Load it into the app
The single piece of advice that matters here: tell the recipient to add the card to the app rather than carrying it.
Doing so usually means the balance earns rewards as it is spent, and it survives losing the physical card. Paying with a bank card typically earns less, or nothing.
If they already use the app, the balance simply joins what is there.
Licensed stores
Not every shop with the sign above the door is run by the company. Branches inside supermarkets, airports, railway stations, hospitals and bookshops are frequently licensed to another operator.
Licensed stores often do not accept the app, do not award rewards, and sometimes do not take the card at all. This is the most common complaint about this brand's cards and there is no way to tell from the outside.
If the recipient mostly buys coffee at a station or an airport, this may not be the right card for them. A branch they walk into on the high street is a safer bet.
Region
Cards are country-specific. A card bought in one market generally will not load onto an account registered in another, and the app is regional too.
Choosing an amount
Count drinks. The price of five to ten visits reads as a generous, unfussy gift. Odd remainders are not a problem here because a small balance still covers part of a drink and the app tops up from a card.
Who it suits
Anyone with a daily habit, and colleagues — it is the safest workplace thank-you there is. See thank-you gift cards for colleagues.
Asking for one
Country and amount. The food and drink guide covers the franchise problem across the category.