Cash and Gift Cards Dominate Consumer Reward Preferences: Kashkick Survey of 224,000+ Aligns With $507B U.S. Gift Card Market

Tampa, FL, Could 29, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — A brand new Kashkick survey of 224,679 U.S. customers throughout all 50 states finds that money and present playing cards collectively dominate client reward preferences, with 54.14% of respondents rating money (PayPal, Venmo) as their #1 most fascinating reward and 34.06% rating present playing cards (Amazon, Visa) as their #2 alternative. Each types of cash-equivalent reward positioned far forward of journeys, merchandise, occasion entry, digital subscriptions, and unique reductions.

Money and present playing cards are the highest client rewards preferences

The findings align with broader trade information. In keeping with Capital One Shopping research, the U.S. present card market is estimated to generate $507.1 billion in income in 2026 and develop 11.4% yearly, whereas TSG and Bank of America’s 2026 U.S. Consumer Gift Card Study reviews that greater than half of U.S. customers (55%) say they’d attempt a brand new enterprise due to a present card, up from 49% two years in the past.

“Throughout greater than 224,000 respondents, the message is constant: folks need rewards they will truly use,” mentioned Katie Nelson, Head of Client Analysis at Kashkick. “Cash is essentially the most versatile reward we are able to provide, and gift cards perform because the shut second — each let customers resolve how the worth will get spent. That’s the construction customers reply to, and it strains up with what we’re seeing throughout the broader rewards economic system.”

What the Rating Reveals

Throughout the eight reward classes Kashkick examined, money and present playing cards had been the one two to attract significant #1 or #2 placement. 65.29% of respondents ranked money as both their first or second alternative, and 45.21% ranked present playing cards of their high two. Each different class — together with all-expenses-paid journeys (24.72% high two), bodily items (18.89%), occasion entry (10.00%), and digital subscriptions (8.87%) — trailed considerably. For platforms designing reward buildings, the info gives a transparent hierarchy: money first, present playing cards second, all the pieces else far behind.

The desire cuts throughout revenue ranges. 33.20% of Kashkick respondents report family incomes beneath $25,000, a demographic for whom money and present playing cards carry direct, rapid worth — masking groceries, fuel, or a family invoice slightly than sitting unused as merchandise or an unredeemed digital perk.

Business Context

The Kashkick findings arrive because the present card class continues its fast enlargement. Per Mordor Intelligence, the U.S. present card and incentive card market is predicted to develop from $207 billion in 2025 to over $220 billion in 2026, with digital codecs driving many of the progress. For customers trying to find the best survey apps or ways to earn extra money in 2026, the Kashkick information gives a transparent takeaway: the rewards customers worth most are additionally those that perform most like money.

About KashKick

Based in 2017, Kashkick is a U.S.-based rewards platform that pays members in money and present card rewards for taking part in video games, finishing surveys, making an attempt new apps, and interesting with gives. Members can money out by way of PayPal or Venmo, or redeem earnings for present playing cards from main retailers. Constructed for the following technology of earners, KashKick bridges the hole between model discovery and client empowerment, giving customers management over how they have interaction and earn. https://kashkick.com/

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