Jan 2026 Gift Card Industry Update by Eric Thiegs

It's back to basics for this week's Coffee Chat. Today, we'll cover the five types of gift card and prepaid card incentives — the building blocks behind nearly every loyalty, award, market research, and rewards & recognition program

As we kick off a new year, I want to say thank you to everyone who helped make 2025 a meaningful year for the gift card and digital rewards industry. Gift cards, prepaid cards, and digital rewards continue to power loyalty, incentives, and recognition programs around the world. This Coffee Chat is a moment to appreciate the community, the collaboration, and the impact this industry delivers every day.

🎁 Gift Card 101: A Crash Course with Eric Thiegs. I was the featured presenter for the August IGCC Member Education Session -- a B2B Gift Card Industry Overview. If you’ve ever wondered how gift cards work—or you’re looking to sharpen your knowledge of the B2B side of the industry—this session is for you.

Incentive Gift Card Coalition (IGCC) elects Eric Thiegs to the Board of Directors for 2025 - 2026 term

I have the ultimate work-life balance quote for you: “Don’t get so busy making a living, that you forget to make a life.” — Dolly Parton 🎶 I’m taking Dolly’s words to heart today...

I am excited to speak on Monday, July 14, 2025, at the Incentive Marketing Association Summit in Austin, TX, as the guest speaker at the Incentive Gift Card Coalition session. 

This week’s Coffee Chat is a little “inside baseball” for those of us in the incentive industry. As co-chair of the Incentive Gift Card Coalition Communications Committee, I’ve been in Incentive Marketing Association mode with the IMA Summit happening in Austin July 14–16. I wanted to give a personal sneak peek at this special industry event.

Want to Change a Habit? Start Small and Reward Yourself. I'm live from the Mall of America / Minneapolis this week. We all have habits we’d love to break—or build. But change is hard… unless there’s perhaps a little incentive involved. This week, while I’m on the road as a speaker at the Gift Card Education Forum, I will share how I’m using a personal reward to kick a nagging habit—and you’re welcome to join me...

I'm excited to speak at the Gift Card Education Forum hosted by Best Buy and sponsored by IGCC and RGCA. I'll join Elizabeth Forsberg from Best Buy's Financial Services team to co-present "B2B Innovation Pitches: Understanding Risks and Benefits of New Programs and Use Cases."

IMA Global released their massive Incentive & Recognition Provider Research Report, based on input from 650 industry leaders. The report explores key trends and insights across five core incentive categories: 1. Gift Cards 2. Travel 3. Merchandise 4. Peer-to-Peer Rewards 5. Points-Based Programs

Eric celebrates 25+ years in the incentive, gift card, and payments partnership industry with the launch of his Coffee Chat video blog series