I am celebrating my 33rd anniversary in my longest-standing loyalty program (I signed up for it my freshman year of college) and reflecting on how gift cards and loyalty are a match as good as peanut butter and jelly.

I have a confession to share. I just got back from the beach, and I turned down an awesome incentive on my Spring Break trip. 😳 Now, you might be thinking, "Eric, you LIVE for incentives!" And you’re right—I do. I’m a 25+ year veteran of the loyalty/incentive space. Why did I walk away from this one? Answer: You’ll hear the story in my Coffee Chat video. But here’s what’s interesting: I’m not alone. Research from loyalty firms back up what I felt at that moment.