Ordering Gift Cards
How it works
With a range of possibilities available, ordering from us direct offers flexibility, bespoke solutions and the most efficient use of your funds with no hidden costs.
Order what you need, when you need it
The Charity Shop Gift Card can be provided as a physical gift card, an e-voucher, or a combination of the two, depending on the needs of your service users or organisation, with load amounts starting from £10.
E-vouchers can be ordered individually or in bulk. At this stage you are able to enter the recipient, a message stipulating the purpose of the the funds (fridge, bedding, clothing etc), select your expiry date and choose the value you would like to load onto the card.
Physical gift cards can be loaded and sent out by us or staff can keep a stock of unloaded cards to load via our portal and distribute as needed.
Whichever way you choose, you can select an expiry date to suit the situation so if you want to focus emergency spend during the next two weeks, you can ensure that the gift card is only valid for a fortnight. And if you would like to give someone longer to gradually furnish their home you can select a longer expiry term such as six months.
No activation fees.
Give the dignity of choice
Once activated via the portal, physical gift cards can be handed direct to service users. You might choose this option if you are supporting people who don’t have access to smartphones/email or at drop in centres or foodbanks where you don’t need to collect people’s personal data or there is no application process for assistance. E-vouchers are emailed at the time of activation, direct to the recipient or to a support worker or staff member if that is more convenient.
Local Authorities may choose this option as there has been an application process for Local Welfare Assistance and can help create an audit trail tracking for example, the funds distributed or the intended items to be purchased.
Importantly, there is no difference in the look of our consumer gift cards and support sector gift cards, meaning there is nothing about using The Charity Shop Gift Card that will identify someone as being ‘in need’ helping to avoid stigma.
Charity shops are a treasure trove of quality preloved items to suit all tastes and budgets, and is the perfect place to shop for clothing or essential items for the home.
Whether providing The Charity Shop Gift Card as a means of welfare disbursement gives autonomy to beneficiaries who are free to choose the items they like, whether choosing an outfit for an interview or and making their house a home.
Get the most from your budget
Charity shops offer fantastic value for money and can fill a wardrobe or furnish a home for a fraction of the cost of providing funds to buy things new. And the natural guardrails charity shops provide in terms of the type of goods they stock means there is less chance that funds are mis-spent.
Recipients can spend their gift card multiple times in any participating charity shops until all the funds have been spent or the gift card expires. We understand the pressures of budget constraints for organisations that are often trying to support more people on reduced budgets. Therefore, any remaining funds upon expiry are returned to your account to fund further gift cards (subject to max. £1 expiry processing fee).
Depending on the your organisation would like to work with us, you can deposit a set budget and draw down on the funds to load gift cards or arrange to be billed monthly to reflect actual spend on gift cards.
When the gift cards are given to recipients they are not only helping them with the essentials they need, but also supporting national and regional charities – helping two good causes for the price of one. And with the SROI of spending in charity shops being £7.35 for every £1 spent, it can also help your organisation achieve its social value aims.
Buy from us

To take advantage of the flexible expiry, return of unspent funds and payment options cards should be purchased from us direct.
For order enquiries, to find out how the scheme would work for you, or if you are a distribution organisation interested in offering The Charity Shop Gift Card, please contact info@charityshopvouchers.co.uk.
Third party providers

If your organisation only purchases gift cards through 3rd party providers, The Charity Shop Gift Card is available through Blackhawk Network, Charis, huggg and Evouchers. We are also available through selected Crown Commercial Service framework suppliers. Please contact your supplier to find out more.
If your supplier isn’t listed, please get in touch to see whether they can add the gift card to their provision. Please note that flexible benefits of purchasing direct from us may not be available through 3rd party providers.
Where to purchase gift cards
...it plugged the gap in local support.
- Warrington Borough Council
PROVIDING DIGNITY OF CHOICE
Compostable, recyclable gift cards are a useful tool when working with clients who might not have access to smartphones or email addresses. Identical to the consumer gift cards so reduces stigma as does not identify recipients as being ‘in need’.
PROVIDING DIGNITY OF CHOICE
E-vouchers can be delivered to recipient’s email address and accessed via smartphone. They have the functionality to include To, From and items to be purchased to assist with your audit trail.
PROVIDING DIGNITY OF CHOICE
Nearest participating charity shops can be located through our store finder and are easily identifiable through instore signage.
Issuing organisation’s can produce bespoke flyer or card carrier to signpost preferred charity shops.
What recipients of the Charity Shop Gift Card say
The Hospice looked after my nan before she passed away, so its close to my heart the money goes back to the charity, not going to owners back pocket. They helped me....looked after my foodbank stuff while I looked around it was a lot more than I expected. Very friendly, absolutely brilliant. We were all just having a laugh and a joke in there! It’s a brilliant idea, people can choose what they actually need.. because you can get more for your money…It’s more value. It's a gift card not paper you have to hand over, no one else knows where you got it from, its discreet. Not tempted to spend the money on something else. You know its just for that purpose. Cash goes straight through your fingers.
How can I buy cards?
You can order cards directly from us by emailing orders@thecharityshopgiftcard.co.uk. The Charity Shop Gift Card is also available via leading providers including Charis, com, huggg and Blackhawk Network but please note that other providers may not support variable expiry of gift cards and may not offer return of unspent funds.
Are there any fees?
We do not charge any fees. We do apply an expiry fee of up to £1 for any gift cards that expire with unspent fund, but you will never pay more than the face value of the card. You can extend gift cards at any point which is free of charge.
What is the billing process?
Depending on your organisation we are able to support either prepayment or invoicing based on gift card spend.
Are there set denominations for gift cards?
You can load gift cards with any amount subject to a minimum of £10.
Is there a minimum order quantity?
We’re happy for you to purchase any amount.
How do recipients receive the gift card or e-voucher?
We can provide physical gift cards to your organisation which we can load remotely (or can be loaded by you via our portal), or we can email e-vouchers directly to your customer or email them to you for onward distribution.
How long does it take for the e-voucher to be received?
We operate a one-day SLA but typically orders are processed shortly after being received.
How can I find out which shops accept the card?
All current participating shops can be found on our store locator https://thecharityshopgiftcard.co.uk/stores/ but as we are adding more shops all of the time,
Can you share what has been purchased?
Unfortunately, we aren’t able to share what has been purchased but we can advise where the card has been spent and remaining balances.
Can you restrict what can be bought using the card?
We aren’t able to restrict what can be bought but you are able to state on e-vouchers the intended items. Whilst this will not be policed in charity shops, there are natural guardrails as charity shops have limited ranges of goods available.
What happens if a gift card isn’t spent?
Gift cards can be extended at any time, even after it has expired. Should there be any funds left on the gift card, then these can be returned to fund another card subject to an expiry fee of up to £1 (if the remaining balance on the gift card is less that £1, then this will be fee applied).
Can gift cards be extended?
Yes, the gift cards can be extended at any time, including after the gift card has expired. We do not charge for this service.
Can I add further funds?
Yes, a card can be topped up at any time. We can also reduce the balance of a gift card if required.
Can you freeze a gift card?
Yes, we can freeze a card at any time and can unlock the card or transfer the balance as directed.
Can one card be used to support multiple people?
Yes, if the gift card is being retained by your organisation, a card can be used to support multiple people.
Who operates the gift card programme?
We are Gift Card CIC, a social enterprise working in conjunction with the Charity Retail Association and in partnership with the charities to issue and manage the gift card programme on their behalf.
Are you a charity?
We are a not for profit and registered Social Enterprise which means that the majority of our profits will go to the communities we strive to help. We work hard to keep the costs of the programme as low as we can to maximise the revenue for the charities.
How do I find out more about working with you?
Please contact us by emailing info@charityshopvouchers.co.uk