Are Your Staff Getting Full Value From Their Gift Cards?

The Fees Built into Most Gift Cards

Most corporate gift cards carry charges and some don’t even appear on your invoice, there are 3 worth knowing about;

1. Activation fees apply at the point of purchase with some providers — a charge deducted before the card is even sent.
2. Dormancy fees are the most common. Typically €1.50 to €3 per month, they kick in automatically once a card goes unspent beyond a set period and usually 12 months after issue. A €50 card that sits unspent past that trigger can lose funds before the recipient ever uses it.
3. Lost card replacement fees apply when an employee reports a card missing. On top of the inconvenience, the replacement carries a charge the employer didn't budget for.

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None of these appear at checkout. All of them reduce the value your employees receive.

Why Fees Go Unnoticed

Activation charges don't show up in reports. Dormancy fees accumulate after the fact, in the recipient's wallet. Replacement costs are easy to miss when logged separately from the original order.

The business records full value delivered. The employee receives less. No one connects the two.

Most HR and procurement teams focus on visible costs: card price, order minimums, delivery times. What happens to card value after issuance rarely gets the same attention. That's the gap these fees are designed to sit in.

Value Paid = Value Received - Zero fees

No activation fees. No dormancy fees. No lost card replacement charges. No top-up fees. No deductions of any kind during the card's five-year validity period.

A €50 OptionsCard delivers €50 — whether the recipient uses it the day they receive it or 24 months later. The value you pay for is the value your employees receive, every time.

Cards are redeemable across 60+ leading Irish retail brands covering grocery, fashion, health, home, and experiences. Delivery is instant by email or SMS, with a printable PDF option for in-person events.

Why fee free gifting matters

Every business running a rewards or recognition programme has the same goal: deliver a specific amount of value to a specific number of people. Hidden fees undermine that without anyone noticing. The budget is spent, the cards are issued, and the full value doesn't arrive.

Fee-free digital gift cards close that gap. What you allocate is what your employees receive, accurately, predictably, every time. For HR teams demonstrating programme impact, or finance teams tracking cost-per-reward, that predictability matters.

What to Check Before Your Next Order

If you're buying corporate gift cards from another provider, these are the terms worth reviewing before your next order cycle:

• Are there activation fees at the point of purchase?
• Are dormancy fees applied after a period of inactivity, and when do they begin?
• What is the card's validity period?
• Is there a charge for replacing lost cards?
• What happens to unspent balances at expiry?

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If the answers aren't clear, ask for written confirmation. For full details on how OptionsCard works for corporate programmes. To see it in action, book a 20-minute demo.

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