Statistics on gift card fraud include thoughts on security measures, best practices, gift card scams, and other aspects of the gift card industry that reputable companies are working to provide or prevent.

On Gift Card Mag Stripes – As mainstream debit and credit cards transition to new, more secure chip readers this year, gift card fraud may increase again because low-cost gift cards will continue to rely on the more vulnerable magnetic strips, a relatively easy access point for fraudulent activity.

On Being The Most Popular Gift – “For the 13th year in a row, gift cards remain the most popular items on wish lists, requested by 59 percent of those surveyed, followed by clothing and accessories at 52 percent, books/movies/music/video games (35 percent), electronics (29 percent), home décor (24 percent), jewelry (23 percent), personal care or beauty items (21 percent), sporting goods (18 percent) and home improvement items (17 percent).”

On 2019 Holiday Shopping – Surveyed shoppers’ holiday gift card spending is expected to increase by 7% from 2018, with shoppers spending approximately 35% of their total holiday gifting budget on gift cards. Additional findings include:

• Shoppers surveyed plan on purchasing gifts for eight people on average, estimating they will spend a total of $618.93 this year.
• On average, shoppers expect to spend approximately $213.49 on gift cards this year, a 7% increase over 2018.
• Seventy-six percent of shoppers plan to buy at least one gift card or e-gift this season, up from 72% in 2018.

On Where People Prefer to Buy Gift Cards – 49% of people surveyed prefer to buy their gift cards directly from the retailer or brand. This is especially true of men and Millennials (though it tends to decrease with age). For many of these respondents (40%), it feels more secure to do so, but there’s also the lure of discounts, promotions, loyalty points, and convenience store locations. For many (45%), gift cards that can only purchased in this way have a certain “exclusive” feel to them.