All Digital Rewards made a case for prepaid cards and retailer gift cards over cash in a September 2015 commentary on customer incentives. Its main argument was that a reward could carry a more recognizable connection to the business providing it.

The company used a retailer gift card and a Visa prepaid product carrying a business logo as examples. A cash payment might be useful to the customer, it argued, but offered less opportunity to display the sponsoring brand.

The article also discussed funded balances and reloadable products as possible tools for managing spending. Those were product features to consider when choosing a program, rather than characteristics shared by every reward card.

ADR presented both merchant-specific and open-loop options for customer relationship programs. The choice determined whether the incentive directed spending to a particular brand or offered broader payment-network acceptance.

The provider’s comparison centred on branding and reward presentation. For companies planning customer incentives, it highlighted the choice between a merchant-linked reward and a branded payment product that could be used more widely.