What To Look For In A Gift Card Aggregator (And Why You Need One)

Updated Jan 31, 2025

Companies use gift card aggregators when they want to use bulk digital gift cards for any number of use cases. Whether it’s for customer loyalty programs, employee rewards, global payouts, or something else, gift card incentive programs work best when they’re managed through a reliable system.

Trust us: once start using gift card aggregator to manage your gift card program, you'll never want to go back. The right aggregator will enhance your rewards program by streamlining all aspects of gift card distribution.

In this article, we’ll explore gift card aggregators, including how they work, and how to find the best one for your incentive rewards programs.

What is a gift card aggregator?

A gift card aggregator is an online platform that gathers a wide variety of digital gift cards and prepaid cards from different brands and retailers into a single interface.

Instead of having to manually source, purchase, and distribute different brand gift cards from multiple vendors, program managers can use aggregators to access a centralized catalog, manage bulk orders, and send rewards with ease, all in one place.

This, in turn, simplifies operations, saves time, and improves tracking and reporting.

A good gift card aggregator will also offer:

• Flexible delivery options – Use straightforward gift card email delivery, send via text, DM, or QR code, or integrate them into your own app or software.

• A wide selection of brands – Choose from hundreds of global and local retailers, prepaid cards, and charitable donation options.

• Bulk ordering and automation – Issue thousands of rewards in seconds, whether manually or through a gift card API.

• Customizable branding – Personalize gift card emails and redemption experiences to match your brand.

• Clear financial tracking – Stay on top of budgets with real-time reporting, expiration tracking, and reconciliation tools.

In short, by using a gift card aggregator, companies can make their rewards program more efficient, scalable, and enjoyable for recipients.

Note: Gift card aggregators go by many names—gift card distributors, gift card providers, gift card companies. Whatever you call them, what really matters is how they function. If a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, a gift card aggregator, by any name, should still be reliable, flexible, and cost-effective.

That said, there’s a difference between gift card aggregators designed for businesses running B2B and B2C incentive programs, versus consumer apps that help individuals store and manage personal gift cards and cash back. For the rest of this article, we’re focusing on business use cases.

How do gift card aggregators work?

Gift card aggregators work as intermediaries between businesses and gift card issuers. They establish their own partnerships with retailers (like Amazon and Apple), prepaid card providers (like Visa and Mastercard®), and other brands. They use these partnerships to to source digital gift cards and prepaid cards in bulk and at scale. They then make these cards available to their clients through a centralized gift card platform or API.

Specifically, when a company places an order with their aggregator, the aggregator will generate unique gift card codes directly from the issuer’s system. The company can then deliver these codes to their recipients via email, text, or direct gift links.

Many aggregators also handle fraud prevention, balance verification, and expiration tracking, making it easier for businesses to manage digital rewards and incentives efficiently.

How do gift card aggregators like Giftbit make money?

Gift card aggregators can earn revenue in a few ways.

Many will charge service fees, mark up card prices, require prepayments, and/or have minimum gift card purchase amount.

Gift card aggregators also make money off of unused rewards (i.e., gift cards that are sent to recipients but not redeemed within a set period).

Traditionally, old school gift card providers have been cagey about this process and how much unused money they’re actually taking. That caginess benefits them, of course, and not their clients.

However, Giftbit has always been 100% upfront about our clients’ unused rewards. And it has always offered generous revenue sharing (and bulk discounts) with its customers.

Giftbits’ clients also only pay for what they send—no hidden fees, no prepayment required. It’s incredibly easy and free to create an account and start sending.

This model keeps incentive programs cost-effective, ensuring all clients get the most value out of their rewards budget.

💬 “A really great part of Giftbit’s story is that in our early days, we helped to promote and standardize the idea of transparency in rewards and sharing the value of unclaimed rewards back to our customers.,” says Giftbit CEO Leif Baradoy. "It was important for us to bring that transparency into the industry.

Top features to look for in a rewards aggregator

At the end of the day, if a gift card aggregator doesn’t make your incentive program smoother, smarter, and more scalable, it’s just a middleman, not a solution.

Reliable gift card aggregators do a lot more than showcase a wide selection of gift cards—they also take a lot of the work out of sending gift cards to your customers.

Specifically, they should be able to automatically trigger rewards when customers complete certain actions or send bulk gift card links to hundreds of people with one click. 

To ensure you find an aggregator that will help your program grow and thrive, look for one that offers the following features

1. A great user experience

A good gift card aggregator should be simple on both ends—easy for you to set up and easy for your recipients to redeem their rewards. If the platform is clunky, time-consuming, or confusing, it defeats the purpose.

Look for an aggregator that lets you send rewards in just a few clicks, whether you’re distributing one gift card or thousands. A clean, intuitive dashboard should make it easy to track spending, monitor redemption rates, and adjust your campaigns as needed.

And the experience should be just as smooth for recipients. They should be able to access their gift cards instantly—no complicated logins, extra steps, or unnecessary friction. Make sure your aggregator also has a support team to deal with any recipient issues that arise.

2. A large and accurate catalog

A great rewards program starts with a great selection. Your gift card aggregator should offer top brands that your recipients actually want.

That said, the size of their catalog isn’t the only thing that matter. The catalog also needs to be accurate and reliable. If a gift card doesn’t work when a recipient tries to use it, the entire incentive program falls apart—turning what should be a moment of delight into frustration (and with unreliable aggregators, this is more common than you might think).

A strong catalog also gives you the freedom to tailor rewards to your audience while keeping the process smooth and dependable.

Flexibility is key. You should be able to send a single brand, a curated selection, or give recipients access to the full catalog. Choice matters—sometimes, a specific gift card makes sense for your program, but in other cases, letting recipients pick ensures they get something they truly value, whether that’s Applebees, Starbucks, The Home Depot, or anything else in the global rewards catalog.

Think about it: the perfect gift card for one recipient isn’t going to perfect for the next. Letting everyone choose means you let everyone get exactly what they want.

3. Security

Top-tier gift card providers go the extra mile to prioritize security at every level. They implement robust security protocols and advanced encryption techniques to protect transactions and user data.

A reliable aggregator should also be SOC 2 compliant, meaning it meets strict industry standards for data security, availability, and privacy.

4. Fair, flexible pricing

A good gift card aggregator keeps pricing transparent and predictable.

Watch out for hidden fees, prepayment requirements, or complicated pricing structures that eat into your budget. The best platforms will let you pay only for what you send and offer flexibility—whether you’re sending one reward or scaling up to thousands.

Ultimately, it’s a pricing model that works with your program, not against it, that will ensure you get the most value out of every dollar spent.

5. Support

Some gift card aggregators only prioritize big spenders, offering hands-on support only to companies sending millions in incentives.

But whether you're running a small pilot program or a large-scale rewards initiative, you deserve reliable, responsive support.

Look for a provider that offers helpful, human support—not just a generic help center. A good aggregator should be ready to assist with setup, troubleshooting, and strategy, no matter the size of your program. They’ll also be responsible for recipient support, tol.

6. Streamlined gift card sending

Manually sending rewards one by one doesn’t scale. A good gift card aggregator should let you trigger rewards automatically based on customer actions—whether that’s completing a survey, referring a friend, or hitting a sales milestone.

But automation shouldn’t be complicated. Look for a platform that makes it easy to set up workflows, integrate with your existing tools, or send bulk rewards in seconds. The less time you spend managing gift cards, the more time you have to focus on what really matters—growing your business.

7. Tracking

Once you send a reward, you need to know what happens next. That’s why a good gift card aggregator should give you real-time visibility into which rewards have been delivered, claimed, and redeemed.

Good gift card tracking helps you stay on budget, measure engagement, and spot any issues fast. It also ensures you’re not wasting money on unclaimed rewards—especially if your platform lets you reclaim or refund unused gift cards. Clear reporting means better decisions and a more effective rewards program.

💬 "It's very easy to purchase credits and send gift cards. I send customers gift cards after they participate in an educational Zoom meeting. It takes me less than 60 seconds to send the gift card. The incentive drives participation in the calls, which in turn drives sales. My customers really like that they get a choice of gift cards as well. Couldn't be more pleased. This was the gift card solution I was looking for." 
Scott, President
Medical Industry
(Source: Capterra)

The exact process you'll need to follow to seamlessly integrate your gift card aggregator into your rewards program depends on the specific product you choose to use. However, a good gift card aggregator, equipped with a user-friendly interface and robust integration capabilities, will make this process stress-free and effortless.

Having a diverse selection of gift cards benefits rewards programs

There's no doubt that offering a wide selection of brands and retailers in rewards programs enhances recipient satisfaction and engagement. Research consistently shows that individuals derive greater value and motivation when they can choose their own rewards, rather than having them pre-selected.

And of course, there are many examples of how having a diverse selection of gift cards has benefited businesses' rewards programs.

For instance, Distinctive Schools, a non-profit organization, utilized Giftbit's extensive catalog to support their community, engage employees, and appreciate student ambassadors. By offering a variety of gift card options, they effectively met the diverse preferences of their recipients, enhancing overall satisfaction.

💬 “My favorite thing is giving people a reward that you know they want,” says Molly Quinn, Distinctive Schools’ Managing Director of Marketing & Communications.

Similarly, Drop, a rewards platform, integrated Giftbit's API to expand their gift card offerings by 30%, adding popular brands like CVS, Target, Walmart, and Lyft. This expansion led to a significant increase in member engagement and redemption rates, demonstrating the impact of a diverse reward selection.

These cases illustrate that providing a broad range of gift card options not only caters to individual preferences but also strengthens the effectiveness of rewards programs. too.

How to integrate the right gift card strategy into your rewards program

The right gift card strategy will be simple, effective, and built to scale. Your rewards program should run smoothly in the background while keeping recipients engaged and satisfied.

Start by choosing an aggregator that gives you the brands people want, the flexibility you need, and the tools to track success. You’ll want to choose a platform that works for you, not against you. With the right setup, your incentives will do exactly what they’re supposed to—drive action, boost engagement, and deliver results.

Giftbit is a gift card aggregator with fair, flexible pricing and a robust global catalog. Book a quick call to learn more.