Bitcoin Gift Card 101
A merchant gift card and a Fold Bitcoin Gift Card sound like the same idea. They're not, and the difference matters more than it seems at first glance.
What a merchant gift card actually is
When you buy a merchant gift card through Fold, say for Barnes & Noble or GameStop, you're loading value onto that specific store's card. That card only works at that store. On top of it, you earn bitcoin back on the purchase, so the transaction does two things at once: it funds a gift for one specific place, and it earns a reward in bitcoin as a byproduct of the purchase.
What a Fold Bitcoin Gift Card actually is
A Fold Bitcoin Gift Card isn't attached to any store. It is not a reward layered on top of a purchase. It's real bitcoin, packaged as a gift.
- You choose the dollar amount
- You send it to the recipient
- The recipient receives bitcoin directly
- No wallet or exchange account is required on their end to receive it
There's no store to shop at, no gift card number to redeem, no balance that only works somewhere specific. The bitcoin is the entire gift.
Why the distinction matters
If you're buying a birthday gift and the person loves a particular store, a merchant gift card makes sense. They get a card for a place they already shop, and you happen to earn bitcoin back on the purchase.
If you want to give someone bitcoin itself, maybe as their first introduction to it, maybe as an amount they can hold, a merchant gift card doesn't do that. A Fold Bitcoin Gift Card does. It hands them bitcoin with nothing else attached, no store requirement, no restriction on how it's used.
A quick way to think about it
- Want to fund a specific shopping trip and earn bitcoin along the way? Merchant gift card.
- Want to give bitcoin itself as the gift? Fold Bitcoin Gift Card.
Common questions
Does the recipient need a Fold account to receive a Fold Bitcoin Gift Card?
No wallet or exchange account is required to receive it. Delivery is instant and digital.
Can I send a Fold Bitcoin Gift Card the same day as an event?
Yes. Because delivery is instant, there's nothing to set up in advance on either end.
Is a merchant gift card's bitcoin reward the same rate as a Fold Bitcoin Gift Card?
They're different products serving different purposes. A merchant gift card earns bitcoin back as a reward. A Fold Bitcoin Gift Card is bitcoin, sent directly, not a reward on a purchase.
Can I send a Fold Bitcoin Gift Card to someone who's never owned bitcoin before?
Yes. There's nothing for them to set up first to receive it, which makes it a low-friction way to introduce someone to bitcoin.
Both products bring bitcoin into the picture, just from different directions. One rewards spending at a specific store. The other delivers bitcoin directly, no shopping required at all.
