Canonical URL: https://giftcard.news/gift-cards/virtual-incentives-introduces-global-egiftcards-with-advanced-personaliz-dd025642d159/ --- description: The January 2016 launch combined local brand choice, multiple currencies and digital delivery for international reward programmes. title: Virtual Incentives launches eGiftCard offering across more than 43 countries image: https://giftcard.news/images/social/v1/virtual-incentives-launches-egiftcard-offering-across-more-than-43-countries-3ddfa5851ec5b7cb9e5e90d242b151cb.jpg --- 1. [Home](https://giftcard.news/) 2. [Gift Cards](https://giftcard.news/gift-cards/) # Virtual Incentives launches eGiftCard offering across more than 43 countries The January 2016 launch combined local brand choice, multiple currencies and digital delivery for international reward programmes. By [Suzie Elis](https://giftcard.news/author/suzie-elis/) January 26, 2016 2 min read Share [ ](https://x.com/intent/post?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fgift-cards%2Fvirtual-incentives-introduces-global-egiftcards-with-advanced-personaliz-dd025642d159%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dx%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&text=Virtual%20Incentives%20launches%20eGiftCard%20offering%20across%20more%20than%2043%20countries "X") [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fgift-cards%2Fvirtual-incentives-introduces-global-egiftcards-with-advanced-personaliz-dd025642d159%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dlinkedin%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "LinkedIn") [ ](https://wa.me/?text=Virtual%20Incentives%20launches%20eGiftCard%20offering%20across%20more%20than%2043%20countries%20https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fgift-cards%2Fvirtual-incentives-introduces-global-egiftcards-with-advanced-personaliz-dd025642d159%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dwhatsapp%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "WhatsApp") ![A small transparent globe held in a person’s hand](https://giftcard.news/images/variants/v1/virtual-incentives-launches-egiftcard-offering-across-more-than-43-countries-small-transparent-w1280.webp) Illustrative globe photograph used on the original Virtual Incentives announcement. Photo: Fernando Cferdo / Unsplash, via Virtual Incentives [Virtual Incentives](https://giftcard.news/company/virtual-incentives/) introduced a Global eGiftCards offering on January 26, 2016, covering more than 600 brands, more than 43 countries and 16 currencies. The company described digital delivery for online or in-store redemption, depending on the selected brand. [\[S01\]](#article-source-1) ## Local choices inside a common ordering process The launch combined programme branding and personalisation with an online ordering platform and an API option. Email delivery supported desktop and mobile recipients. [James Gary](https://giftcard.news/person/james-gary/), identified as the company’s chief operating officer in the announcement, said the product was designed around differing market and currency needs. [\[S01\]](#article-source-1) Scroll left or right to see all columns __Local choices inside a common ordering process__ | Launch coverage | January 2016 announcement | | --------------- | ------------------------- | | Brands | More than 600 | | Countries | More than 43 | | Currencies | 16 | | Ordering | Online platform or API | These were catalog coverage figures at launch. The release did not say that every brand was available in every country, or that an individual card could be spent across the whole international network. [\[S01\]](#article-source-1) ## Distribution reach and spending rights are different That distinction is central to international reward procurement. A programme can reach recipients in many countries by offering different local products. It does not follow that each product has universal acceptance. Buyers still need to match the recipient’s market with the right denomination and redemption route. The announcement’s significance was the common ordering layer around those local options. Consolidating a purchasing process can reduce the number of separate supplier relationships an operator manages, while the recipient experience remains dependent on the specific card chosen. This is a historical account of the 2016 launch. The figures describe the offering announced then and should not be used as a statement of the company’s present-day catalog. ## Sources and documents ExpandCollapse * [\[S01\] Original source](https://www.virtualincentives.com/egiftcards-were-going-global/?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — www.virtualincentives.com ## In this article ### Companies * [Virtual Incentives](https://giftcard.news/company/virtual-incentives/) ### People * [James Gary](https://giftcard.news/person/james-gary/) Share [ ](https://x.com/intent/post?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fgift-cards%2Fvirtual-incentives-introduces-global-egiftcards-with-advanced-personaliz-dd025642d159%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dx%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&text=Virtual%20Incentives%20launches%20eGiftCard%20offering%20across%20more%20than%2043%20countries "X") [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fgift-cards%2Fvirtual-incentives-introduces-global-egiftcards-with-advanced-personaliz-dd025642d159%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dlinkedin%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "LinkedIn") [ ](https://wa.me/?text=Virtual%20Incentives%20launches%20eGiftCard%20offering%20across%20more%20than%2043%20countries%20https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fgift-cards%2Fvirtual-incentives-introduces-global-egiftcards-with-advanced-personaliz-dd025642d159%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dwhatsapp%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "WhatsApp") ![Portrait of Suzie Elis](https://giftcard.news/images/variants/v1/suzie-elis-editorial-portrait-w320.webp) About the author ## [Suzie Elis](https://giftcard.news/author/suzie-elis/) Journalist — Gift Cards & Digital Gifting Suzie Elis covers gift card products, digital gifting and distribution for Gift Card News. From reading to building ## Your next move in gift cards. Tell us what you’re building. We’ll help you explore suitable providers. [Find a provider ](https://giftcard.news/find-a-provider/) ## Related articles [Gift Cards](https://giftcard.news/gift-cards/) News ### [FareHarbor connects Factor4 gift cards to its online booking checkout](https://giftcard.news/gift-cards/fareharbor-factor4-gift-cards-online-booking-checkout/) [Suzie Elis](https://giftcard.news/author/suzie-elis/) September 17, 2026 2 min [Gift Cards](https://giftcard.news/gift-cards/) News ### [Tillo Powers Military Connect’s Discounted Digital Gift Card Programme](https://giftcard.news/gift-cards/tillo-military-connect-discounted-digital-gift-cards/) [Suzie Elis](https://giftcard.news/author/suzie-elis/) September 15, 2026 2 min [Gift Cards](https://giftcard.news/gift-cards/) News ### [Kohl’s expands Babies R Us shops and adds lower-priced baby gifts](https://giftcard.news/gift-cards/kohl-s-expands-babies-r-us-shops-and-adds-lower-priced-baby-gifts-8327d70bb56c/) [Emma Carter](https://giftcard.news/author/emma-carter/) September 14, 2026 2 min 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