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- Vanilla gift cards top the list as Texas’s most searched gift card brand with 97,329 average monthly searches
- Roblox takes the second spot, with 71,368 average monthly searches
- On a national level, Vanilla gift cards garner 789,469 average monthly searches and are the most-searched in every single state except Hawaii
A new study by online wishlist platform Giftwhale has identified Vanilla as Texas’s most popular gift card brand, recording over 97,300 monthly searches.
The research analyzed Google search data over the past 12 months to determine which gift card brands are the most popular in every state.
Texas’s findings
- Vanilla
Vanilla gift cards place first with 97,329 average monthly searches. The brand’s prepaid cards, which can be used anywhere major credit cards are accepted, offer flexibility that clearly resonates with American consumers. This versatility likely contributes to their dominant position in the market.
- Roblox
The gaming platform Roblox takes second place with 71,368 monthly searches, demonstrating the growing popularity of gaming-related gift options. Roblox gift cards allow recipients to purchase Robux, the platform’s in-game currency, making them particularly popular among younger users.
- Visa
Visa gift cards rank third with 47,381 monthly searches. Similar to Vanilla, these cards offer the advantage of being usable at most merchants that accept credit cards. The search data shows the strong preference for gift cards that provide recipients with maximum flexibility in how and where they can spend their gift.
- Amazon
Amazon gift cards secure the fourth position with 41,483 monthly searches. The e-commerce giant’s gift cards give access to millions of products, making them a practical choice for gift-givers who want to offer variety without the restrictions of store-specific options.
- Starbucks
Starbucks gift cards rank fifth with 38,266 monthly searches. The coffee chain’s gift cards have become a staple in American gift-giving culture, particularly for casual occasions and thank-you gifts.
Top five: The most popular gift card brands in Texas
| Rank | Brand | Average Monthly Search Volume |
| 1 | Vanilla | 97,329 |
| 2 | Roblox | 71,368 |
| 3 | Visa | 47,381 |
| 4 | Amazon | 41,483 |
| 5 | Starbucks | 38,266 |
National findings
On a national level, Vanilla gift cards top the list as the most popular gift card in America with 789,469 average monthly searches. Illinois searches the most for this gift card, with 280.37 searches per 100,000 people.
Roblox placed second with 598,593 monthly searches. Nevada searches for Roblox gift cards more than any other state, with 234.98 searches per 100,000 residents.
Visa gift cards take third place with 533,525 monthly searches. These gift cards are also the most popular in Nevada, with 213.84 searches per 100,000 people.
Amazon gift cards place fourth with 478,766 monthly searches, which are most frequently searched in New York, with 192.25 searches per 100,000 residents.
Starbucks gift cards round out the top five with 378,698 monthly searches, making them the most popular food and beverage specific gift card option in America. California searches for Starbucks gift cards the most, with 170.83 searches per 100,000 people.
Top five: The most popular gift card brands in America
| Rank | Brand | Average Monthly Search Volume | Top State | State Average Search Volume (Per 100K) |
| 1 | Vanilla | 789,469 | Illinois | 280.37 |
| 2 | Roblox | 598,593 | Nevada | 234.98 |
| 3 | Visa | 533,525 | Nevada | 213.84 |
| 4 | Amazon | 478,766 | New York | 192.25 |
| 5 | Starbucks | 378,698 | California | 170.83 |
Tom Buckland, Co-Founder and Marketing Director of Giftwhale, commented on the findings:
“These results show there’s a clear preference for flexibility when consumers in Texas choose gift cards, with Vanilla and Visa, which both offer recipients significant freedom in how they use their gift, ranking among the top five.
“On a national scale, what’s particularly interesting is the strong showing from gaming, with Roblox placing second overall and having almost 600,000 monthly searches. This reflects broader consumer spending trends where gaming continues to capture an increasing share of entertainment dollars.”
Methodology:
The study used data from Google Keyword Planner to reveal the rankings, following this process:
A seed list of initial brands was established based on the brands that had at least one keyword related to gift cards with an average search volume of over 10,000 in the United States over the past 12 months according to Ahrefs.
Then, the monthly average search volume for each term in each state was taken from Google Keyword Planner and compared to their population sizes.
Once this was complete, the total number of monthly average searches for each gift card was used to rank them from the highest to the lowest.
Full data: Most popular gift card brands in America
Story brought to us by Gift Whale
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
