To choose a gift card distribution platform, send every shortlisted vendor the same written questions on catalogue coverage, API and delivery, stock provenance, compliance, funding terms and support, then score the answers against a test order rather than a sales deck. A structured RFP turns a vague “who is cheapest” decision into a comparison of what each platform will actually do when an order fails at 2 a.m.
This article is the questionnaire. Checking a single supplier’s legitimacy before a deposit is a separate job, covered in how to vet a gift card supplier; the RFP comes earlier and compares several candidates side by side.
Before you send anything: write down your own needs
An RFP is only as good as the brief behind it. Vendors answer the question you ask, so decide first what a good answer looks like for your business.
- Catalogue scope. Which brands, product types (gift cards, game codes, top-ups, prepaid, eSIM) and regions do you need at launch, and which within a year?
- Delivery model. Real-time API at checkout, scheduled bulk batches, or both?
- Volume profile. Expected monthly orders, average order value and seasonal peaks.
- Funding. How much working capital can you commit to a prepaid balance?
- Internal capacity. Do you have engineers to integrate an API, or do you need a portal and file delivery first?
Share a short version of this brief with vendors. Answers to a specific brief are comparable; answers to a generic one are marketing.
The RFP questions, by section
Catalogue and coverage
- List the brands and regions you can supply today for our brief, marked as available via API, batch or both.
- How are products identified (SKU, denomination, region), and how often does the catalogue change?
- How do you notify buyers of delisted products, out-of-stock events and changes to trade prices?
API and delivery
- Is there a sandbox with realistic responses, including failures?
- How does the API handle duplicate requests? Ask specifically about idempotency keys, because a retried purchase without them can buy twice (why that matters).
- Which order states exist (pending, fulfilled, failed), and are status changes pushed by webhook or only available by polling?
- What are the rate limits, and what happens to orders above them?
Provenance and replacement
- Where does your stock come from, and in what form can you evidence an authorized chain for the brands on our list?
- What is the written replacement policy for a code that fails at first redemption, including the claim window and the evidence you require?
Compliance
- What KYB do you run on buyers, and what will you need from us?
- What fraud screening do you apply to orders and to your own upstream supply?
Commercial and funding
- Do you work on prepaid balance, credit terms or a mix, and what are the minimums?
- How are balances reconciled, and can we export a full ledger by order?
Support
- Who is our day-to-day contact, and what are the response times for a failed order versus a general question?
- How are incidents communicated: status page, email, a shared channel?
Scoring the answers
Weight each section by how much it hurts your business when it goes wrong, not by how interesting it is in a sales call. A simple matrix works.
| Section | Example weight | What a strong answer looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Provenance and replacement | 25% | Named source type, written policy with deadlines |
| API and delivery | 20% | Sandbox, idempotency, webhooks, clear order states |
| Catalogue fit | 20% | Covers most of your launch list via your delivery model |
| Compliance | 15% | Structured KYB, described fraud screening |
| Commercial and funding | 10% | Clear minimums, exportable ledger |
| Support | 10% | Named contact, defined response times |
Score each section from 0 to 3: 0 for no answer, 1 for a vague answer, 2 for a clear answer, 3 for a clear answer backed by evidence such as a document, a sandbox login or a sample ledger. Multiply by weight and compare totals, but treat any 0 on provenance as disqualifying regardless of the total.
The weights above are an example. A rewards programme sending codes by email may care less about webhooks and more about batch delivery; a storefront selling at checkout will weight the API higher.
The test order decides ties
Paper answers narrow the field; a live order separates what a vendor says from what it does. For the two highest scorers, run a small paid test covering your riskiest SKUs:
- Place orders through the same channel you will use in production.
- Redeem a sample of codes yourself, in the target region.
- Trigger at least one failure deliberately, such as an invalid product or a duplicate request, and see how the platform responds.
- Raise one support ticket and time the reply.
A fuller pre-order routine is in our bulk buying checklist, and the technical side of a first integration is covered in the gift card API integration guide.
Red flags in RFP answers
- Provenance answered with “we work with trusted partners” and nothing more.
- No written replacement policy, or one that exists only “case by case”.
- A catalogue list that promises every brand in every region on day one.
- Pressure to fund a large balance before any test order.
- Reluctance to give a sandbox or to describe failure handling.
Platforms with mature operations, Giftoro among them, are used to answering these questions in writing and to running a test order early in onboarding. If you are comparing options now, the overview of our gift card distribution platform lists what we cover and how onboarding works.
Frequently asked questions
What should a gift card distribution platform RFP include?
At minimum: catalogue coverage for your brands and regions, API and delivery capabilities, stock provenance and replacement policy, compliance and KYB, funding terms and support. Send the same questions to every vendor so the answers are comparable, and ask for evidence such as sandbox access or a sample ledger.
How many vendors should I include in a gift card RFP?
Three to five is usually enough to see the range of answers without drowning in paperwork. Shortlist based on catalogue fit first, since a vendor that cannot supply your core brands is not a candidate however good its API is.
How do I compare trade prices between platforms?
Compare on the same basket of SKUs and regions that matches your real order mix, not on headline figures for a single brand. Then factor in what each platform includes: replacement policy, funding terms and failed-order handling all affect what you actually pay per delivered code.
Should provenance really outweigh price in the scoring?
For most buyers, yes. A code from a weak source can fail or be revoked after sale, and the refund, support time and chargeback land on you. A small difference in trade price rarely covers that exposure, which is why a zero on provenance should disqualify.
How long does a gift card platform RFP take?
It depends on your internal process and how quickly vendors respond. Collecting written answers and running test orders with the top candidates can often be done in a few weeks; compliance onboarding on the vendor side may add time, so start KYB with the front runners in parallel.