What the balance often cannot buy
Supermarkets sell a lot more than food, and gift balance is frequently fenced off from the regulated parts:
- Alcohol and tobacco. Restricted in many places, sometimes outright blocked.
- Lottery tickets, stamps and infant formula. Commonly excluded by law or policy.
- Fuel at the attached petrol station. Often a separate business.
- Pharmacy items and prescriptions, sometimes.
- Other gift cards. Always.
None of this is the shop being difficult; most of it is regulation. It does mean a grocery card is not quite the cash substitute it appears to be.
Online delivery slots
Two patterns:
- The card works for online orders including the delivery charge.
- The card works in store only.
Supermarkets are split roughly down the middle on this and it is not always obvious from the card. For someone who shops online — which includes most people who cannot easily get to a shop — this is the single most important thing to check.
Loyalty schemes and points
Most supermarket loyalty schemes award points on gift card spend. Some have member-only pricing that applies regardless of payment method. Worth telling the recipient to scan their loyalty card as usual.
Why it is a good gift despite being boring
Everyone buys food. A grocery card is spent within the week, fully, on something needed. The remainder problem barely exists, and there is no risk of it being the wrong size or colour.
For a household that is struggling, it is also the least loaded way to help: it is unmistakably practical and does not require anyone to say anything about it.
Choosing an amount
Match a real shop. A week's groceries for their household size is a clear, meaningful number. Smaller amounts work fine too — nothing is wasted.
Who it suits
New parents, anyone recovering from illness, students, households under pressure, and people who would rather have something useful than something thoughtful. Poor as a celebratory present unless you know the recipient well enough for it to be obviously kind rather than obviously blunt.