Canonical URL: https://giftcard.news/research-trends/bhn-gift-card-self-use-budgeting-survey-2026/ --- description: BHN’s US self-use gift-card survey: purchasing intentions, the distributor’s business interest and what the figures do not measure. title: BHN survey finds more U.S. shoppers planning to buy gift cards for themselves image: https://giftcard.news/images/social/v1/bhn-survey-finds-more-u-s-shoppers-planning-buy-gift-cards-themselves-7d928b61f35089d5ba7fae985c9a7862.jpg --- 1. [Home](https://giftcard.news/) 2. [Research & Trends](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/) # BHN survey finds more U.S. shoppers planning to buy gift cards for themselves BHN’s self-use findings suggest a broader audience for retailer value, but reported purchase plans do not establish sales growth or household savings. By [Oliver Reed](https://giftcard.news/author/oliver-reed/) June 8, 2026 4 min read [ Google News ](https://google.com/preferences/source?q=giftcard.news&utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news) Share [ ](https://x.com/intent/post?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Fbhn-gift-card-self-use-budgeting-survey-2026%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dx%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&text=BHN+survey+finds+more+U.S.+shoppers+planning+to+buy+gift+cards+for+themselves&utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news "X") [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Fbhn-gift-card-self-use-budgeting-survey-2026%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dlinkedin%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news "LinkedIn") [ ](https://wa.me/?text=BHN+survey+finds+more+U.S.+shoppers+planning+to+buy+gift+cards+for+themselves+https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Fbhn-gift-card-self-use-budgeting-survey-2026%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dwhatsapp%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news "WhatsApp") ![BHN Stretched thin research cover with a woman reviewing paperwork while holding a smartphone.](https://giftcard.news/images/variants/v1/bhn-survey-finds-more-u-s-shoppers-planning-buy-gift-cards-themselves-w1200.webp) Official artwork accompanying BHN's 2026 U.S. consumer spending research. Photo: Blackhawk Network More US shoppers planned to buy gift cards for their own use in 2026, according to research publicised by [Blackhawk Network](https://giftcard.news/company/blackhawk-network/) on June 8\. The finding points to a customer journey different from choosing a present: buying branded value to fund an intended purchase. [\[S01\]](#article-source-1) ## The shift in stated intentions The data behind the story ### Planning to buy gift cards for self-use Percentages reported by Blackhawk Network. Hover over bars for values or use the data table and CSV download. Share reported by BHN % Tap or hover for details. All values are also available in the data table. Source Blackhawk Network original research release BHN year-over-year comparison of reported self-use purchasing plans. The 2026 U.S. survey covered 2,138 adults aged 18+ in January. The release does not provide the 2025 sample design. These are intentions, not transaction data. Show data tableHide data table Scroll left or right to see all columns __Planning to buy gift cards for self-use (%)__ | Category | Share reported by BHN | | -------- | --------------------- | | 2025 | 31% | | 2026 | 56% | The difference is 25 percentage points, calculated from BHN’s reported figures. It is a change in intentions, not a measured increase in transaction volume. The comparison does not establish how many respondents subsequently bought a card. BHN’s accompanying research overview covers affordability, digital delivery, loyalty funding and shopping technology. The report was listed on May 28, ahead of the June publicity. Its focus is how people expect to shop, rather than a ledger of completed purchases. [\[S02\]](#article-source-2) ## Why a distributor cares about self-use BHN supplies branded-payment infrastructure connecting retailers, reward programmes and consumers. Its customer-loyalty services include gift-card rewards and delivery options intended to support repeat engagement. A shift toward personal-use purchases is commercially relevant because it can give those products a role outside traditional gift occasions. [\[S03\]](#article-source-3) For a retailer, the gift buyer and self-use buyer may want different things from an identical balance. The former may value presentation and recipient choice. The latter may focus on a particular offer, the amount available to spend and the ease of using it at checkout. That difference changes the business case for distribution. A loyalty catalogue can reach somebody redeeming accumulated rewards, while a gift display reaches somebody shopping for another person. More channels create opportunities, but the retailer still needs to know whether the purchase adds demand or replaces an existing payment method. The same question applies to BHN. Its research informs a market in which it sells services. The findings can identify a prospective source of programme activity, but they should not be treated as independent proof that buying those services will generate incremental profit. The same release reports that 18% bought gift cards using loyalty points, up four percentage points since 2024\. That implies a 2024 comparison of 14%, calculated as 18 minus four. BHN says these cards served both gifting and budgeting, so the Your free reader account ## Continue reading for free. Create your account or sign in to get unlimited access. Continue with LinkedIn Continue with Google Continue with Facebook No payment required. Newsletter signup is optional. [Already registered? Sign in](https://giftcard.news/login/?returnTo=%2Fresearch-trends%2Fbhn-gift-card-self-use-budgeting-survey-2026%2F) ## In this article ### Companies * [Blackhawk Network](https://giftcard.news/company/blackhawk-network/) ### Sources and documents * [\[S01\] BHN defensive-spending gift card research](https://blackhawknetwork.com/company/news-press/bhn-research-finds-gift-card-momentum-building-consumers-adopt-defensive-spending?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news) — Blackhawk Network * [\[S02\] U.S. consumer spending and gifting research overview](https://blackhawknetwork.com/resources/ebook/gc-egc-gated/all/may2025/how-affordability-pressures-are-reshaping-consumer-spending-and-gift-card-preferences?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news) — Blackhawk Network * [\[S03\] BHN customer-loyalty reward services](https://blackhawknetwork.com/solutions/rewards-incentives/customer-loyalty?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news) — Blackhawk Network Share [ ](https://x.com/intent/post?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Fbhn-gift-card-self-use-budgeting-survey-2026%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dx%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&text=BHN+survey+finds+more+U.S.+shoppers+planning+to+buy+gift+cards+for+themselves&utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news "X") [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Fbhn-gift-card-self-use-budgeting-survey-2026%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dlinkedin%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news "LinkedIn") [ ](https://wa.me/?text=BHN+survey+finds+more+U.S.+shoppers+planning+to+buy+gift+cards+for+themselves+https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Fbhn-gift-card-self-use-budgeting-survey-2026%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dwhatsapp%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news "WhatsApp") ![Portrait of Oliver Reed](https://giftcard.news/images/variants/v1/oliver-reed-editorial-portrait-w320.webp) About the author ## [Oliver Reed](https://giftcard.news/author/oliver-reed/) Journalist — Industry Deals & Research Oliver Reed covers industry acquisitions, investment and market research 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 [Research & Trends](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/) News ### [InComm’s holiday survey puts gift cards first in U.S. purchase plans](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/incomm-2026-holiday-gift-card-purchase-plans/) [Emma Carter](https://giftcard.news/author/emma-carter/) October 21, 2026 5 min [Research & Trends](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/) News ### [Gift cards lead NRF’s 2026 holiday wish list at 47%](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/nrf-2026-holiday-gift-card-wish-list/) [Emma Carter](https://giftcard.news/author/emma-carter/) October 20, 2026 3 min [Research & Trends](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/) News ### [iGift’s three-brand index records a lower Roblox discount in week 42](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/igift-week42-2026-gift-card-discount-index/) [Oliver Reed](https://giftcard.news/author/oliver-reed/) October 19, 2026 4 min ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsMediaOrganization","@id":"https://giftcard.news/#publisher","name":"Gift Card News","url":"https://giftcard.news/","description":"News and analysis covering gift cards, retail, loyalty, rewards and payments worldwide.","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://giftcard.news/icon-512.png","contentUrl":"https://giftcard.news/icon-512.png","width":512,"height":512,"@id":"https://giftcard.news/#logo"},"publishingPrinciples":"https://giftcard.news/editorial-policy/","correctionsPolicy":"https://giftcard.news/editorial-policy/"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://giftcard.news/#website","url":"https://giftcard.news/","name":"Gift Card News","description":"News and analysis covering gift cards, retail, loyalty, rewards and payments worldwide.","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@id":"https://giftcard.news/#publisher"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":"https://giftcard.news/search/?q={search_term_string}","query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https://giftcard.news/author/oliver-reed/#person","name":"Oliver Reed","url":"https://giftcard.news/author/oliver-reed/","description":"Oliver Reed covers industry acquisitions, investment and market research for Gift Card News.","jobTitle":"Journalist — Industry Deals & Research","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://giftcard.news/images/oliver-reed-editorial-portrait.webp","contentUrl":"https://giftcard.news/images/oliver-reed-editorial-portrait.webp","width":1254,"height":1254,"caption":"Illustrated portrait representing the Oliver Reed editorial profile.","@id":"https://giftcard.news/images/oliver-reed-editorial-portrait.webp#image","encodingFormat":"image/webp","description":"Illustrated portrait for Oliver Reed, Gift Card News","creditText":"Gift Card News / AI-generated illustration"}},{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://giftcard.news/images/bhn-survey-finds-more-u-s-shoppers-planning-buy-gift-cards-themselves.webp","contentUrl":"https://giftcard.news/images/bhn-survey-finds-more-u-s-shoppers-planning-buy-gift-cards-themselves.webp","width":1200,"height":560,"caption":"Official artwork accompanying BHN's 2026 U.S. consumer spending research.","@id":"https://giftcard.news/images/bhn-survey-finds-more-u-s-shoppers-planning-buy-gift-cards-themselves.webp#image","encodingFormat":"image/webp","description":"BHN Stretched thin research cover with a woman reviewing paperwork while holding a smartphone.","creditText":"Blackhawk Network","isBasedOn":"https://blackhawknetwork.com/resources/ebook/gc-egc-gated/all/may2025/how-affordability-pressures-are-reshaping-consumer-spending-and-gift-card-preferences"},{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://giftcard.news/images/bhn-survey-finds-more-u-s-shoppers-planning-buy-gift-cards-themselves-2.webp","contentUrl":"https://giftcard.news/images/bhn-survey-finds-more-u-s-shoppers-planning-buy-gift-cards-themselves-2.webp","width":1768,"height":1368,"caption":"Official artwork accompanying BHN's 2026 U.S. consumer spending research.","@id":"https://giftcard.news/images/bhn-survey-finds-more-u-s-shoppers-planning-buy-gift-cards-themselves-2.webp#image","encodingFormat":"image/webp","description":"Complete bHN Stretched thin research cover with a woman reviewing paperwork while holding a smartphone.","creditText":"Blackhawk Network","isBasedOn":"https://blackhawknetwork.com/resources/ebook/gc-egc-gated/all/may2025/how-affordability-pressures-are-reshaping-consumer-spending-and-gift-card-preferences"},{"@type":"Dataset","@id":"https://giftcard.news/research-trends/bhn-gift-card-self-use-budgeting-survey-2026/#dataset","url":"https://giftcard.news/research-trends/bhn-gift-card-self-use-budgeting-survey-2026/","name":"BHN survey finds more U.S. shoppers planning to buy gift cards for themselves: figure data","description":"Tabular data for the figures accompanying \"BHN survey finds more U.S. shoppers planning to buy gift cards for themselves\". 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