How to Present a Gift Card So It Doesn't Look Lazy

We make cards, pin badges and prints in the UK. We don't sell gift cards or vouchers, so the guide below is a straight guide - the card at the end is the only thing we're selling.

The gift card isn't the problem. Handing over a plastic rectangle in a bare envelope is the problem, and it takes about five minutes to fix.

Ideas below, from the plain and reliable to the ones worth the effort for a milestone.

The reliable version

• A proper card, with the voucher tucked inside and two written lines saying what it's for.
• Tape the card to the inside so it doesn't fall out on the doormat.
• Add the expiry date and how to check the balance, in your handwriting, so it isn't lost with the packaging.
• Wrap the card and envelope together in tissue. Costs pennies, changes how it feels to open.

Pairings that make it a real present

• Coffee shop card with a decent reusable cup.
• Bookshop card with your own favourite paperback, secondhand and annotated.
• Cinema voucher with the snacks, which are usually the expensive bit anyway.
• Garden centre card with a packet of seeds for their birth flower.
• Clothing card with one small accessory you're confident about, so they're not choosing everything alone.

For a milestone

• Split the amount into several smaller vouchers, one per decade or per year, each in its own envelope.
• Number the envelopes and make them open one a month.
• Put the voucher inside something bulky to wrap, so the size gives nothing away.
• Write the reason on a separate card that they keep after the credit's gone.

E-vouchers and digital codes

• Print it. A code in an inbox is not a gift, and half of them get buried under receipts.
• Write the code inside a card by hand, and email it as well so they don't have to type it from your handwriting.
• Time the email for the morning of the day, not three days early.
• Send it to a personal address, never a work one.

Timing

• Give clothes and homeware vouchers before a sale period, not after.
• Give experience vouchers with enough runway to book - the good slots go months out.
• Don't post a physical gift card second class close to the day. It's cash in an envelope in the sorting system.

Shop cards

How to write it so it lands

• Tape it in so it can't fall out.
• Print digital codes - don't just forward them.
• Pair it with one small physical thing.

Where to shop next

• UK gift card buying guide
• What to write in a gift card
• Gift card rules in the UK
• Gift card or cash?
• Birthday card messages
• Buy a birthday card online
• Gift planner
• All guides
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Pin badges

Frequently asked questions

How do you make a gift card feel more personal?

Put it in a card, write why you chose that shop, and pair it with one small physical thing - a mug with a coffee card, seeds with a garden centre voucher.

How do you give an e-voucher as a present?

Print it or write the code inside a card by hand, email the code as well so it's easy to use, and send it on the morning of the day rather than early.

How do you wrap a gift card?

Tape it inside a card and wrap the whole envelope in tissue, or hide it in a larger box so the shape gives nothing away. For a milestone, split it into several smaller envelopes.