Have team members or clients spread across the US and the Philippines? You’re not alone.
Many companies now operate across North America and Southeast Asia—but when it comes to sending rewards or recognition gifts, cross-border options can get confusing fast.
Most gift cards for the US or the Philippines only work within their own country, tied to local currencies, merchant networks, or region-specific platforms.
A US gift card might not be redeemable on Philippine marketplaces, and many Philippine-brand cards won’t work with US-based retailers. The challenge? Finding a single gift card that recipients in both countries can actually use without friction.
In this guide, you’ll learn how international and cross-region gift cards work, why so many options stop at the border, and which solutions—including the Toasty Choice Card—make it simple to send rewards that work seamlessly in both the US and the Philippines.
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 are one of the most popular ways to reward employees and customers, but most options are designed for use inside a single country—not across borders.
Cards issued for the US or the Philippines are usually locked to local currencies, merchant networks, and regional platforms, which makes it hard to run one unified program for both markets.
A US gift card might be denominated in USD and restricted to American stores or payment processors, while a Philippine gift card is typically issued in PHP and tied to local wallets, banks, or marketplaces.
That’s why a reward that works perfectly for someone in New York may fail or feel unusable for someone in Manila, even if you intended them to receive “the same” gift.
Currency and conversion: US cards are typically issued in USD, while Philippine cards use PHP, and not every product handles FX cleanly or transparently.
Region-locked brands: Many popular retailers, marketplaces, and apps run separate US and Philippine programs, so a gift card bought in one region may not work in the other.
Payment and platform limits: Some cards only work with certain payment processors or local wallets, which can cause declines or extra friction for cross-border recipients.
Physical fulfillment issues: Traditional physical gift cards can run into shipping delays, activation problems, or added costs when sent internationally, especially at scale.
To work effectively across borders, an international gift card should satisfy three core requirements:
A cross-border gift card should support both USD and PHP, either by auto-converting at redemption or by letting recipients choose their local currency and region. This helps a recipient in New York and another in Manila see familiar prices and brands that actually operate in their market.
Rather than locking people into a single retailer, the best US–Philippines gift cards connect to a catalog that blends international names with trusted local favorites.
This lets each recipient turn the same reward into what matters most to them—ecommerce, food delivery, entertainment, or everyday essentials.
Digital gift cards usually offer a smoother cross-border experience, helping cut down on 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 you narrow it down to options that actually work for recipients in both countries, two products stand out for most teams.
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 the Philippines.
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 the Philippines.
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 for both senders and recipients, with no activation or redemption costs.
💡 Example: An HR manager in Seattle sends a Toasty Choice Card to a support teammate in Manila. Both receive it instantly and redeem with local merchants in their own currency, without needing separate US- and Philippines-only rewards.
Here are the available redemption options for the Philippines (subject to change):
Swype Global (USD) Virtual MasterCard
GrabFood
GrabGifts (Food)
GrabGifts (Transport)
GrabGifts (Express)
GrabGifts PHP e-Gift Voucher
GrabMart Gift Card
ZALORA eGift Card
UniPin Voucher Card
AirlineGift
TripGift
HotelsGift Card
ToursGift
RentacarGift
FlystayGift
BucketlistGift eGift Card
eLearnGift eGift Card
eLearnGift PHP
Asia Airalo eSIM
Europe Airalo eSIM
Hongkong Airalo eSIM
Berjaya Makati Hotel
Farmer's Table Tagaytay
Italianni's Gift Card
Pacific Bay Gift Card
Rumba Gift Card
LazerXtreme Gift Card
SMILE Group Gift Card
Halo Mobile Clothing Gift Card
Otto Shoes Gift Card
NoseFrida Gift Card
OXO tot
RaZBaby Gift Card
TickledBabies Gift Card
For the most up-to-date catalog, view our global catalog here.
Swype Global MasterCard provides a more card-like experience that can be used wherever the Mastercard network is accepted, including many online and in-store merchants in both the US and the Philippines.
This makes it a strong option when you want to give recipients broad spending flexibility, closer to a prepaid card than a single-store gift card.
However, terms, fees, and regional restrictions can vary, so it’s important to review the details before rolling it out as your primary reward—especially for large or recurring programs.
Toasty offers the Swype Global MasterCard, which can be redeemed across many different regions including the US and the Philippines.
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 the US and the Philippines with a wide range of brand options to choose from. This lets you run a single, unified program instead of juggling different tools for each 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 PHP conversion for recipients in the Philippines.
Add your company logo, brand colors, and a personalized message so the reward feels personal and on-brand.
Import your US- and Philippines-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 you 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 the Philippines?
Only certain products—like multi-region or globally enabled cards—are designed to work smoothly in both countries. Most single-brand or country-specific gift cards are locked to either the US or the Philippines, not both.
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 for senders and to keep any costs for recipients as low as possible.
Can I send digital gift cards to recipients in the Philippines from the US?
Yes. With the right digital gifting platform, you can send rewards instantly to recipients in the Philippines while funding everything from the US, without needing separate tools per country.
What brands are available for recipients in the Philippines?
Recipients in the Philippines can usually choose from a mix of local and international options, including food delivery, travel, ecommerce, and lifestyle brands, with the exact catalog determined by the platform you use.
How fast can I deliver a Toasty Choice Card to US and Philippines recipients?
Delivery is typically instant. Recipients receive their digital card by email within minutes, whether they are located in the US or the Philippines.
Can I automate birthday or milestone rewards for both countries?
Yes. Automated workflows allow you to trigger rewards for birthdays, anniversaries, and performance milestones so that employees or customers in both the US and the Philippines receive consistent recognition without manual sending each time.