainment and gaming gift cards to access different content that better suits your needs at a time. Consider how happy your gamer of a friend will be if you send a Steam gift card. Steam gift cards enable you to access many gaming contents on the Steam store.
These gift cards are available in physical and digital forms, and you can get them in varying denominations from £10. Entertainment and gaming gift cards in the UK are National gift cards, Google Play gift cards, iTunes gift cards, Xbox gift cards, Steam gift cards, etc.
10. Others
As mentioned earlier, there are numerous gift cards in the UK; some other gift cards are gift cards, Christmas gift cards, wedding gift cards, birthday gift cards, etc.
Factors To Consider Before Choosing A Gift Card In The UK
1. Recipient’s Interest
It would help if you took into cognisance the interest of who you want to give the gift card to for better knowledge of which of the gift cards is the best for the recipient. It would be odd to give a fashion gift card to someone who is a gaming enthusiast. But instead, a gamer will appreciate a Steam gift card better than having a fashion gift card.
2. Spending Habits
It is important to know the spending behaviour of your recipients to know if a physical or digital gift card will be the best for them. So ensure to know this fact to even inform your decision on if you should give your recipient a gift card of lower denominations or a gift card of higher denominations like the Jewellery gift cards.
How To Use Gift Cards In The UK
Gift cards are of different purposes to serve your varying needs, so it is safe to say the use of gift cards is relative in the UK. While you have a gift card, you should be to activate your gift card from the point of sale at the retail store while redeeming the gift card at the store(s) that supports the specific gift card.
Tips On How To Get The Most Value From Gift Card In the UK
We all know that gift cards are helpful in different ways, as you can:
- Give gift cards as gifts to friends and family
- Redeem gift cards for products or content
- Sell gift cards for cash or cryptocurrency
- Use gift cards as a payment method on some platforms
Conclusion
Gift cards are a way to enjoy the best products while serving as an alternative to cash in the UK. This enables us to highlight the op gift card types you can explore to resonate with your needs and purposes.
However, it is essential to ensure that the preferred gift card meets the satisfaction of your recipient to get a heap of appreciation for the kind gesture. Gift cards are helpful in many ways, and it is good to use them for convenience.
