Canonical URL: https://giftcard.news/research-trends/tremendous-referral-rewards-choice-survey-august-2026/ --- description: Tremendous referral research puts gift card choice beside cash. We examine its revenue model, customer acquisition economics and the limits of the survey. title: Tremendous survey compares referral gift cards and cash image: https://giftcard.news/images/social/v1/tremendous-referral-survey-puts-gift-card-choice-alongside-cash-01814e1d6c70baea33772ecfc5de6b3e.jpg --- 1. [Home](https://giftcard.news/) 2. [Research & Trends](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/) # Tremendous referral survey puts gift card choice alongside cash Tremendous’s referral survey highlights recipient choice. Its reward-brand revenue model explains why that finding matters to the company and its customers. By [Oliver Reed](https://giftcard.news/author/oliver-reed/) August 28, 2026 5 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%2Ftremendous-referral-rewards-choice-survey-august-2026%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dx%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&text=Tremendous+referral+survey+puts+gift+card+choice+alongside+cash&utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news "X") [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Ftremendous-referral-rewards-choice-survey-august-2026%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dlinkedin%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news "LinkedIn") [ ](https://wa.me/?text=Tremendous+referral+survey+puts+gift+card+choice+alongside+cash+https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Ftremendous-referral-rewards-choice-survey-august-2026%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dwhatsapp%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news "WhatsApp") ![Tremendous illustration of fishing rods carrying a money bag, payment card and gift box](https://giftcard.news/images/variants/v1/tremendous-referral-survey-puts-gift-card-choice-alongside-cash-illustration-fishing-rods-w944.webp) Tremendous illustration accompanying its August 2026 referral-reward survey. Photo: Tremendous [Tremendous](https://giftcard.news/company/tremendous/) published referral-reward research on August 28, 2026, giving marketers a reason to reconsider who chooses the gift card. In its survey, recipient-selected brands scored alongside cash, while a card chosen in advance attracted fewer selections. The findings also support the proposition of the company selling the payout service. [\[S01\]](#article-source-1) ## What the survey found The data behind the story ### Reward formats selected among respondents’ top three August 2026; 101 U.S. consumers; up to three selections. Survey respondents % Tap or hover for details. All values are also available in the data table. Source Tremendous original survey Small company survey; not a national estimate. Multiple selections mean totals exceed 100%. The two-point gap does not establish a statistically significant lead. Show data tableHide data table Scroll left or right to see all columns __Reward formats selected among respondents’ top three (%)__ | Category | Survey respondents | | ---------------------------------- | ------------------ | | Gift card: recipient chooses brand | 74% | | Cash | 72% | | Pre-selected gift card | 47% | | Product discount or credit | 46% | | Prepaid card | 40% | | Paper cheque | 8% | These answers describe preferred formats, not sales generated by a referral campaign. Tremendous surveyed 101 U.S. consumers in August and disclosed rounding and multiple-selection questions, but not recruitment, weighting or confidence intervals. [\[S01\]](#article-source-1) ## The company behind the research Tremendous supplies a business payouts platform for marketers, researchers, employers and other organisations. It says founders and employees have owned the company since it bought out its original investors in 2013\. The platform delivers money, prepaid cards and gift cards rather than operating a single merchant’s reward scheme. [\[S02\]](#article-source-2) Its pricing explains the commercial interest in recipient choice. Tremendous says it earns money from partnerships with some reward brands. Platform access has no subscription charge, and gift cards can be sent at face value; some monetary payout routes carry fees. The published model therefore gives the company a business beyond charging a monthly software licence. [\[S03\]](#article-source-3) The data behind the story ### Tremendous published sending-fee range by route Current October 18 pricing; displayed range endpoints, not customer averages. Published lower endpointPublished upper endpoint percent sending fee Tap or hover for details. Select a series above to show or hide it. Source Tremendous pricing, October 18 Cards are sent at face value; listed monetary routes may incur 4-6%. Route availability and customer terms vary. Separate funding fees, recipient terms and volume discounts are not included. Current pricing is not evidence of the earlier survey-date price or method-level margins. Show data tableHide data table Scroll left or right to see all columns __Tremendous published sending-fee range by route (percent sending fee)__ | Category | Published lower endpoint | Published upper endpoint | | ----------------------------- | ------------------------ | ------------------------ | | Gift cards and prepaid cards | 0 percent sending fee | 0 percent sending fee | | Listed monetary reward routes | 4 percent sending fee | 6 percent sending fee | ## Why the choice of reward matters commercially Our reading is that the research makes an argument for moving referral fulfilment onto a multi-brand platform. A business that buys one retailer’s cards in advance has already made the brand decision. Letting recipients decide moves that decision into the payout interface, where Tremendous supplies the catalogue and delivery process. For the sender, the possible gain is better use of its acquisition budget. A reward that a customer actually wants may be more persuasive, but a format preference cannot establish a lower acquisition cost. The commercial result 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%2Ftremendous-referral-rewards-choice-survey-august-2026%2F) ## In this article ### Companies * [Tremendous](https://giftcard.news/company/tremendous/) ### Sources and documents * [\[S01\] Referral survey and methodology, August 28, 2026](https://www.tremendous.com/blog/referral-rewards-that-work-data/?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news) — Tremendous * [\[S02\] Company background and ownership](https://www.tremendous.com/about/?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news) — Tremendous * [\[S03\] Pricing and reward-brand revenue model](https://www.tremendous.com/pricing/?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news) — Tremendous Share [ ](https://x.com/intent/post?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Ftremendous-referral-rewards-choice-survey-august-2026%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dx%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&text=Tremendous+referral+survey+puts+gift+card+choice+alongside+cash&utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news "X") [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Ftremendous-referral-rewards-choice-survey-august-2026%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dlinkedin%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news "LinkedIn") [ ](https://wa.me/?text=Tremendous+referral+survey+puts+gift+card+choice+alongside+cash+https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Ftremendous-referral-rewards-choice-survey-august-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 ### [Tremendous survey finds convenience matters in gift card choice](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/tremendous-gift-card-cash-reward-preferences-survey-may-2026/) [Oliver Reed](https://giftcard.news/author/oliver-reed/) May 26, 2026 4 min [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 ```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/tremendous-referral-survey-puts-gift-card-choice-alongside-cash-illustration-fishing-rods.webp","contentUrl":"https://giftcard.news/images/tremendous-referral-survey-puts-gift-card-choice-alongside-cash-illustration-fishing-rods.webp","width":944,"height":730,"caption":"Tremendous illustration accompanying its August 2026 referral-reward survey.","@id":"https://giftcard.news/images/tremendous-referral-survey-puts-gift-card-choice-alongside-cash-illustration-fishing-rods.webp#image","encodingFormat":"image/webp","description":"Tremendous illustration of fishing rods carrying a money bag, payment card and gift box","creditText":"Tremendous","isBasedOn":"https://www.tremendous.com/blog/referral-rewards-that-work-data/"},{"@type":"Dataset","@id":"https://giftcard.news/research-trends/tremendous-referral-rewards-choice-survey-august-2026/#dataset","url":"https://giftcard.news/research-trends/tremendous-referral-rewards-choice-survey-august-2026/","name":"Tremendous referral survey puts gift card choice alongside cash: figure data","description":"Tabular data for the figures accompanying \"Tremendous referral survey puts gift card choice alongside cash\". 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