Virtual Incentives reported a 95% year-over-year rise in its virtual Visa issuance during 2021, compared with 65% growth in physical Visa gift cards. The company disclosed the figures in an April 21, 2022 article ahead of Earth Day, arguing that reward programs should consider digital alternatives to plastic cards.

The figures describe the supplier’s reported issuance, but their comparability remains unresolved. The April article links its virtual-card figure to a March update that instead reports aggregate Visa issuance growth of 45%, using the phrase last year compared to years prior. The posts do not define whether issuance means card count or value, or explain the different scopes and comparison periods. They therefore do not establish a verified virtual-versus-physical growth comparison or a measured environmental saving.

Virtual Incentives pointed to the PVC used in many physical payment and gift cards, saying these cards are generally not accepted through ordinary curbside or commercial recycling programs. Moving a reward to digital delivery avoids issuing that plastic card.

At the time, the company said its platform offered electronic gift cards from more than 1,050 brands across 51 countries and 43 currencies. It also highlighted immediate delivery and recipient choice as operational benefits of digital rewards.

The article cited Deloitte research on consumer expectations around single-use plastics and positioned digital delivery as one part of an environmental, social and governance program. It did not quantify the emissions saved by switching cards, and acknowledged that replacing physical rewards would address only part of a company’s environmental goals.