Most adults in Tillo’s U.S. and UK research said they had bought a branded gift card for themselves, but the reasons extend beyond budgeting. In its new report, rewards and promotions appear more often than spending control among the disclosed reasons for self-purchase. [S1][S2]
Tillo released The Gift Card Opportunity on October 13. The Harris Poll conducted the underlying online surveys among 2,059 U.S. adults in June and 1,022 UK adults in May. The study examines consumers’ accounts of their behavior and their hypothetical choices, rather than tracking card transactions or measuring a retailer’s financial return. [S1][S2]
Self-purchase spans rewards, promotions and spending control
Selected reasons for buying a gift card for oneself
Three overlapping reasons disclosed in the original study.
% of all adults in each market
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Source
The Harris Poll online surveys for Tillo: U.S. adults aged 18+, June 2-4, 2026, n=2,059; UK adults aged 18+, May 11-14, 2026, n=1,022. Report describes weighting and nationally representative samples, without publishing full weights or recruitment details. Producer reports Bayesian 95% credible intervals of +/-2.7 points for the U.S. and +/-3.7 points for the UK, wider for subsets. Percentages describe respondents’ reports or choices, not transaction logs, causal effects or retailer returns. Multiple selections; page 2 defines these figures as percentages of all adults unless otherwise stated. They are not percentages only of self-purchasers and must not be added. Source: report page 4.
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| Category | United States | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| Reward or incentive | 42 % of all adults in each market | 42 % of all adults in each market |
| Promotion | 38 % of all adults in each market | 40 % of all adults in each market |
| Budget control | 18 % of all adults in each market | 18 % of all adults in each market |
The report puts past self-purchase at 79% in the U.S. and 74% in the UK. In both markets, 42% of adults selected redeeming a reward or incentive as a reason. Taking advantage of a promotion was selected by 38% in the U.S. and 40% in the UK, while 18% in each market selected managing or controlling spending. [S2]
These are overlapping reasons with different commercial implications. Reward distribution can bring a card to a consumer through an existing incentive program; a promotion can encourage the consumer to commit funds to a brand. Budget control is a further use case, but the figures do not show that it is the dominant reason for self-purchase or that buying a card reduces a household’s total spending.
Tillo supplies a network connecting gift-card brands with businesses buying rewards and incentives. It has a commercial interest in expanding those routes into everyday spending. The survey supplies evidence about reported uses for cards; the company’s claim that those uses create profitable acquisition is a business proposition that the survey itself does not establish. [S1][S2]
Reward offers come with different timing
Choice among three equal-value reward offers
Availability differed between the reward choices presented.
% of all adults in each market
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Source
The Harris Poll online surveys for Tillo: U.S. adults aged 18+, June 2-4, 2026, n=2,059; UK adults aged 18+, May 11-14, 2026, n=1,022. Report describes weighting and nationally representative samples, without publishing full weights or recruitment details. Producer reports Bayesian 95% credible intervals of +/-2.7 points for the U.S. and +/-3.7 points for the UK, wider for subsets. Percentages describe respondents’ reports or choices, not transaction logs, causal effects or retailer returns. Gift card is available for immediate use; cashback is paid later; coupon applies to the next purchase. These timing and redemption differences are part of the question. U.S. shares total 99% because of rounding. This is not an equal-timing comparison of stored value and unrestricted cash. Source: report page 7.
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| Category | United States | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| Gift card: immediate use | 53 % of all adults in each market | 58 % of all adults in each market |
| Cashback: paid later | 33 % of all adults in each market | 29 % of all adults in each market |
| Coupon: next purchase | 13 % of all adults in each market | 13 % of all adults in each market |
When offered those choices, 53% of U.S. adults and 58% of UK adults chose a gift card. Cashback drew 33% and 29% respectively; a coupon drew 13% in each market. The offers had equal stated value, but the gift card could be used immediately, cashback arrived later and the coupon applied to a future purchase. [S2]
That distinction matters when interpreting the result. It supports a preference for the gift-card offer as presented, including its timing. It does not isolate a preference for merchant-restricted money over cash under otherwise identical conditions. For reward providers, when value becomes usable is part of the proposition alongside its nominal amount.
Reported purchase changes leave incrementality unresolved
What adults reported doing with gift cards
Four overlapping accounts of past purchase behavior.
% of all adults in each market
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Source
The Harris Poll online surveys for Tillo: U.S. adults aged 18+, June 2-4, 2026, n=2,059; UK adults aged 18+, May 11-14, 2026, n=1,022. Report describes weighting and nationally representative samples, without publishing full weights or recruitment details. Producer reports Bayesian 95% credible intervals of +/-2.7 points for the U.S. and +/-3.7 points for the UK, wider for subsets. Percentages describe respondents’ reports or choices, not transaction logs, causal effects or retailer returns. Multiple selections, expressed as percentages of all adults. These are respondents’ accounts of their behavior, not an experiment or transaction-level measurement. Purchasing earlier, selecting a premium item and trying a brand can overlap. Do not add them or treat them as incremental revenue. Source: report page 8.
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| Category | United States | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase already planned | 44 % of all adults in each market | 43 % of all adults in each market |
| Purchase made sooner | 29 % of all adults in each market | 33 % of all adults in each market |
| Premium item selected | 23 % of all adults in each market | 26 % of all adults in each market |
| Brand tried for first time | 27 % of all adults in each market | 24 % of all adults in each market |
The most common of these disclosed responses was using a card for something already planned: 44% in the U.S. and 43% in the UK. Buying sooner than otherwise was reported by 29% and 33%, while trying a brand for the first time was reported by 27% and 24%. A premium item was selected by 23% and 26%. [S2]
For an issuer funding distribution or a promotion, the distinction is practical. Capturing a planned purchase can secure prepaid spending without creating an additional sale. A change in timing or brand choice may have value, but this survey does not show what would have happened without the card, the associated costs or the resulting profit.
The report describes weighted samples and provides market-level Bayesian credible intervals, with wider intervals for subsets. Detailed recruitment and weights are not published. The U.S. and UK fieldwork also took place in different months, so small gaps between the two markets should not be treated as established behavioral differences. [S1][S2]
In this article
Maya Bennett
Maya Bennett covers customer loyalty, employee rewards and incentive programmes for Gift Card News.