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How to set the pricing for gift cards
Gift cards bring in more sales, new customers, and help smooth out seasonal fluctuations. Even so, pricing often comes down to gut feeling, without much thought given to how gift card prices actually support the business. Yet gift card pricing is one of the most important decisions if you want gift cards to genuinely grow revenue rather than simply replace normal sales.
Below are some tips on how to price gift cards from the perspective of beauty services, cafés, and hobby and activity businesses.
Where to start with pricing?
Before deciding whether a gift card should be €30, €50, or €100, it’s worth answering a few basic questions:
- What is the typical price for a sale (average sale)?
- Do you want to sell a gift card tied to a specific service, or leave the recipient free to choose?
- Is the goal to attract a new customer to try your service, or to increase the basket value of an existing customer?
- How easy is it for the recipient to use up the card without having to pay the difference out of their own pocket?
With these in mind, pricing becomes less guesswork and more a conscious choice.
The most common gift card pricing approaches
- Open-value gift card (e.g. €20–€200)
- Gift card tied to a specific service (e.g. a facial, brunch for two, a 10-times card)
- Service packages (e.g. a pampering day, a seasonal tasting menu, a starter pack for a new hobbyist)
- A card priced slightly above a single service to encourage the recipient to try add-ons as well
- Pricing where the gift card covers nearly the full cost of a service — the buyer sees the amount, the recipient sees the experience
Often the most effective solution isn’t a single gift card, but 3–5 well-thought-out options.
Beauty services
In beauty and wellness services, gift cards are often bought on emotion: people want to pamper, delight, or offer someone a moment for themselves. When pricing, it’s worth considering which services new customers typically try first, which combinations are most popular, and how often customers tend to return.
Effective pricing approaches for the beauty sector might include:
- A gift card for a specific core service (e.g. 60-min facial)
- A gift card valued slightly above a core service (e.g. €80 card for a €70 service), so the recipient can add a small extra
- A smaller gift card amount (e.g. €30–€40), to lower the barrier to trying a new salon
- A clear pampering package as a gift (e.g. facial + hand treatment as a single card)
Example gift card price points for beauty businesses:
- €45 – Facial for new customers
- €80 – Pampering package: facial + hand treatment
- €30 – A little treat (redeemable against selected services)
- €100 – Free-choice treatments (open-value card)
Cafés
In cafés, gift cards might be bought for small celebrations, as a thank-you gift, or as a simple token of appreciation. The most important thing is that the value of the gift card is easy to relate to a typical purchase.
Effective options for cafés:
- A card equivalent to roughly 2–3 café visits (e.g. €20–€30)
- A brunch or pastry package for two, presented as a clearly named card
- A smaller card for a quick spontaneous gift (e.g. €10–€15)
Example gift card price points for cafés:
- €15 – Coffee and a pastry for two
- €25 – Brunch for two
- €10 – A little coffee moment (perfect for a teacher, colleague, or neighbour)
- €50 – A freely redeemable gift card, enough for several visits
What matters most is that the amounts feel tangible to the buyer: what will the recipient actually get with this card?
Hobby and activity services
In fitness, hobby, and course-based businesses, a gift card is often a way to start something new or find out whether an activity is a good fit. In this context, a gift card isn’t a final commitment — it’s a bridge to a lasting customer relationship. That’s why a heavy or lengthy commitment doesn’t work well as a first gift card. A low-barrier entry point is the better approach.
Effective models for hobby and activity businesses:
- A starter pack for new customers (e.g. 3 or 5 sessions)
- A specific course or workshop that’s easy to grasp (e.g. a painting course, yoga workshop, or beginner’s class)
- A smaller monetary card that lets the recipient choose how to start — a course, a single session, or equipment rental
Example price points:
- €39 – 3-session starter pack for new customers
- €79 – 6-session yoga/fitness pack (great for parental leave, retirees, or students.
- €120 – A seasonal pass or specific course (e.g. an 8-week painting course)
- €25–€50 – Open-value card redeemable for classes, sessions, or courses
The goal is for the first experience gained through the gift card to lead to a longer customer relationship.
How to get started?
If gift card pricing has so far mostly meant selling a €50 card at Christmas, getting started is surprisingly straightforward:
- Choose 3–5 gift card options that best support your business (e.g. a small, mid-range, and a pampering or starter-pack card)
- Think about what each one concretely offers — and say so directly in the card’s name or description
- Check that the gift card value aligns with your service prices: it should be easy to use up, with no awkward leftover amounts
- Open up online sales using a ready-built solution where pricing can be updated as you learn what works
You can start simple. Once you see which gift cards sell best in your business, you can gradually expand your offering.
How Unigift makes pricing easier in practice
When the gift card solution is a pre-built service, pricing is easy to test, adjust, and develop without launching a new technical project.
Unigift Basic and Pro gift card systems are designed with smaller businesses in mind, and with them you can:
- Create multiple gift cards at different price points for different services (beauty, café, hobbies) within the same system
- Sell the same gift card both online and in-store — without separate technical integrations
Would you like help setting up your gift cards?
If you’re thinking about what prices and packages would suit your services, we’re happy to discuss:
- Which gift card options best support your business
- How to structure your pricing
- How to open gift card sales online without a heavy technical project
Get in touch and we’ll help you find the approach that works best for you.