Alternatives
Tango Card alternative — gift cards with a human touch
Tango Card (part of BHN, Blackhawk Network) is a US-centric rewards API used by large loyalty and research programmes. gift.cards is the alternative for European and multi-country programmes: one account manager per client, local brand depth per market, physical fulfilment and invoice billing in EUR or GBP.
Based on publicly available information from each provider's own website. We call out where they are strong. Last verified: November 2026. Source: https://www.tangocard.com.
What Tango Card does, and where they're strong
Tango Card is BHN's rewards-as-a-service arm. It exposes a Rewards API and hosted dashboards for sending digital gift cards, prepaid cards and donations, primarily to US recipients, funded up front by the sending organisation.
- Mature Rewards API with long documentation and enterprise reference customers
- Deep US catalogue backed by BHN's US retail relationships
- Suited to high-volume, always-on rewards programmes running from a proprietary app
- +Your programme is European or multi-country and you need local brand catalogues per recipient market
- +You want a single account manager configuring each campaign, not a self-serve rewards API
- +You want invoice billing after delivery rather than pre-funding a US-dollar balance
- +You want physical cards with branded packaging as a first-class delivery option
- +You want a team that has already delivered over 15M gift cards across 180+ countries
- →Your programme is US-centric with heavy PayPal / ACH / prepaid Visa usage
- →You need a fully self-serve, API-first workflow with no sales conversation
- →Your buying criteria are dominated by US-retail catalogue depth
For a side-by-side capability table, see our detailed Tango Card comparison.
Frequently asked questions
How does switching from Tango Card to gift.cards work?
Share your current programme with your account manager — volumes per country, delivery mix, cadence. They design an equivalent setup on gift.cards, share a quote and take over fulfilment on the agreed start date. Migration is arranged by a person, not a wizard.
Do you have an API like Tango Card's Rewards API?
Yes, as part of an enterprise programme — not self-serve. If your rewards workflow needs to run from your own app or HRIS, your account manager scopes the integration during the quote. For a fully self-serve public rewards API, Tango Card is likely the better fit.
Invoice billing versus pre-funding — how does that work?
Tango Card requires you to fund a balance before sending. With gift.cards you're invoiced after each campaign is delivered on standard payment terms, so no pre-funded rewards balance sits on your books.
Can you deliver physical cards across Europe?
Yes. Physical cards with branded packaging can be shipped to one central address or drop-shipped to individual recipients across 180+ countries. Local delivery specifics are agreed per campaign with your account manager.
Ready when you are
Send us your volume, countries and timing — your account manager replies within one working day.