AI assistants could soon choose, buy, and send gift cards for consumers without them visiting a retailer’s website or app. This is one of the main findings of the AI & Branded Payments Study from US-based Blackhawk Network (BHN), which provides gift cards, eGifts, corporate payouts, and rewards. The online survey, conducted between April and June 2026, gathered responses from 694 US business leaders responsible for incentives, commerce, and branded payments.
AI concierges and agentic commerce plans
According to the study, 42% of respondents believe that by 2030 AI will most likely reshape the path to buying gift cards through an AI concierge that recommends a card, selects the value, and sends it. Another 32% expect AI to recommend gift cards based on a recipient’s interests, past purchases, and preferences, while 24% expect AI assistants to buy and deliver gift cards for preapproved occasions.
Businesses are already preparing for this shift. Overall, 23% of respondents said they are building or piloting for agentic commerce, and 47% are exploring what it means for their branded payments programmes. A further 22% are aware of agentic commerce but have not acted yet, while 8% are not thinking about it. Talbott Roche, CEO and president of BHN, said brands will need to consider how they remain discoverable and relevant when agents help determine what gets purchased.
A new distribution channel for branded payments
The findings suggest AI could become a new distribution channel for branded payments. For example, an AI assistant could surface an existing gift card when a consumer shops at a relevant retailer, or suggest a gift card and budget for an upcoming occasion. As assistants move consumers from recommendation to purchase in a single interaction, brands will need to make gift cards and stored value easier for AI systems to find, understand, and recommend.
Customer experience was named by 35% of respondents as the area where AI will have the greatest impact on branded payments by 2030, with businesses looking for better data and analytics and more personalised gifting. Roche said the opportunity for brands is to make stored value more useful when consumers are ready to act, while keeping transparency and control for the consumer. BHN’s network spans more than 400,000 consumer touchpoints globally.
