Gift cards are now firmly entrenched as the most popular type of holiday present as well as a go-to gift for most other special occasions. They are also shedding their reputation as an impersonal present, thanks to increased customization and the rise of social gifting. But increased sales and changing consumer perceptions are only the tip of the iceberg as far as the future of the gift card market is concerned.
You can use the information and statistics below to learn more about the current gift card market, as well as how the market evolved and where it's headed.
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Gift Card Sales Statistics
Gift sales are projected to reach $234 billion in 2025, representing a 9% growth, and are expected to further rise to $307 billion by 2029, with an average annual increase of 7.03%.
Gift Card Sales from 1999 to 2023 Historic and Projected Gift Card Sales Over Time
| Year | Dollar Amount (in Billions) | Year-Over-Year Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2029* | $307 | 43% |
| 2025* | $234 | 9% |
| 2024* | $214 | 7% |
| 2023 | $200 | 3% |
| 2022 | $195 | 13% |
| 2021 | $173 | 11.00% |
| 2020 | $156 | -4.56% |
| 2019 | $163 | 1.91% |
| 2018 | $160 | 7.38% |
| 2017 | $149 | 6.00% |
| 2016 | $140 | 7.00% |
| 2015 | $130 | -7.14% |
| 2014 | $124 | 5.00% |
| 2013 | $118 | 10.00% |
| 2012 | $107 | 8.00% |
| 2011 | $99 | 9.00% |
| 2010 | $91 | 5.00% |
| 2009 | $87 | -4.00% |
| 2008 | $91 | -6.00% |
| 2007 | $97 | 17.00% |
| 2006 | $83 | 51% |
| 2004 | $55 | 22.00% |
| 2003 | $45 | 18.00% |
| 2002 | $38 | 19.00% |
| 2001 | $32 | 68% |
| 1999 | $19 | N/A |
*Note: Figures for 2025 and beyond are projections of U.S. gift card sales (Source: Research & Markets, GlobeNewswire and PrNewswire)
Unused Gift Card Statistics
The CARD Act prohibits gift card funds from expiring for five years from the date of issuance. The chart above shows the value of unused gift cards that have expired (in billions).
(Source: CEB Tower Group)
Gift Cards Purchase Statistics Gift Card Sales by Merchant Type
Note: The sum of the % totals may be greater than 100% because the respondents were allowed to select more than one answer (Source: NRF, 2024 Consumer Holiday Survey) Likelihood of Consumers Purchasing a Gift Card Gift Card Sales by Occasion Note: The sum of the % totals may be greater than 100% because the respondents were allowed to select more than one answer (Source: Giftcards.com,2018) Number of Gift Cards Consumers Expect to Purchase
| Number of Gift Cards | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Gift Card | 16.9% | 14.6% | 13.0% | 13.8% | 13.7% | 14.8% | 14.2% | 13.5% | 12.3% | 13.0% |
| 2 Gift Cards | 28.6% | 26.7% | 27.2% | 28.7% | 27.8% | 27.8% | 28.6% | 27.3% | 27.4% | 26.2% |
| 3 Gift Cards | 19.0% | 19.6% | 20.2% | 18.6% | 18.9% | 20.1% | 18.8% | 20.1% | 19.4% | 19.8% |
| 4 Gift Cards | 13.4% | 14.0% | 13.8% | 14.1% | 14.6% | 14.0% | 14.8% | 13.7% | 13.8% | 13.7% |
| 5 Gift Cards | 6.7% | 7.7% | 9.2% | 7.6% | 8.2% | 7.2% | 8.1% | 7.7% | 8.1% | 8.4% |
| 6 or More Gift Cards | 15.4% | 17.5% | 16.5% | 17.1% | 16.7% | 16.0% | 15.5% | 17.7% | 18.9% | 19.0% |
| Total | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Average Number of Gift Cards | 3.4 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.7 |
Types of Gift Cards Consumers Expect to Purchase
| Gift Card (by Merchant Type)* | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catalog | N/A | 6% | N/A | 7% | 5% | 6% | 7% | N/A | 3% | 3.4% | 4.6% | 4.2% | 3.3% | 3.2% | 2.7% |
| Clothing/Accessories Store | 30% | 31% | N/A | 31% | 30% | 30% | 34% | 34% N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Craft Store | 15% | 16% | N/A | 17% | 16% | 16% | 17% | 17% | 4.2% | 4.3% | 4.9% | 4.8% | 3.7% | 3.8% | 2.7% |
| Department Store | 44% | 46% | N/A | 47% | 47% | 45% | 53% | 55% | 34.4% | 37.7% | 40.3% | 39.1% | 38.7% | 39.2% | 38.4% |
| Discount Store | 42% | 45% | N/A | 48% | 44% | 43% | 51% | 51% | 10.6% | 11.7% | 14.5% | 14.2% | 13% | 14.7% | 16.3% |
| Drug Store | N/A | 10% | N/A | 12% | 12% | 13% | 14% | 14% | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Electronics Store | 17% | 19% | 13% | 20% | 20% | 21% | 23% | 24% | 15.8% | 18.9% | 20.1% | 19.3% | 19.8% | 19% | 18.8% |
| Grocery Store/Gasoline | 46% | 46% | 15% | N/A | 43% | 42% | 44% | 44% | 11.4% | 12.2% | 13.8% | 12.6% | 11.9% | 10.8% | 10.6% |
| Online Merchant | 55% | 57% | 15% | 56% | 57% | 60% | 56% | 55% | 13.6% | 11.8% | 12.7% | 11.2% | 8.9% | 6.3% | 5.3% |
| Outlets | 11% | 12% | N/A | 11% | 10% | 8% | 9% | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Small Business | 21% | 23% | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Specialty Clothing Store | 11% | 12% | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 6.4% | 7.4% | 7.9% | 7.5% | 7.6% | 6.9% | 7.2% |
| Thrift Store<Thrift Store | 12% | 12% | N/A | 12% | 9% | 8% | 10% | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Note: The sum of the % totals may be greater than 100% because the respondents were allowed to select more than one answer (Source: National Retail Federation)
Holiday Gift Card Trends Amount of Money Consumers Expect to Spend on Gift Cards
| Year | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $20 or less | 4.8% | 5.3% | 6.0% | 6.5% | 5.7% | 6.7% | 6.8% | 6.8% | 5.7% | 7.5% |
| $21 to $50 | 21.4% | 17.3% | 18.1% | 18.2% | 18.9% | 19.8% | 20.9% | 18.8% | 18.5% | 19.4% |
| $51 to $75 | 10.9% | 9.7% | 10.1% | 10.2% | 11.1% | 11.1% | 11.9% | 11.2% | 11.2% | 11.4% |
| $76 to $100 | 17.2% | 17.3% | 17.6% | 18.2% | 18.3% | 18.5% | 17.8% | 19.1% | 17.8% | 17.5% |
| $101 to $150 | 13.4% | 13.4% | 13.2% | 13.2% | 13.0% | 13.8% | 13.3% | 13.5% | 13.6% | 13.4% |
| $151 to $200 | 11.2% | 11.5% | 11.5% | 11.9% | 11.4% | 10.8% | 11.0% | 10.7% | 12.0% | 11.0% |
| $201 to $300 | 9.1% | 10.0% | 10.1% | 8.8% | 9.4% | 8.3% | 8.5% | 8.9% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| $301 to $400 | 4.2% | 5.3% | 4.4% | 4.5% | 4.5% | 4.3% | 3.6% | 3.9% | 4.0% | 3.5% |
| $401 to $500 | 3.1% | 3.8% | 3.6% | 3.4% | 3.0% | 2.7% | 2.4% | 3.0% | 2.9% | 2.7% |
| $500 or more | 4.7% | 6.3% | 5.4% | 4.9% | 4.8% | 4.1% | 3.7% | 4.1% | 5.1% | 4.3% |
| TOTAL | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| AVERAGE | $153.08 | $172.74 | $163.16 | $156.86 | $155.43 | $145.61 | $139.91 | $147.33 | $156.24 | $146.20 |
| AVERAGE PER CARD | $44.83 | $47.87 | $45.16 | $43.75 | $43.23 | $41.48 | $39.80 | $40.54 | $41.95 | $39.16 |
| TOTAL SPENT (IN BILLIONS) | $25.97 | $31.74 | $29.80 | $28.79 | $27.80 | $24.78 | $23.63 | $24.92 | $26.25 | $24.81 |
Monthly Gift Card Search Volume by Major Retailer
| Retailer | Search Volume |
|---|---|
| Amazon gift card | 269,000 |
| Walmart gift card | 110,000 |
| Target gift card | 96,900 |
| iTunes gift card | 85,000 |
| Apple gift card | 79,400 |
| Home Depot gift card | 338,00 |
| Costco gift card | 30,400 |
| Best Buy gift card | 24,900 |
| Lowes gift card | 24,700 |
| Kroger gift card | 18,600 |
| Macys gift card | 17,700 |
| Nordstrom gift card | 17,400 |
| Giant eagle gift card | 13,700 |
| TJ Maxx gift card | 13,600 |
| Kohls gift card | 12,800 |
| Walgreens gift card | 12,500 |
| CVS gift card | 12,500 |
| Publix gift card | 10,700 |
| Aldi gift card | 7,600 |
| Wayfair gift card | 7,200 |
(Source: DealDrop, Gift Card Statistics 2021)
Factors Affecting Gift Card Purchases Factors Likely to Influence Consumers to Buy
| Influencing Factor | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gift cards are easier and faster to buy than traditional gifts | 24.7% | 25.6% | 22.6% | 21.1% | 19.4% | 19.4% |
| Gift cards allow the recipient to select their own gift | 50.4% | 51.8% | 43.1% | 44.7% | 46.4% | 46.4% |
| Giving gift cards helps me stick to my holiday budget | 5.2% | 3.8% | 5.7% | 4.7% | 4.8% | 4.8% |
| The gift recipient does not have to worry about returning merchandise | 5.6% | 5.0% | 6.0% | 6.6% | 6.0% | 6.0% |
| It is easier to mail/ship a gift than a traditional gift to out-of-town gift recipients | 5.6% | 6.0% | 6.3% | 5.8% | 6.2% | 6.2% |
| Incentives for buying gift cards (e.g. free additional gift card for myself, discounts on fuel, etc.) | 4.4% | 4.0% | 4.9% | 4.8% | 5.5% | 5.5% |
| None of the above | 4.1% | 3.8% | 11.3% | 12.3% | 11.7% | 11.7% |
| Total | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
Factors Likely to Influence Consumers NOT to Buy
| Influencing Factor | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gift cards seem impersonal | 25.3% | 24.1% | 26.1% | 24.1% |
| Concern that the card would expire or have added fees | 16.3% | 15.8% | 17.4% | 18.9% |
| Rather buy items on sale and give traditional gifts to stretch the dollar further | 9.7% | 8.9% | 9.1% | 8.9% |
| Worried the recipient will lose it or never spend it | 6.6% | 6.4% | 5.9% | 5.9% |
| Concerned that the retailer will go out of business | 2.1% | 2.2% | 2.9% | 3.2% |
| Not sure which company a person would want a card from | 9.4% | 9.3% | 9.7% | 9.5% |
| None of the above | 30.6% | 33.3% | 28.8% | 29.6% |
| Total | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
(Sources: Bain & Company, First Data, National Retail Federation, Tower Group, Venture Beat)
