Gift cards have evolved far beyond simple plastic cards purchased at retail stores. Today, consumers increasingly expect digital delivery, mobile wallet compatibility, and personalized gifting options that make sending and spending gift cards easier than ever. The integration of prepaid gift cards with mobile wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay reflects a broader shift toward digital payments, contactless commerce, and more convenient consumer experiences. Early initiatives such as the launch of mobile wallet-enabled Vanilla Visa Gift Cards helped accelerate this transformation in the gift card market.
ATLANTA – December 8, 2020 – InComm Payments, a global leading payments technology company, today announced it has launched an enhanced customer experience for VanillaGift.com by offering custom gift card options and integrating Vanilla Visa® Gift Cards on select mobile wallets, marking it as the first open-loop Visa gift card to do so. This functionality will allow Vanilla Visa® Gift Card recipients to conveniently add their cards to their device’s mobile wallet apps and transact touch-free when redeeming the gift card.
Through the website VanillaGift.com, consumers can buy physical or digital gift cards, which can be conveniently sent to friends and family by mail or instantly through e-mail.
The new custom option broadens the selection of colors and stamps for physical and digital gift cards and gives users the ability to upload a photo or logo, allowing gift-givers and businesses to fully express their creativity. Customers will also have the option to purchase one of six select gift boxes for physical cards, in order to provide recipients the full unwrapping experience.
Tokenization, a recently added feature, will also enhance the user experience by providing the recipient with a few easy steps through which they can add any card to their mobile wallet, such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay. The availability of Vanilla Visa® Gift Cards on mobile wallets facilitates the gift recipient’s access to funds on the go and allows easy, touch-free shopping wherever mobile payments are accepted across the U.S.
“As much as we all wish the holidays were a bit more normal this year, our solution helps gift-givers express sentiment from wherever they are, and helps businesses show appreciation to their stakeholders,” said Adam Brault, Senior Vice President of Financial Services at InComm Payments. “We’re also excited about the integration with the mobile wallets, which makes the experience convenient and safer during the pandemic.”
The mobile wallet platforms use a token service in which each transaction is authorized with a one-time unique dynamic security code to ensure transaction security. Customers will have access to advanced wallet-based security and authentication systems to approve payments.
“Touch-free payment adoption rates were already increasing organically, but the pandemic accelerated the consumer demand for quicker, safer payments,” said Matt Sollie, SVP of Product Management, Financial Services at InComm Payments. “By adding the ability to add your Vanilla Visa® Gift Cards to a mobile wallet, we’re increasing recipients’ safety by facilitating touch-free redemptions and increasing their utility.”
Samsung Pay and the Samsung Pay Logo are a registered trademark of Samsung.
Apple Pay and the Apple Logo are trademarks of Apple Inc.
Vanilla Visa® Gift Cards sold on VanillaGift.com are issued by Sutton Bank, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. Cards may be used in the U.S. and District of Columbia everywhere Visa debit cards are accepted. No cash or ATM access. Terms and conditions apply – see Cardholder Agreement for details. Cards are distributed and serviced by InComm Financial Services, Inc., which is licensed as a Money Transmitter by the New York State Department of Financial Services. NMLS ID# 912772.
Gift Cards Continue Their Digital Transformation
When this announcement was made in 2020, contactless payments were rapidly accelerating due to changing consumer behaviors during the pandemic. Since then, digital gift cards have become a mainstream gifting option, supported by mobile wallets, instant delivery capabilities, and enhanced security features such as tokenization. Consumers increasingly expect gift cards to function seamlessly across physical stores, online merchants, and mobile payment platforms.
The introduction of mobile wallet functionality for Vanilla Visa Gift Cards represented an important step in the modernization of prepaid gift cards. As digital payments continue to reshape consumer expectations, gift card providers are increasingly focused on convenience, security, and personalization. The ongoing growth of digital gift cards and mobile wallet adoption suggests that gift-giving will continue to become more flexible, accessible, and integrated into the broader digital commerce ecosystem.
