Which Gift Card Do You Give Your Employees? The Best Choice in 2026

TL;DR — In 60 seconds

The question: Which gift card do you choose when you want to surprise your employees?

The short answer: Multi-brand digital gift cards with freedom of choice win in 2026 — 78% of Dutch employees prefer them over single-brand alternatives.

Top 3 types for corporate use:

1. Multi-brand digital (Giffy, VVV gift card) — freedom of choice + corporate branding

2. Single-brand (Bol, Apple, IKEA) — when the target audience has a clear affinity

3. Branded company gift card — for companies with 200+ employees wanting to reinforce brand experience

The winning factor: a personal message from the manager increases appreciation by 300% compared to an anonymous payout. Value is less important than presentation.

An SME in Utrecht gave all its employees €100 in Bol vouchers for the festive season last year. Result: 40% exchanged them for books they subsequently never opened. 15% sold the voucher on Marktplaats for 70% of its value. The rest expired or was passed on to family.

The same company would spend the exact same budget this year — but this time via a platform offering a choice of 200+ brands. Expected result: a redemption rate above 90%, average satisfaction of 4.3 out of 5, and employees deliberately choosing an experience or product that suits their lives.

The difference is not in the value. It is in the freedom of choice and presentation.

💡 Why Giffy is writing this

Every day we see companies struggling with the same question: which gift card do we choose? This guide shares what works and what doesn't — based on data from hundreds of Dutch employers.

What employees really want in 2026

Effectory 2025 study (8,500 NL employees) on reward preferences:

Conclusion: freedom of choice is the highest driver. Multi-brand gift cards combine financial value with personal choice.

Important nuance: generations differ. Gen Z values experiences and flexibility more; older generations slightly more often prefer traditional cash or a physical gift. Multi-brand gift cards solve this by catering to both target groups.

Type 1 — Single-brand gift cards

When to choose them?

• Your target audience has a clear affinity (e.g. tech team → Apple, readers → Bol)

• You want to associate a specific brand experience with your reward

• Budget is limited and you want simplicity

Most popular in the Netherlands (2026)

Pros and cons

✅ Simple procurement
✅ No platform fees
✅ Trusted brands

❌ Limited freedom of choice for employees
❌ Not all employees use the brand
❌ No tracking, no audit trail
❌ Branding effect for your company = zero

Type 2 — Multi-brand digital gift cards

How does it work?

The employer purchases value (e.g. €100 per employee). The employee receives a digital card. Upon redemption, the employee chooses for themselves from 100-500+ brands: Bol, Apple, Amazon, IKEA, Decathlon, Booking, experiences, and more.

Most popular in the Netherlands

Pros and cons

✅ Highest employee satisfaction (38% vs 12% single-brand)
✅ Corporate branding possible (own welcome message, logo)
✅ Automatic WKR reporting
✅ Audit trail for accountant
✅ Works for diverse teams without needing to know preferences

❌ Small fee on top of nominal value (3-7%)
❌ Requires platform selection and setup

Type 3 — Company-branded gift cards

What is it?

A gift card that is completely customized to your brand — logo, colours, redemption flow on a personalized URL, own message. The employee directly associates the appreciation with your company, not with "Giffy" or "Bol".

When to consider?

• Company with 200+ employees

• Strong brand identity that you want to reinforce at every touchpoint

• Customer loyalty programmes

• Regular (annual) rounds of rewards

Pros and cons

✅ Maximum brand experience
✅ Differentiator compared to competitors
✅ Customer and employee loyalty reinforced

❌ Higher setup costs (5-10%)
❌ Less useful with <100 employees

Digital vs physical

In 2026, digital is the clear winner for corporate use:

Niche use for physical: client events with in-person handover, older target groups, "wow" gifts delivered with ceremony.

The winning factor — personal presentation

Research: a personal message from the line manager increases the perceived value of a gift card by 300%.

What works:

✅ "Thank you for your work on Project X — Sandra"
✅ Specifically mentioning what the employee contributed
✅ Personally addressed (not "Dear employee")
✅ Brief chat or message beforehand

What does NOT work:

❌ "Happy holidays — the management team"
❌ HR-generated mass message
❌ Anonymous delivery in December
❌ No mention of why the employee is receiving this

5 practical scenarios with recommendation

Scenario 1 — Year-end gift (50 employees, €100 per person)

Best choice: Multi-brand digital gift card with corporate branding + personal video message from the CEO. Redemption period between 15 Dec - 31 March (spreads value over winter).

Scenario 2 — Birthday gifts (small companies, €25 per employee)

Best choice: Single-brand (Bol or VVV) — accessible, suffices without much setup. Automated via HR system or platform.

Scenario 3 — Spot reward after client compliment (€50)

Best choice: Multi-brand digital, sent the same day, with a personal note from the manager which literally mentions the compliment.

Scenario 4 — 25th anniversary (€2,500 under tax exemption)

Best choice: Combination — branded multi-brand gift card + physical experience voucher (dinner, weekend) + team ceremony. Makes it memorable.

Scenario 5 — Onboarding gift week 1 (€75)

Best choice: Multi-brand digital, with welcome message from CEO and explanation of company culture. Employee immediately feels valued.

🔐 Giffy for business rewards

Giffy combines multi-brand freedom of choice (200+ brands NL + international) with full employer controls: WKR reporting, corporate branding, audit trail, automated flows for birthdays/work anniversaries. Proven performance starting from 25 employees. → View Giffy business

Frequently asked questions

What is the most appreciated gift card in NL for corporate use?

Multi-brand digital gift cards consistently score the highest (38% preference in 2025). Reason: freedom of choice for the recipient.

Bol voucher or VVV gift card?

Bol for a younger target audience with online affinity. VVV for a wider age spread and people who like to redeem physically. Multi-brand digital solves both groups simultaneously.

Does a €50 gift card with a personal message work better than €100 anonymously?

Yes, almost always. Research shows that presentation has 3x more influence on perceived value than the amount itself. Invest in personalisation, not just value.

How do I prevent employees from selling on gift cards?

Lower risk with multi-brand digital (own choice = lower resale rate) and with personal presentation (emotional value = don't want to sell). Single-brand mass gifts have the highest resale percentages.

Can I combine a gift card amount with cash?

Yes, and it is often tax-smart. E.g.: €200 total = €100 cash (within discretionary margin) + €100 gift card (within discretionary margin). Spread the risk of exceeding the tax-free limit.

Which gift cards expire the fastest?

By law: minimum of 2 years validity. In practice: most digital gift cards 2-5 years, physical ones often 1 year less. Always check terms before choosing.

What if I have international employees?

Multi-brand digital is then a no-brainer. Single-brand often doesn't work across borders (Bol voucher in Berlin? Useless). Giffy and similar platforms support multiple countries simultaneously.

Related articles:

• Corporate Gift Cards in 2026: The Complete Guide

• WKR & Gift Cards — When Taxed, When Tax-Free?

• WKR rules in 2026 explained: keep an overview

About the author

Giffy is the Dutch platform for digital gift cards that allows businesses to safely, quickly, and with custom branding pay out value — to clients, partners, and employees. → getgiffy.com