InComm Payments examined travel-related gift card buying ahead of the 2023 summer season, connecting the products with trip spending and budgeting. Its research covered both branded travel cards and open-loop cards used for purchases such as fuel and meals.

The company reported an average of 17.6 travel and leisure gift cards purchased per person over the nine-month period from July 2022 through March 2023 in the study discussed. Examples included airline, cruise and outdoor or sports-related cards. The period is nine months, rather than a quarterly average.

InComm also said money management was the second most common reason for buying gift cards for self-use. Its cited 2021–2022 research showed a 23.5% year-over-year increase in using closed-loop cards for that purpose.

The guide describes allocating a set amount to a retailer or spending category as one way a traveller might organise costs. The value available on the card defines the amount that can be spent from it, while the product determines the participating merchants.

As background, the article cited a second-quarter 2023 consumer report in which 53% of Americans planned travel in the following six months and 81% of the planned travel was leisure-related. About a quarter expected to raise leisure travel spending in the next three months, compared with 19% in the first quarter.

For retailers, InComm recommended planning the gift card display and stocking travel-relevant brands before the seasonal demand. The article combines consumer travel intentions with gift card purchasing data from explicitly different periods.