Christmas hamper alternatives: why more and more companies are choosing a digital gift card

Category: Corporate gifting | Reading time: 4 min | Target audience: HR, Office Manager, SME CEO

Summary Block

What are good alternatives to a Christmas hamper in 2026?
More and more companies are moving away from the traditional Christmas hamper. Popular alternatives include: digital gift cards (giving choice to the recipient), a tax-free cash allowance via the work-related expenses scheme (WKR), an experience gift, or a donation to charity. Digital gift cards rate highest for employee satisfaction because recipients choose exactly what they want. In addition, they are WKR-compliant, can be sent instantly, and require no addresses or logistics.

Introduction

It is August. You are an HR manager, office manager, or CEO of a company with 50 to 500 employees. And somewhere in the back of your mind, it is already starting to nag: the Christmas hamper.

Last year, it took three weeks to collect everyone's addresses. Half of the parcels arrived damaged. Two employees didn't eat the cheese. One was vegan and never said a word.

There has to be a better way.

There is. And more and more British companies are discovering it.

Why the classic Christmas hamper is past its prime

The traditional Christmas hamper has its charms. But the reality in 2026 is challenging:

• Logistics is a nightmare — collecting addresses, scheduling deliveries, managing returns

• Waste — on average, 30% of a food hamper is left uneaten or thrown away

• One size fits nobody — one employee is vegan, another doesn't drink alcohol, and a third already has five sets of teacups

• High cost per recipient — packaging, shipping, and logistics eat up 25-40% of your budget

• International teams — how do you send a physical Christmas hamper to your employee in Madrid?

The 5 best Christmas hamper alternatives

1. 🎁 Digital gift card — the smartest choice

A digital gift card gives the recipient complete choice. No damaged boxes, no logistics, no waste. The employee chooses for themselves: a book voucher, sports shop, weekend away, or simply credit at Amazon.

Advantages:

• Sent in under 5 minutes to all your team

• WKR-compliant — fits within the work-related expenses scheme

• Custom branding possible

• Measurable: you can see who has redeemed it

Giffy approach: Send personalised digital gift cards in your corporate style, with a personal message, to hundreds of employees at once.

2. 🍽️ Experience gift

Instead of a box of items: an experience. Think of a dinner for two, a spa day, a cooking workshop, or concert tickets.

Advantages: memorable, no items that get thrown away
Disadvantage: harder to personalise at scale, higher cost per person

3. 🌱 Donation to a good cause

Make a donation to a charity of choice on behalf of your employee. Fits perfectly with B Corp values and sustainability policies.

Advantages: social impact, no logistics
Disadvantage: not everyone appreciates this as much as a personal gift

4. 💶 Net cash allowance (via WKR)

Simply paying a tax-free cash amount via the work-related expenses scheme. Transparent and appreciated.

Advantages: maximum freedom of choice, simple
Disadvantage: less festive, feels less like a gift

5. 📦 Personalised mini-parcel + digital card

Combine the best of both worlds: a small physical element (a card, a bottle of good wine, a branded item) topped up with a digital gift card for the rest of the budget.

Advantages: personal feel + freedom of choice
Disadvantage: still involves some logistics

What do employees actually say?

Research consistently shows that employees value freedom of choice supreme when it comes to gifts. A gift that matches their personal taste rates twice as high for appreciation than a standard hamper.

"The best gift is one where I get to choose."
— Every employee, ever

WKR: how much can you give tax-free at Christmas?

Under the work-related expenses scheme (WKR), you as an employer can give tax-free allowances to employees. In 2026:

• 2% free scope on the first €400,000 of taxable wage bill

• 1.18% on the excess

A company with 100 employees and a wage bill of €4 million has over €55,000 in free scope. Ample budget for a lovely end-of-year gift per person.

Digital gift cards via Giffy are WKR-compliant and count as a final tax element.

Practical: how do you arrange this for 200 employees?

With a platform like Giffy:

1. Upload your employee list (no addresses needed)

2. Choose the amount and the look & feel in your brand identity

3. Set the dispatch date — 20th December at 09:00 am

4. Done

No boxes. No delivery issues. No returns. Everyone happy.

Conclusion

The Christmas hamper is not dead — but it has stiff competition. For companies wanting to save on logistics, curb waste, and give their staff something of real value, a digital gift card is the smartest alternative in 2026.

Want to see how Giffy works for your end-of-year campaign?
[Request a free demo →]

FAQ

What is a good alternative to a Christmas hamper for employees?
A digital gift card is the most popular alternative to a Christmas hamper. Employees choose what they want, no logistics are required, and it is WKR-compliant.

Is a digital gift card WKR-compliant?
Yes. A digital gift card falls under the work-related expenses scheme if you earmark it as a final levy component. Within the free scope, this is tax-free for the employee.

How much can I give tax-free as an end-of-year gift?
There is no fixed limit per gift. It comes down to your total free scope: 2% over the first €400,000 of taxable payroll and 1.18% on the excess.

Can I customise a digital gift card?
Yes. With platforms like Giffy, you can send gift cards in your own brand identity, complete with a personal message for each recipient.

How do I send a Christmas gift to employees who work from home or live abroad?
With a digital gift card, you do not need an address. The recipient receives an email or a link and chooses their own gift. Giffy supports international rewarding.