Canonical URL: https://giftcard.news/rewards-loyalty/runa-highlights-limitations-of-gift-cards-in-loyalty-programs-09b61fcccdb1/ --- description: Runa argues that loyalty members benefit from both brand-specific gift cards and prepaid rewards that defer the choice of merchant. title: Runa: Prepaid Rewards Alongside Gift Cards in Loyalty Programs image: https://giftcard.news/images/social/v1/runa-prepaid-rewards-alongside-gift-cards-loyalty-programs-082058f2fcb17e858c678ff39ac45fef.jpg --- 1. [Home](https://giftcard.news/) 2. [Rewards & Loyalty](https://giftcard.news/rewards-loyalty/) 3. Runa: Prepaid Rewards Alongside Gift Cards in Loyalty Programs [Rewards & Loyalty](https://giftcard.news/rewards-loyalty/) News # Runa: Prepaid Rewards Alongside Gift Cards in Loyalty Programs Runa argues that loyalty members benefit from both brand-specific gift cards and prepaid rewards that defer the choice of merchant. By [Emma Carter](https://giftcard.news/author/emma-carter/) Published: May 19, 2026 at 07:51 PM 2 min read Share [ ](https://x.com/intent/post?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Frewards-loyalty%2Fruna-highlights-limitations-of-gift-cards-in-loyalty-programs-09b61fcccdb1%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dx%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&text=Runa%3A%20Prepaid%20Rewards%20Alongside%20Gift%20Cards%20in%20Loyalty%20Programs "X") [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Frewards-loyalty%2Fruna-highlights-limitations-of-gift-cards-in-loyalty-programs-09b61fcccdb1%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dlinkedin%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "LinkedIn") [ ](https://wa.me/?text=Runa%3A%20Prepaid%20Rewards%20Alongside%20Gift%20Cards%20in%20Loyalty%20Programs%20https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Frewards-loyalty%2Fruna-highlights-limitations-of-gift-cards-in-loyalty-programs-09b61fcccdb1%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dwhatsapp%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "WhatsApp") ![Source image for Runa Highlights Limitations of Gift Cards in Loyalty Programs](https://giftcard.news/images/variants/v1/runa-prepaid-rewards-alongside-gift-cards-loyalty-programs-source-image-highlights-limitations-w1280.webp) Photo: Source: runa.io [Runa](https://giftcard.news/company/runa/) is urging loyalty programs to offer prepaid rewards alongside gift cards for members who do not yet know where they want to spend. Its May 2026 article argues that adding more brands to a catalog does not address every reason earned value remains unused. The company cites [Skift](https://giftcard.news/company/skift/)’s April 2026 reporting on nearly $7 billion in unredeemed loyalty points held across [Marriott](https://giftcard.news/company/marriott/) and [Hilton](https://giftcard.news/company/hilton/). Runa uses that combined figure to frame its discussion of redemption, while the balance itself does not establish that gift card restrictions caused the outstanding points. Gift cards work well when a member already wants to shop with a particular brand, Runa says. Prepaid rewards serve a different preference: redeeming points without committing the resulting value to one retailer at that moment. The article illustrates the distinction with a $10 reward and everyday purchases such as coffee, subscriptions or travel incidentals. It also cites research by The Wise Marketer and Engage People in which 96% of respondents valued control over when and where to redeem points. Runa identifies tradeoffs for program operators, including the financial implications of higher redemption and the work needed to keep card artwork, claim pages and delivery messages consistent with the program’s branding. Before adding prepaid, the company recommends examining reporting, reconciliation, support and integration requirements. It says its own infrastructure supports gift cards and prepaid through the same API and ordering workflow, presenting the two formats as complementary choices. ## Sources and documents ExpandCollapse * [Loyalty’s $7 Billion IOU Problem](https://runa.io/blog/loyaltys-seven-billion-dollar-iou-problem?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — runa.io ## In this article ### Companies * [Hilton](https://giftcard.news/company/hilton/) * [Marriott](https://giftcard.news/company/marriott/) * [Runa](https://giftcard.news/company/runa/) * [Skift](https://giftcard.news/company/skift/) Share [ ](https://x.com/intent/post?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Frewards-loyalty%2Fruna-highlights-limitations-of-gift-cards-in-loyalty-programs-09b61fcccdb1%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dx%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&text=Runa%3A%20Prepaid%20Rewards%20Alongside%20Gift%20Cards%20in%20Loyalty%20Programs "X") [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Frewards-loyalty%2Fruna-highlights-limitations-of-gift-cards-in-loyalty-programs-09b61fcccdb1%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dlinkedin%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "LinkedIn") [ ](https://wa.me/?text=Runa%3A%20Prepaid%20Rewards%20Alongside%20Gift%20Cards%20in%20Loyalty%20Programs%20https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Frewards-loyalty%2Fruna-highlights-limitations-of-gift-cards-in-loyalty-programs-09b61fcccdb1%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dwhatsapp%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "WhatsApp") ![Portrait of Emma Carter](https://giftcard.news/images/variants/v1/emma-carter-editorial-portrait-w320.webp) About the author ## [Emma Carter](https://giftcard.news/author/emma-carter/) Journalist — Retail & E-commerce Emma Carter covers retail, e-commerce and the gift card shopping experience 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 [Rewards & Loyalty](https://giftcard.news/rewards-loyalty/) News ### [Prezzee sets out employee gift card options for work anniversaries](https://giftcard.news/rewards-loyalty/prezzee-employee-gift-card-options-work-anniversaries/) [Maya Bennett](https://giftcard.news/author/maya-bennett/) September 15, 2026 2 min [Rewards & Loyalty](https://giftcard.news/rewards-loyalty/) News ### [GBK awards gifting event includes dining vouchers and brand experiences](https://giftcard.news/rewards-loyalty/gbk-awards-gifting-event-includes-dining-vouchers-and-brand-experiences-a4963844fdf2/) [Suzie Elis](https://giftcard.news/author/suzie-elis/) September 14, 2026 2 min [Rewards & Loyalty](https://giftcard.news/rewards-loyalty/) News ### [Brightspot outlines VIP hospitality and gifting for channel rewards](https://giftcard.news/rewards-loyalty/brightspot-vip-hospitality-gifting-channel-rewards/) [Maya Bennett](https://giftcard.news/author/maya-bennett/) September 14, 2026 3 min ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://giftcard.news/#publisher","name":"Gift Card News","url":"https://giftcard.news/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://giftcard.news/brand/giftcard-news-logo.svg"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https://giftcard.news/author/emma-carter/#person","name":"Emma Carter","url":"https://giftcard.news/author/emma-carter/","description":"Emma Carter covers retail, e-commerce and the gift card shopping experience for Gift Card News.","jobTitle":"Journalist — Retail & E-commerce","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://giftcard.news/images/emma-carter-editorial-portrait.webp","contentUrl":"https://giftcard.news/images/emma-carter-editorial-portrait.webp","width":256,"height":256,"caption":"Illustrated portrait representing the Emma Carter editorial 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