Book a 15-minute demo

Exposing the hidden costs in
gift cards

Between fees, unspent funds and FBT, businesses often lose more than they realise.
Discover how you can eliminate these costs with Extraordinary.
Book a 15-minute demoQuick-guide download

Calculate your savings with Extraordinary

Gross savings with Extraordinary
The sum of the savings expressed
 
Extraordinary gifting module cost (5%)
Instead of keeping all of the unspent money like every other gift card business, Extraordinary charges a flat 5% fee on the ammount loaded and gives all unspent money back to your business when it expires.
 
Net savings if you used Extraordinary
Gross savings - extraordinary cost = net savings for your business.
 
Key assumptions
There is a portion of gift cards are not fully utilised. Across the Extraordinary customer base in aggregate, we see 90% - 93% utilization as the upper quartile utilization rate. In New Zealand, parliamentary discussions have stated that in some instances the rate of utilisation across gift cards is could be closer to 85% (Fair trading act gift card amendment bill readings - hansard transcriptions).
How much of the funds do you believe will be spent as a percentage of total distributed amount?
Number of gift cards that will be purchased?
Cost of physical gift card?
FBT rate your company will pay on gift card spend

Gross savings broken down

Money returned
Total spend * utilisation rate unspent funds that will be returned.
 
Savings on FBT
Extraordinary has accessed a short process ruling to support this point. We are comfortable sharing this ruling with yourself or your tax team on request.
 
Savings on card cost
Digital payment cards with Extraordinary are free.
 
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
*Based on 13% breakage rate before adjustment.
**Assuming 49.25% FBT rate.
***The results from this calculator are estimates based on industry averages and global data.  See more info at bottom of page.

We’ve made gifting Extraordinary

Only pay for what’s spent

With Extraordinary, you only pay for what’s actually spent by the recipient.

Only pay FBT on what’s spent

With Extraordinary you don’t pay Fringe Benefit Tax unless the money you have gifted has been spent. Saving  businesses across the country millions.

Easy to create, 
quick to distribute

Within the platform, you can create a gift in seconds; whether it’s for one person, a team, or company-wide, employees receive their gifts instantly.

Unspent money returns to you

Any funds your team doesn’t spend are returned straight back to your business.

You’re in control
‍

You build the gift, meaning you can set expiry dates and gift names on your terms.

Free digital payment cards

Extraordinary is a digital-first platform, cutting out the plastic and cost of physical gift cards.

Traditional gift cards
aren’t working

You’re losing money

With every gift card purchase you lose twice. Once to unspent balances that stay with the provider for their gain, and again to FBT on these unspent funds.

Limited usability

From single-store restrictions to in-store-only rules, there’s always a catch on where gift cards can actually be used.

Time wasted on admin

Managing budgets, tax compliance, distribution, and tracking eats up hours that should be spent elsewhere.

No visibility or reporting

Once a gift card is handed over, there’s no way to track spend, report on usage, or measure impact.

Difficult to activate and track balance

Clunky activation processes and hard-to-find balances aren’t an accident; they’re built that way.

Heavy use of plastic

New Zealand’s gift card sector produces enough plastic each year to stack as high as the Sky Tower >7 times over.*

*Dasha Kuprienko, 2025, Modernising digital payment solutions, nzbusiness

Trusted by
leading
companies

Why Extraordinary Over Traditional Gift Cards?

Traditional
Gift Cards

Only pay for what's spent
Unspent money returned to you
Only pay FBT on what’s spent
Distribute digital cards in seconds
Compliance reporting at your fingertips
Digital first (straight to apple and google pay)
Check balance instantly in an app

Traditional Gift Cards

Extraordinary

Traditional
Gift Cards

Only pay for what's spent
Unspent money returned to you
Only pay FBT on what’s spent
Distribute digital cards in seconds
Compliance reporting at your fingertips
Digital first (straight to apple and google pay)
Check balance instantly in an app
Only pay for what’s spent
Unspent money returned to you
Only pay FBT on what’s spent
Distribute digital cards in seconds
Compliance reporting at your fingertips
Digital first (straight to apple and google pay)
Check balance instantly in an app

***The results from this calculator are estimates based on industry averages and global data. This information is intended for general guidance only and should not be taken as professional financial or tax advice. Actual gift card breakage and unspent funds may vary based on your specific business, industry, or region. We recommend consulting a financial professional or tax adviser for guidance tailored to your circumstances. We make no guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness, or applicability of the information provided by this tool.

extra resources

Tools & Templates

Pre-tax public transport savings calculator

Discover how much your employees could save each year by using IRD-approved, pre-tax public transport benefits through the Extraordinary Platform.

Customer Stories

How Taxi Made Employee Wellbeing Work for Everyone

Fintech startup Taxi had a bold vision for employee wellbeing: make it flexible, personal, and efficient.

Blogs

Infographic: Unlocking Pre-Tax Public Transport in New Zealand Workplaces

Thanks to a binding IRD ruling and FBT reform, employers can now offer pre-tax public transport through the Extraordinary Platform – a seamless, compliant way for employees to pay for public transport using pre-tax income.

Gift cards are okay.
Try something Extraordinary.

‍Book a 15-minute demoQuick-guide download