Good gift cards for coworkers are ones they’ll spend in an ordinary week: their usual coffee shop, lunch delivery, a big everyday store, or a card that lets them choose the brand. For a card from you to one coworker, we suggest $10 to $25 for most occasions, and bigger amounts work better as a group gift the team chips in for.
At a previous job, a teammate covered my inbox the week I moved apartments, and I thanked her with a gift card that was, honestly, a lot. She opened the email at her desk, looked over the partition and said, “Great. Now I have to figure out your birthday.” I’d meant it as thanks. She’d heard an invoice.
That’s the part of buying gift cards for coworkers nobody warns you about. The card says you noticed something about them, and the amount says what you expect back. Get both right, and sending it is the easy part.
Which gift cards for coworkers actually get used?
The gift cards for coworkers that get used are the ones tied to a place already in their week. Start with what you’ve noticed about the person, not with the occasion. If you haven’t noticed much yet, pick a store almost everyone shops at, or a card they choose themselves.
| Coworker | A card that fits | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| The coffee regular | Their usual coffee shop | You already know where they go |
| The desk-lunch eater | Lunch delivery or a nearby restaurant | It covers a meal they’d buy anyway |
| The commuter | Rideshare or gas | A cost they pay every week |
| The hobbyist | Books, games or streaming | It shows you listened |
| The new hire you barely know | A big everyday store | Hard to get wrong |
| The remote teammate | An e-gift card for their country | It arrives today and works where they live |
| Anyone you’re unsure about | A card where they pick the brand | The choice is theirs, not yours |
If you want a shortlist, look at what people pick when the choice is theirs. When Giftronaut recipients choose their own card, Amazon.com comes first, chosen 18,446 times, nearly five times as often as the next brand. The Visa Reward Virtual Account, Walmart, Starbucks and Target follow (Giftronaut data, September 2026). Those are places people already shop, which is the same test the table uses.
A couple of picks backfire. A card for a shop with no branch near them goes unspent, however thoughtful it looked at checkout. And check the validity window before you buy: most gift cards on Giftronaut don’t expire, but where a brand sets a window, 12 months is most common and some brands use 6, 3 or 2 months.
How much should you spend on a gift card for a coworker?
For a gift card from you to one coworker, $10 to $25 covers most occasions, and a quick thank-you can sit at the low end. Anything bigger works better as a group gift. The goal is a card that feels generous without leaving the other person wondering what they owe you.
These ranges are our suggestions, not survey averages, so adjust them to what your office already does. Here’s a starting point by occasion:
| Occasion | From you alone | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Thanks for a favor | $5 to $15 | Small enough that nobody keeps score |
| Birthday | $10 to $25 | Treat every birthday on the team the same way |
| Holiday gift exchange | The group’s limit | Going over it puts others on the spot |
| Farewell | $10 to $25 | A card the whole team chips in for can go higher |
| Your boss | Skip a solo gift | A modest gift from the whole team is fine |
Small amounts are easy to send: about three quarters of the USD gift cards on Giftronaut have a $5 minimum (Giftronaut data, September 2026). For birthdays in particular, our guide to sending birthday gift cards online covers the options.
The boss row comes from etiquette, not budgets. Asked whether to give your boss a holiday gift, the Emily Post Institute answers “Generally, no,” because it can look like you’re trying to win favor, though a pooled gift from the team that isn’t too expensive or personal is fine. The same advice says that if you only give to your closest office friends, be discreet about it, and exchange gifts with just a few outside work.
If you lead the team, give the same thing to everyone. And if the card comes out of a company or team budget rather than your own pocket, it stops being a personal gift. For employees, the IRS says gift cards are taxable wages however small (IRS Publication 15-B, 2026), so check with payroll before you order. Buying for a whole team on the company’s behalf is a different job, and our guide to gift cards for employees covers it.
How do you send an e-gift card to a coworker the same day?
An e-gift card reaches a coworker the same day because it travels by email or text, not by hand or by post. You pick the card and amount, enter their email address or mobile number, write a short note, and send it now or schedule it. The step people skip is checking where the coworker will actually see it.
A work address is the obvious choice, and it isn’t always the one they read first. For a surprise, a personal address or a text can be the safer route. If the occasion is fixed, schedule the card for that morning, so it doesn’t depend on you remembering.
A remote coworker in another country needs one more check. Giftronaut gift cards are country-specific and can’t be redeemed in another country, even for the same brand, so an Amazon.co.uk card won’t work on Amazon.com. Buy a card issued where they live, or send one where they pick their country when they redeem.
For the full walkthrough, including sending to a whole list, see our guide on how to send an e-gift card.
What should you write with a coworker’s gift card?
A gift card for a coworker needs one sentence that names what they did or what you know about them. The note is what makes a gift card personal, because it shows the card was picked for this person.
Weak: “Thanks for everything! Enjoy.”
Strong: “Thanks for rebuilding the client deck on Thursday night. Lunch is on me this week.”
For a birthday, the same rule holds: “Happy birthday, Sam. You’ve complained about the office coffee since March, so this one’s for the good stuff.” A thank-you card for a favor can be shorter still. One true, specific line beats a paragraph of nice adjectives.
When Giftronaut fits a coworker gift card, and when it doesn’t
Giftronaut fits when you’re sending gift cards to several coworkers at once, sending on the team’s behalf, or reaching coworkers in other countries. For one card to one coworker, paid from your own pocket, the brand’s own e-gift page is the quicker route, because a Giftronaut account is funded before the first order.
- Add coworkers one at a time. A one-time order lets you type in a few recipients by hand, set a different amount for each if you need to, and send right away or on a scheduled date. A whole department goes in as a spreadsheet instead.
- Let each coworker choose. With a Choice Card, each coworker selects their country when they redeem and picks from the brands available there, from a catalog of 4,300+ brands across 225 countries. They can split one card across more than one brand.
- Send by email, text or link. Rewards go by email, by SMS (text message) to US and Canadian mobile numbers at no extra cost, or as a reward link you share yourself once that feature is enabled on your account. Coworkers outside the US and Canada get theirs by email or link.
- Write the note and test it. You add your own subject line and message, then send a test email to yourself before the real one goes out.
- Plan for a work inbox. Giftronaut reward emails are commonly held by corporate security filters, and the fix is to ask the recipient’s IT team to allowlist no-reply@giftronaut.com and the giftronaut.com domain. You can also correct the address and resend the same card at no extra charge.
The costs and timing, plainly: every account is pre-funded, and the minimum deposit is $100. Credit card deposits carry a 3% processing fee and post almost instantly during US business hours. ACH and wire carry no fee: ACH typically takes 2 to 3 business days and wire 1 business day, counted from the day your bank sends the payment. The first deposit on a new business account is held while the business is verified, and most reviews finish within one business day, so set up the account a day before your first card needs to go out.
Start with what you’ve noticed about them
These days, when a teammate bails me out, I keep the card near the price of the lunch they’d have bought anyway and put the effort into the note instead. She did figure out my birthday, in the end. Coffee card. Exactly the right size.
Before you buy, write down one thing you’ve noticed about the coworker’s week. Pick the card that fits it, set the amount from the occasion table, write one specific line, and send it while the reason is still fresh.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good gift card for a coworker you don’t know well?
A card for a big everyday store, or one that lets them pick the brand, is the safe choice. Keep it modest, around $10 to $25, and add one line about why you’re sending it.
Is $25 too much for a gift card to a coworker?
Not for a birthday or a farewell, but it’s on the high side for a quick thank-you, where $5 to $15 fits. These amounts are our suggestions, not survey averages, so follow what your office already does.
Is it okay to give your boss a gift card?
The Emily Post Institute’s answer for holiday gifts is “Generally, no,” because a solo gift can look like you’re trying to win favor. A modest gift pooled from the whole team is fine.
Can you send a gift card to a coworker in another country?
Yes, but the card has to be issued for their country. Giftronaut gift cards can’t be redeemed outside the country they were issued for, even for the same brand. A Giftronaut Choice Card lets your coworker pick their country when they redeem.
Can you text an e-gift card to a coworker?
Yes. Giftronaut sends Choice Cards and Branded Cards by text to US and Canadian mobile numbers at no extra cost. For a coworker anywhere else, send it by email or share a reward link.
Should the team chip in for one coworker’s gift card?
For bigger moments like a farewell, yes. Pooling lets the card go higher without any one person overspending. One person collects the money and sends a single card, and the note can come from everyone.
Is a gift card paid from a team budget taxable?
For employees, yes. The IRS says gift cards are taxable wages however small, under IRS Publication 15-B (2026). Ask your payroll team before a company or team budget pays for coworkers’ cards.
