Anytime you need to send rewards to recipients in other countries, things get more complicated. How much will shipping cost? How should the address be formatted? How long will it take to get there? That’s why many companies opt instead to use international gift cards for employees, customers, research participants, survey respondents, and other reward recipients.
But even international gift cards can have their complications. Do they need to be issued in the right currency? Can they be redeemed in a different country? What about online shopping?
Here are a few nuances and options to keep in mind when using international gift cards in your rewards program.
In general, many single-brand gift cards can be redeemed only in the country — and therefore the currency — where they were purchased. For instance, Adidas issues different gift cards for use in the U.S., Australia, France, Spain, etc. You also have to make sure the retailer or service is even available in the recipient’s country. You wouldn’t want to give someone in Europe a gift card to Michaels craft stores, since they operate in (and ship to) only North America.
Online-only stores can have similar restrictions. An Amazon.com gift card, for example, can’t be used on any other country-specific sites, such as Amazon.co.uk.
When you’re sending gift card rewards to recipients globally, you may also want to consider virtual prepaid cards, such as Mastercard or Visa. These cards can be redeemed in over 150 countries, so they offer incredible flexibility for multinational programs. No matter what currency you buy the card in, the card issuer will automatically make the conversion if a purchase is made in a different currency. Since they are issued digitally via email, these cards are very easy to use for online purchases, but many can also be added to a mobile wallet for use in store.
While virtual prepaid cards do make global rewarding simpler, there are times when letting the recipient choose a single- or multi-brand gift card makes more sense for a particular audience or program. But don’t worry: Even in these cases, you’re not doomed to have to buy international rewards directly from each retailer’s country-specific site. A digital rewards platform like BHN Rewards can help take the guesswork and hassle out of sending international gift cards. Its Smart Global Choice feature can detect each recipient’s location during the redemption process and then automatically present them with a list of reward options available in their country.
If you prefer to offer a more personalized experience and want to curate the selection of reward options yourself, you can easily build separate campaigns for each country and choose appropriate gift cards for each. This is especially useful when you have a program with a particular goal that you would like to highlight with your rewards, such as health-related options for a medical research study.
Want to see how BHN Rewards’ Smart Global Choice works? Request a demo today!
Hannah is a reformed journalist who has more than 15 years of experience and now focuses on content marketing for innovative tech companies.
Hannah is a reformed journalist who has more than 15 years of experience and now focuses on content marketing for innovative tech companies.
