Virtual Incentives described prepaid gift cards as a way to shorten customer rebate delivery in guidance published on July 25, 2011. The company contrasted online reward fulfilment with traditional rebate processes that could take six to eight weeks.

Its proposed programs used products such as Virtual Visa alongside other branded or customized rewards. Businesses could define different qualification levels and corresponding reward values, then distribute the incentives over the internet after customers met the program requirements.

The company positioned this approach around the period immediately following a qualifying purchase. It argued that quicker delivery could strengthen the connection between a promotion and the reward a customer received, while reducing the paperwork involved in rebate administration.

Flexibility was another part of the offer: operators could choose the mix of reward products and adapt the program to their needs. Virtual Incentives promoted online spending options as a benefit for recipients. The article did not provide a named customer case or measured sales result for the approach.