The Problem With Gift Cards (And What We Do Instead)
Gift cards are the gifting world's admission of defeat. They say: "I wanted to give you something, but I couldn't figure out what — so here's permission to shop."
That's not a gift. That's homework.
What's Actually Wrong With Gift Cards
The problems with gift cards aren't hard to spot once you name them.
They expire. A significant percentage of gift card value is never redeemed — either because the card is forgotten, lost, or the recipient never gets around to using it. That's the sender's budget going to waste.
They restrict choice to one brand. A £50 Selfridges gift card is useful if your recipient shops at Selfridges. If they don't, it's a nudge to go somewhere they wouldn't otherwise visit and spend money on something they wouldn't otherwise buy.
They feel impersonal. This is the one recipients notice most. A gift card communicates that you thought about giving them something, but didn't think about what. The lack of curation is obvious.
They remove all occasion from the giving. There's no branded packaging, no curated collection, no experience. It's a monetary transfer with a logo on it.
What We Do Instead
SendAChoice is not a gift card. It's a curated gift collection — a selection of real products across real brands, grouped by theme, that the recipient browses and chooses from.
The difference in experience is immediate. When someone receives a SendAChoice gift, they don't open a card with a code. They receive a personalised digital gift reveal — with the sender's name, their message, and a beautiful collection of items curated for the occasion. Then they browse and choose.
That's a gift. The agency is still with the recipient. But the thought, curation, and occasion are all there from the sender.
Multi-Brand by Design
SendAChoice collections span multiple brands within a category. A luxury beauty collection doesn't restrict you to one retailer — it draws from a curated mix of premium brands, so the recipient can choose the product from the brand they prefer.
That's a fundamentally different experience from a single-brand gift card. The recipient isn't being funnelled into one shop. They're being given access to a well-chosen category, and making their own call within it.
No Expiry. No Restrictions. No Waste.
SendAChoice gifts don't expire in the traditional sense. The recipient redeems when they're ready, enters their own address, and receives their chosen item. Nothing is lost, forgotten, or left unused.
That's better for the sender, better for the recipient, and better for the relationship the gift was meant to serve.
See the difference yourself: try our live demo.