When shoppers are asked what they actually want for the holidays, the answer is strikingly practical. Gift cards top holiday wish list 2026 results, with 47% of consumers saying they would like to receive one, ahead of clothing at 44%, books and other media at 25% and personal care or beauty items at 24%, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual consumer survey of 8,094 adults conducted October 1 to 7.
The survey, reported by Fast Company and Chain Store Age, follows NRF’s forecast of $1.013 trillion in November-December retail sales. It also found that 56% of holiday shoppers say the state of the economy will affect their spending plans, and 43% plan to begin browsing and buying gifts before November, compared with 42% in 2025.
Budgets push shoppers toward cards
A separate study from Blackhawk Network, based on 2,307 US holiday shoppers, explains why cards are winning. Among shoppers setting a holiday budget — 82% of those surveyed — 93% plan to buy gift cards, compared with 78% of shoppers without a budget. Surveyed shoppers plan to spend an average of $721 on holiday gifts, down 3% from last year.
Gift cards account for 36% of planned gift spending among shoppers earning less than $40,000, compared with 29% among those earning $80,000 or more, Blackhawk found. Ease of sending is the leading reason shoppers cite for buying cards, followed by giving recipients freedom to choose. Open-loop cards such as Visa and Mastercard are the top choice, preferred by 74% of younger shoppers and 61% of older shoppers.
The gift that fits a tight year
Online remains the leading shopping destination, with 53% planning to shop online, followed by grocery stores and discount stores at 43% each and department stores at 42%, NRF said. In that landscape, a gift card is both a gift and a budgeting tool: the giver caps the spend, the recipient chooses the item, and nobody pays for wrapping a guess.
Employers have noticed too. A 2026 holiday gift survey of 509 buyers and 502 employees found gift cards the top favorite employee gift category at 55%, with tech the most regularly used at 53%. For households and workplaces alike, the most-wanted gift this year is the freedom to choose.
