Launch Your Gift Card Program with Treezor!

Regulation: The Diversity of Gift Cards and Their Features 

Since the entry into force of EU Regulation 2018/302 on December 3, 2018, unjustified geo-blocking has been banned. This allows European residents to make purchases on e-commerce sites in other EU countries, even though gift card usage often remains limited to the country of issuance. Despite this progress, each EU country has developed its own guidelines and often retains its own specific characteristics.

In France, gift cards may be subject to legislation governing benefits in kind and taxation, depending on the company’s social and cultural policy and the strategies implemented by its CSE (Comité Social et Économique / Social and Economic Committee). Beyond employee satisfaction—who appreciate their ease of use—companies can also benefit from social security contribution exemptions.

According to current tax regulations and ACOSS circular No. 2011-0000024, French companies, with or without a CSE, can offer gift benefits in the form of physical or virtual cards, the amounts of which may be excluded from the social security contribution base.

Gift cards are divided into several categories based on how they operate:

Dematerialized Special Payment Vouchers (TSPD) – Linked to URSSAF Events

Gift cards categorized as TSPD under Article L. 525-4-2 of the French Monetary and Financial Code are exclusively issued and distributed by authorized financial institutions in strict compliance with current financial regulations.

They meet the requirements of the Banque de France and URSSAF (the French public body responsible for collecting social contributions). They can be distributed to employees during qualifying events such as:

• Birth or adoption
• Marriage or civil partnership (PACS)
• Retirement
• Christmas (for employees and children)
• Back-to-school (for employees with dependent children)

Note: The recipient employee must be directly concerned by the event.

Since January 1, 2026, URSSAF has raised the TSPD gift card ceiling to €200 per beneficiary per event per calendar year. TSPD gift cards allow recipients to make purchases within a specific category or with affiliated merchants, often identified through an acceptance network.

Electronic Money (EM) Gift Cards – Valid All Year Round

Electronic Money (EM) gift cards can be distributed by companies or retailers in prepaid, physical, or virtual formats by leveraging a licensed Electronic Money Institution. EM gift cards can be distributed throughout the year and require KYC (identity verification) on the cardholder once regulatory thresholds for electronic money are exceeded. Regardless of the format, EM gift cards do not require specific category restrictions (unlike TSPD gift cards), offering greater flexibility to recipients.

Not all EU countries have adopted the same thresholds, and some do not recognize anonymous electronic money. There are two types of prepaid EM cards:

• Non-rechargeable prepaid cards: These remain usable until the balance is fully depleted, with no option to reload. They are particularly suitable for one-off gifts and point-of-sale distribution, enabling recipients to enjoy a specific purchase amount at a single brand or store network.
• Rechargeable gift cards: These allow funds to be reloaded once depleted. These cards are ideal for recurring payouts, offering convenience to companies that wish to provide regular benefits to their employees while maintaining cost control and limiting plastic card production.

Single-Store Gift Cards – Exempt Under Certain Conditions

There are also single-store gift cards that fall outside TSPD regulations and require filing an exemption request with the regulator. Subject to complying with the regulatory framework, a de facto exemption exists below a certain annual activity threshold (non-rechargeable gift card under €150). Unlike multi-store cards (where the recipient spends their balance across a diverse network of partner stores), these “single-store” prepaid cards are non-rechargeable and restricted to a very limited number of stores, being dedicated to a single brand or a closed network of brands.

The Specific Case of Incentive Programs

“Incentive” cards are an effective tool for boosting sales and building loyalty among sales representatives or affiliate partners. They apply to the following use cases:

• External Incentive (partners and clients): When motivating business partners and clients, rewards can benefit from tax advantages governed by URSSAF, with the possibility of exemption via the Dischargeable Lump-Sum Contribution (Contribution Forfaitaire Libératoire) under certain conditions. Reporting and disclosure obligations for these benefits are required.
• Internal Incentive (employees): Regarding “internal incentives” aimed at motivating a company’s own employees, benefits paid via gift cards are considered supplementary remuneration and receive standard social tax treatment. In this specific case outside regulated events, the company must pay standard social contributions and report these benefits on the employee’s pay slip, which the employee must also declare on their tax return.

Why Choose a Gift Card?

Using a gift card offers numerous advantages:

• Budget Flexibility: Ability to customize the amount loaded per card, per company, or per employee.
• Security: Prepaid card with systematic authorization and strong authentication, ensuring precise expense control.
• Optimized Acceptance Network: Whitelisting of all eligible merchants in compliance with regulations.
• Design: Custom card design that highlights your brand.
• Data: Real-time payment insights that enhance user experience and enrich customer intelligence.
• Simplified Benefits Management: Digitizing benefits simplifies administrative and operational management, reducing workload for teams.

Why Choose Treezor for White-Label Gift Card Issuance?

Cutting-Edge Technology and Issuance Solutions

Treezor offers comprehensive and innovative solutions for creating, issuing, and managing gift cards. Gift cards provided by Treezor offer a practical solution for companies seeking to reward employees or build customer loyalty.

We offer complete flexibility with the ability to issue physical and/or virtual cards, featuring mobile wallet integration (tokenization) with Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay. You can fully customize card design to align with your company’s visual identity.

Our core strength relies on our Core Banking platform and our tailored card management system, called MDC (Multi-criteria Dynamic Card). Specially designed for gift card use cases, it incorporates advanced features to ensure rigorous, automated control:

• Merchant List Management: Fine-tuned parameterization of Whitelisting (eligible merchants) and Blacklisting to guarantee compliance.
• Usage Restrictions: Calendar-based controls and geographical card limits.
• Flow Management: Real-time adjustment of customized spending amounts, limits, and caps.

Advanced Card Customization

In collaboration with our print partners—world leaders in card manufacturing—Treezor offers innovative design and customization options to enhance differentiation, driving higher activation and retention rates. You can insert a partner logo, choose custom graphics on the fly, select various finishing options, choose from multiple packaging formats (inserts, packaging, etc.), and determine the optimal shipping method based on your commercial target.

See the most innovative features of our gift cards below: