Gas Gift Cards For Business: A Step-By-Step Plan For Incentive Programs

Incorporating gas gift cards into your rewards and incentive programs is a cost-effective way to meet the practical needs of your recipients, while also giving them a great experience. Their universal appeal and inherent value make them a standout choice for any reward strategy—assuming you use them properly.

In this article, we’ll explore why, and specifically how, to use gas gift cards for any business need, whether that’s employee retention, customer loyalty, or something else. We’ll also share details on how one last-mile delivery platform is using gas gift cards to fuel their international expansion (pun intended!).

Everyone knows the pain of filling up your tank and seeing that number grow and grow and grow.

Knowing that you have a gift card to help alleviate that is a great ‘feel good’ moment.

-Giftbit CCO Nat Salvione

Why gas gift cards make great rewards and incentives

When it comes to recognizing and rewarding employees, customers, research participants, or corporate partners, choosing the right incentive can make all the difference.

Offering practical rewards like gas gift cards shows that you understand and care about the everyday needs of your recipients.

We’ve all felt the pinch at the gas pump. And we can’t avoid it, since gas is a necessity for most people.

So an eGift card to popular gas stores is something your recipients will be sure to use regularly—creating positive associations with your brand each time they use it.

Plus, many gift cards can be used for more than just gas, making them especially useful and engaging for drivers. For example, Giftbit’s gas gift cards can be used to stock up on snacks and treats in-store for that road trip, plus at car washes where available.

For businesses, gas gift cards are an especially cost-effective way to reward large (and often global) teams. And since they can be purchased in different gift card denomination amounts, you can tailor rewards to fit different budgets and objectives.

Moreover, like all digital rewards, digital gas gift cards are easy to distribute, often dramatically reducing administrative burdens. We’ll explore exactly how to do that further below.

Gas cards vs. gas gift cards: how to choose the right option for your program

Though the terms are often used interchangeably, there is a difference between ‘gas cards’ and ‘gas gift cards.’

Gas cards are typically credit cards or loyalty cards issued by a specific gas station brand, like Shell or BP. They work more like a credit card with ongoing perks and obligations (e.g., payments, interest, sometimes expiration dates). They can include benefits like discounts on fuel, cashback, or points-to-rewards programs. In the case of credit-based gas cards, they also require a credit application.

Gas gift cards, on the other hand, are prepaid gift cards designed to be used at a specific gas station chain (so an Esso gift card works at Esso stations, Chevron and Texaco gift cards work for Chevron and Texaco, etc).

Gas gift cards are purchased for a fixed amount (like 50, for example), and don’t require a credit application or approval process to use. For these reasons, they’re a much easier and more flexible option to use for many business purposes.

Specifically, because gas gift cards are so simple to send and use, they’re incredibly popular for any business looking for a straightforward gift or incentive.

We’ll explore how to use gas gift cards to grow your business next.

How to buy and send prepaid gas gift cards to your employees and customers: 4 easy steps

Implementing gas gift cards into your rewards and incentive programs can and should be a seamless process, assuming you work with a transparent gift card distributor.

Following these four steps will ensure that your gift card will reach your employees and customers efficiently and effectively.

1. Choose the right gas gift card provider

Do any amount of Googling, and you’ll find lots of gift card providers angling for your business. So how to choose the right one?

First, it’s important to understand that many reward providers optimize against their clients’ success—meaning one of their goals is for your recipients not to claim their cards.

They do this because they want to keep that unclaimed value for themselves—even though this usually leads to an inferior experience for your recipients.

Not surprisingly, in order to do this they’ll often hide behind opaque pricing and provide limited program analytics, making it harder to see where your money is actually going. They may also build unnecessary friction into the redemption process, like requiring your recipients to download an extra app to access their rewards. 

So if you want to ensure your recipients have a great experience and actually use and enjoy their cards, look for a company that ties its success to your success, with transparent pricing and revenue sharing.

You’ll also want to find a partner that prioritizes the security of your transactions and the privacy of your recipients.

And you’ll want to find one with a straightforward user-experience, with lots of ways to integrate and automate gift card fulfillment into your existing workflows.

Once you’ve made your decision, create your gift card account and get ready to start sending.

2. Configure and customize your gift cards

Who will you be getting your gift cards? How much will they be for? What gas stations or other brands will you choose? Your gift card platform should make it easy to set up flexible rewarding options, no matter how you intend to set up your program.

Ideally, you’ll also be able to personalize and customize digital gift cards to align with your brand and messaging. Adding your company logo and a personalized note will make your rewards feel more special and thoughtful, enhancing your recipient’s experience and reinforcing your brand identity at the same time.

3. Automate your program

Of course, you don’t want to have to log in and buy gift cards each and every time an employee birthday comes up or you need to send a payout to a customer who’s left a referral. And you don’t have to!

Indeed, one of the main benefits of going with an online distributor instead of physically purchasing gas gift cards is the ability to automate and scale your program. If your platform allows for no-code reward fulfillment, you should be able to connect your sending program to apps and software your team is already using, like Slack and HubSpot.

Then just set some triggers, sit back, and let your platform do all the work for you.

4. Send and track your rewards

Choose the right way to deliver your cards to your recipients, whether that’s via email, SMS, or something else. Click ‘send,’ and your gas gift cards will be on their way.

Then, to make your program as successful as possible, monitor the distribution and redemption of your gas gift cards. Use real-time analytics to track usage, manage balances, and generate reports that provide insight into the overall effectiveness of your incentive programs.

Then use this insight to focus on what’s working best to optimize future rewards strategies.

Are there any fees associated with purchasing a gas gift card?

There should not be any additional fees to purchase gas gift cards for your business.

For example, Giftbit doesn’t charge clients for their accounts or require minimums, even for our gift card API. If you want to send a $100 gas gift card, you’ll simplt pay $100, and your recipient will get the full $100, too.

But this isn't always the case.

Many gift card companies do charge to purchase gift cards, and more still engage in the dated pricing strategies we explored earlier. So even if you’re not explicitly being charged, you’re still not getting the best deal.

Instead, look for providers that allow for gift card distribution without any hidden purchase or activation fees. You’ll be able to maximize the impact of your reward without breaking your budget.

Discounts on bulk orders and revenue sharing

Giftbit makes it very easy to send gas gift cards in bulk. Whether you need bulk employee gifts or something else, the platform and API provide instant and accurate bulk sending at scale.

If you’re planning on sending large volumes of gas gift cards, then you’ll likely also want volume discounts.

Bulk discounts and revenue sharing are also available with Giftbit. Chat with our Sales team to learn more.

How to avoid redemption issues

We always keep the end cardholder in mind when we wrangle all the details.

Their positive experience using the card reinforces the whole goal of the incentive program.

-Giftbit Head of Partnerships Lindsay Page

Ensuring an easy redemption experience for your gas gift cards is extremely important to your overall program success.

“Having a reward that works ensures the recipient is happy to receive it and actually able to use it,” says Giftbit CCO Nat Salvione. “It capstones your entire program.”

And no matter how straightforward you make the redemption process for your recipients, trust us: some questions are bound to occur. Where can I use my gift card? How do I activate my gas station gift card? Is my gift card reloadable? How do I check my gift card balance? These are just some of the FAQs to expect.

So here’s a hidden benefit of partnering with a gift card provider for this process: we handle recipient support. 

So all those questions? They’re not your problem!

But like you’ve probably guessed by now, you can expect varying levels of support, depending on your gift card provider. Some prioritize support for programs of all sizes, while some don’t.

Meanwhile, there’s a reason Giftbit Head of Customer Success Sofia Baltasar and her team regularly enjoy average satisfaction rates of 95% or (a lot) higher. They provide exceptional support, ensuring recipients can easily redeem their gift cards and quickly addressing any issues.

Plus, on your side, they help launch and optimize your program, offering troubleshooting and valuable suggestions to make it even better.

With their expertise, both you and your recipients have a smooth and effective experience.

Case study: one delivery platform’s success with gas gift cards

When used properly, gas gift cards can support a variety of growth strategies.

Take CMEOW, a rapidly growing delivery company, which used the Giftbit API to integrate gas gift cards into their driver incentive program. Today, they use these cards in their onboarding process, as rewards for top performers, and to incentivize specific behaviors on the road. 

“It’s an easy way for our managers to issue gift cards to our drivers,” says Ivy Chen, Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer. “We’ve been working with Giftbit for over two years now.”

Because they’re based in Canada, CMEOW has focused on Esso and Mobil gift cards for their drivers. As they expand into the United States, they’ll be using Chevron and Texaco gift cards as well.

They’re also considering adding gift cards to grocery stores and other essential retailers—something they’ll easily be able to do thanks to Giftbit’s extensive catalog features.

Which gas gift cards make the best rewards?

Maybe there’s no such thing as a free lunch or ‘The Perfect Gift.’ But flexible, digital gifts come pretty close, especially when they allow your recipients to choose what they really want.

That’s why the Giftbit platform doesn’t limit your options to just gas gift cards.

Like we've covered, you can certainly give your recipients a gift card to just one brand, such as Esso or Chevron and Texaco.

But if you’re looking at driver incentives, for example, you might consider adding other car-related options like gift cards to AutoZone and Jiffy Lube. It’s simple to create a curated list like this of exactly the right brands for your recipients.

Or, you might choose to give your recipients access to the full global rewards catalog, which includes hundreds of gift cards and prepaid cards to the most desirable brands in the world, along with charity options.

Offering this full choice can be a great way to ensure you’re always meeting the needs of all your recipients, anywhere in the world.

Our team is also always happy to figure out exactly what type of gift card will work best for your incentive programs.

Integrating gas gift cards into your incentive and payout programs will ensure you’re providing practical and highly appreciated rewards that resonate with your recipients’ everyday needs.

Book some pressure-free time with our team to ask any questions and learn about revenue sharing options.