Discover Treezor's payment solutions for gift cards

Regulations: The diversity of gift cards and their characteristics 

Since the entry into force of Regulation (EU) 2018/302 on December 3, 2018, unjustified geoblocking has been banned, allowing European residents to make purchases from e-commerce sites in other EU countries, although the use of gift cards often remains restricted to the country of issue. Despite this progress, each EU country has developed its own guidelines, so each country often retains its own particularities.

In France, gift cards may be subject to benefits-in-kind and tax legislation, depending on the company’s social and cultural policy and the strategies put in place by its CSE (Comité Social et Économique).

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 can be excluded from the social security contributions base.

Gift cards qualifying as “TSPD”

These “Titres Spéciaux de Paiement Dématérialisés”, i.e. special paperless payment orders under article L. 525-4-2 of the French Monetary and Financial Code are issued and distributed exclusively by authorized financial institutions, in strict compliance with current financial regulations.

They can be distributed to employees for events such as:

• birth of a child
• marriage
• retirement
• Christmas
• start of the school year

Please note: the beneficiary employee must be involved in the event.

Since January 1, 2024, URSSAF has raised the ceiling for TSPD gift cards to €193 per beneficiary per calendar year. TSPD gift cards enable their beneficiaries to make purchases within a specific category or from affiliated stores, often identified by an acceptance network.

There are also single-brand gift cards, which are not subject to TSPD regulations and require an exemption dossier to be filed with the regulator. Subject to compliance with the regulatory framework, there is a de facto exemption below a certain annual amount of activity. These prepaid single-brand cards are not reloadable, and can only be used in a very limited number of outlets.

Electronic money (e-money) gift cards

They can be distributed by companies or retailers in prepaid, physical and virtual formats, using a licensed e-money institution. ME gift cards can be distributed throughout the year, and require KYC on the cardholder beyond the thresholds set by e-money regulations. Not all EU countries have adopted the same thresholds, and some countries do not recognize anonymous e-money. There are two types of prepaid ME card:

• Non-reloadable prepaid cards remain valid until they are fully used up, with no possibility of reloading. They are particularly well-suited to one-off gifts and point-of-sale distribution, enabling recipients to take advantage of a specific purchase amount in a particular store or chain of stores.
• Reloadable gift cards offer the possibility of reloading funds once they have been used up. These cards are ideal for recurring payments, offering convenience to companies wishing to provide regular benefits to their employees while maintaining control over costs and limiting the production of plastic cards.

Whatever the format (reloadable or non-reloadable), ME gift cards require no specific category restrictions (unlike TSPD gift cards), offering greater flexibility to recipients.

Incentive cards

They are an effective tool for boosting sales and building loyalty among sales staff or affiliate partners.

They apply in the following situations:

• When it comes to motivating business partners and customers, rewards can benefit from tax advantages governed by URSSAF, with the possibility of exemption via the Contribution Forfaitaire Libératoire under certain conditions. Declaration and information obligations regarding these benefits are required.
• In the case of “internal incentives” designed to motivate employees, benefits paid in the form of gift cards are considered as additional remuneration, with social security treatment in accordance with common law. The company must pay social security contributions and show these benefits on the employee’s payslip, which in turn must be declared by the employee.

Why opt for a gift card?

There are many advantages to using a gift card.

• Budgetary flexibility: ability to customize the amount credited per card, per company or per employee
• Security: prepaid card with systematic authorization and strong authentication, ensuring precise control of spending
• Optimized acceptance network: whitelisting of all eligible stores in compliance with regulations
• Design: a customized card design that enhances your brand
• Data: real-time payment information for a better user experience and enhanced customer knowledge
• Simplified benefits management: dematerializing benefits simplifies their administrative and operational management, reducing the workload for teams.

Why choose Treezor to issue a white-label gift card?

Innovative technological solutions

Treezor offers innovative technological solutions to meet the diverse requirements of gift cards. With the ability to issue physical and/or virtual cards, with tokenization in a wallet, Treezor’s flexible approach adapts perfectly to business preferences and rules. Treezor’s card management system, called MDC (Multi-criteria Dynamic Card), is specially adapted for gift cards. It integrates advanced features such as amount settings, store whitelisting, and calendar and geographic card control. These parameters ensure rigorous control of card use, guaranteeing compliance with company policies and current regulations.

Advanced card personalization

In collaboration with our printing partners, world leaders in card manufacturing, Treezor offers innovative design and personalization possibilities to reinforce differentiation, thus promoting higher activation and loyalty rates.

Insert a partner’s logo, choose a visual on the fly, select different types of finish, have several packaging options (inserts, packaging…) and determine an optimal shipping method according to the commercial target.

See the most innovative features of our gift cards below: