Teacher gift cards

Teacher gift cards come in two forms, with a digital e-gift card that is sent by email or a physical gift card that is sent by post. The choice between a digital or physical gift card depends on how you plan to give it and other circumstances like how much time you have until the event.

Digital e-gift cards are sent by email immediately, which helps when the end of term has crept up on you and you don’t have time to wait for a postal delivery. Digital gift cards are also handy when a group of parents is buying a communal gift. You can also choose who the e-gift card is sent to, either directly to the teacher’s email address or to your own so you can print it out or forward it on when the time is right. Although they are convenient, the obvious downside of a digital e-gift card is that there is nothing tangible to handover in person.

A physical e-gift card gives you or your child something to hand to their teacher, which makes it a more personal gift. You can add a personal message and also pick an envelope or a gift box to make the gift card more presentable. On the other hand, you have to wait a bit longer for a physical gift card to arrive. Keep in mind that not every brand is available as a physical gift card. The product page will show which format a card is available in. If a gift card is not available as a physical card, we offer a physical version of the All in One Choice Gift Card as an alternative. 

Think about it from the teacher's side. After a year of noisy classrooms and never-ending piles of marking, what they want is usually comfort at home and a bit of time for themselves. Some of the best gift cards for teachers are therefore about home comforts, relaxation, and food.

• Home comforts. Our collection of home & garden gift cards covers all sorts of gifts, from new bed linen, plants for the home or the back garden, or a new set of saucepans. Our Home & Garden Gift Card is the flexible option and runs from £10 up to £500, so it can be given individually or from the whole class.
• Relaxation. With spa gift cards they can book a massage, a relaxing beauty treatment or a quiet day by the pool during the school holidays.
• Food shopping. Not the most glamorous idea, but practical and often the most welcome. Supermarket gift cards help with the big shop, a bottle of wine for Friday or snacks for the school run. The Supermarket Gift Card can be purchased in custom values from £10 up to £500.
• Coffee and hobbies. A Caffè Nero Gift Card covers morning cappuccinos, while a Hobbycraft Gift Card buys paint, yarn or a new sketchbook for a teacher who likes to take their mind off things with a bit of crafting in the evenings.

For more gift ideas, with each card explained one by one see our picks for the best gift cards for a teacher.

December in a primary school means nativity rehearsals, Christmas jumper days, and Christmas party season. We’ve selected a few Christmas gift card ideas for teachers that go down well during the festive season.

• The Merry Christmas Choice Gift Card has festive artwork and lets the teacher decide how they spend it in their own time, whether it’s over Christmas or the January sales.
• Afternoon Tea by WonderDays Gift Card means scones, sandwiches and a pot of tea with a friend over the holidays.
• Theatre Tokens Gift Card can be spent on a pantomime or a big West End show over the Christmas break.

You will find more ideas that cover every category, from food to travel, in our collection of Christmas gift cards.

How you give the gift card to the teacher matters too. Include it inside a Christmas card the whole class has signed, or tie it to a small envelope that can be fashioned as a Christmas tree decoration. Gift cards can also be paired with other small gifts, like a jar of some homemade jam or a tin of Christmas biscuits. A small presentation box with a candle works to make the giving moment that bit more special.

For more ideas on how to make a gift card more presentable, see our tips on how to wrap a gift card. Remember that you can always print off the delivery email containing a digital e-gift card so that you have something to give if the gift card you want is only available as a digital e-gift card.