Amazon gift cards represented just under 21% of the value redeemed in Tremendous's European rewards data, compared with 52% for PayPal, according to an analysis published on September 22. The findings describe activity on one incentive platform, rather than the European gift-card market. [S01]

The company ranked the top 15 options in 35 European countries using anonymised records extracted in June 2026. It does not disclose the sample size or full observation period. Its catalogue lacked local Amazon options for Ireland and Turkey. [S01]

Different reward sizes, different choices

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Different reward sizes, different choices

Redemption type

Average European redemption

Amazon gift cards

About $24

Bank transfer

About $81

Source: Tremendous platform records extracted in June 2026. These are dollar-denominated averages, not typical rewards for every country. [S01]

The rounded figures imply a ratio of about 3.4 to one. They do not establish that larger rewards cause recipients to switch methods. [S01]

One retail brand, separate spending balances

Amazon operates the shops where its gift cards are spent; Tremendous distributes incentives that can include those cards. Their roles differ: the retailer offers spending access, while the distributor connects businesses to reward options.

Amazon's own UK terms demonstrate the geographic constraint behind the comparison. A UK gift card applies to eligible purchases on Amazon.co.uk and designated stores, with unused value retained in the UK account. The terms expressly restrict use on other country websites, including Germany, France and Italy. A familiar brand name therefore does not make the underlying balance interchangeable across borders. [S02]

For a cross-border reward programme, that distinction affects the promised benefit. Delivering a valid code and delivering useful spending power are separate outcomes. The operational issue is matching the instrument to the recipient's shopping access, not whether the retailer is internationally recognised.

The commercial interest behind the research

Tremendous is a business payouts platform serving researchers, marketers, HR teams and other organisations. Founded in 2010, it distributes money, prepaid cards and merchant gift cards internationally. It says it has been owned by its founders and employees since buying out its original investors in 2013. That makes this a supplier's examination of its own transaction records, not an independent consumer survey. [S03]

Its pricing page explains the revenue model: businesses can send gift cards and prepaid cards at face value without a platform subscription, while some monetary options carry fees. Tremendous also receives revenue through partnerships with certain reward brands, including Amazon and Visa. [S04]

Commercially, evidence of different redemption preferences supports the case for buying access to a range of instruments through a distributor. The provider can retain the client relationship whichever option a recipient selects. That is a plausible incentive behind promoting choice, not proof that a particular redemption delivers a higher margin.

The analysis demonstrates differences inside this platform; it cannot establish the European market’s size or employers’ return on their reward budgets.