Have team members or clients spread across the US and India? You’re not alone.
Many companies today operate globally—but when it comes to sending rewards or recognition gifts, cross-border options can get complicated fast. Most gift cards for the US or India only work within their own country, tied to local currencies, merchants, or payment systems.
For example, a US Amazon gift card won’t work on Amazon.in, and many Indian-brand cards can’t be redeemed outside the region.
The challenge? Finding a single gift card that recipients in both the US and India can use seamlessly.
In this guide, we’ll break down how international and cross-region gift cards work, why most cards stop at the border, and which options—including the Toasty Choice Card—make it easy to send rewards that truly work in both countries.
Gift cards have become one of the most popular ways to reward employees and customers worldwide—but not all gift cards are built for international use. Most cards for the US or India are region-locked, issued in local currencies, and limited by brand or payment network restrictions.
For example, American-issued cards are typically denominated in USD and processed through US-based merchants, while Indian gift cards are issued in INR and governed by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) regulations.
That means a US prepaid Visa card might be declined on Indian payment gateways, and an Indian Amazon card won’t work on Amazon.com.
To qualify as a international gift card, a card must meet three essential criteria:
A cross-border gift card should support both USD and INR, either by auto-converting at redemption or by letting recipients select their local currency and region.
This ensures that a recipient in San Francisco and another in Bengaluru both see local pricing and redeem at brands that actually operate in their market.
Instead of locking recipients into a single store, the best US–India gift cards connect to a catalog that includes both international names and local favorites in each market.
That way, every recipient can turn the same reward into what matters most to them—whether that’s e-commerce, groceries, takeout, entertainment, or everyday essentials.
Digital gift cards tend to offer a smoother cross-border experience, helping reduce shipping delays, activation issues, and fulfillment headaches.
Recipients can receive their gift cards by email, SMS, or link and redeem them online or in-app with just a few clicks.
When it comes to cross-border gifting between the US and India, only a handful of options deliver a truly smooth experience for both sender and recipient. For most businesses, two stand out.
The Toasty Choice Card is built for distributed teams and global customer bases, making it a strong fit when you need one reward that works across both the US and India.
It supports local brands and currencies in each country, so recipients see options that feel native to their market while you manage everything from a single dashboard.
Because it’s fully digital, you can send cards instantly by email at scale, avoid international shipping or activation issues, and track delivery and redemption in one place—ideal for HR, sales, and customer marketing programs.
Works seamlessly across 90+ countries, including both the US and India.
Recipients can choose from hundreds of brands, covering both local favorites and international names.
Automatically handles currency and brand localization, so each person sees options that make sense in their region.
Delivered instantly via email—no printing, shipping, or manual distribution required.
Completely fee-free from the recipient’s perspective, with no activation or redemption costs.
💡 Example: An HR manager in Chicago sends a Toasty Choice Card to a developer in Bengaluru. Both receive it instantly, and each can redeem their balance with local merchants in their own currency for a genuinely seamless experience.
Mastercard prepaid gift cards can sometimes be used in both the US and India—depending on the specific issuer and card terms.
Swype Global MasterCard offers a more card-like experience that can be used wherever the underlying network is accepted, including many online and in-store merchants in both the US and India.
This makes it a good option when you want to give recipients broad flexibility, similar to a prepaid card rather than a single-brand gift card.
However, terms, fees, and regional restrictions can vary, so it’s important to review the details before. Toasty offers the Swype Global MasterCard, which can be redeemed across many different regions.
Check out our article for more details on restricted regions and fees.
Start by selecting a gifting platform—such as Toasty—that clearly supports both US and India delivery and redemption. This lets you run a single, unified program instead of managing different tools per country.
Decide how much you want to send and whether amounts should be consistent or vary by role, country, or occasion. Many teams set a base value in USD, then rely on the platform to handle INR conversion for Indian recipients.
Add your company logo, brand colors, and a personalized message so the reward feels personal and on-brand.
Import your US- and India-based recipients manually or via CSV.
Schedule immediate or future sends via email or unique links, depending on how you want recipients to receive their gifts. Digital delivery helps avoid shipping delays, customs issues, and physical card losses across borders.
Use your platform’s reporting to see which gifts were delivered, opened, and redeemed.
Can I use the same gift card in both the US and India?
Only certain products—such as multi-region or global gift cards—are designed to work smoothly in both countries. Most single-brand or region-specific cards are limited to either the US or India, not both.
Do US Amazon gift cards work on Amazon.in?
No. Amazon gift cards are region-specific, so a US Amazon gift card only works on Amazon.com, while Amazon.in gift cards work only on Amazon.in.
Are there fees for cross-border or global gift cards?
Many prepaid Visa and Mastercard-style products may include activation, conversion, or foreign transaction fees. Platform-based solutions like Toasty are typically designed to be fee-free from the recipient’s perspective, and often reduce or eliminate costs for senders as well.
Can I send digital gift cards to Indian recipients from the US?
Yes. With the right digital gifting platform, you can send rewards instantly to recipients in India, even if you’re based in the US, without needing to manage separate systems.
What brands can recipients choose from with the Toasty Choice Card?
Recipients can access a wide catalog that includes global names as well as local favorites tailored to their region, so options in the US and India are automatically localized.
How fast can I deliver a Toasty Choice Card to US and India recipients?
Delivery is typically instant. Recipients receive their digital card by email within minutes, whether they’re located in the US or India.
Can I automate birthday or milestone rewards for both countries?
Yes. You can set up automated workflows so that employees or customers in both the US and India receive rewards for birthdays, anniversaries, or other milestones without manual sending each time.