Take paychecks further with fee-free instant gift cards

Picture this: you get home late one day, and you’re way too tired to cook dinner. With payday still another eight days away, you’re not sure if ordering delivery is the best financial decision… so you dig around in the fridge instead. Freezer-burnt pizza bagel, anyone?

You deserve better than that. 

We understand that the essentials can’t wait for payday. That’s why we built fee-free instant gift cards. With ZayZoon, you can withdraw your earned wages onto a gift card at no cost–and it comes with a bonus of up to 25 percent. 

Why we built instant gift cards

At ZayZoon, developing fee-free options was vital because we wanted to reduce employees’ financial stress around paying for essentials. 

In our 2024 report on employee financial wellness, 72.9% of 5,000 surveyed employees said that their food costs have been most impacted by inflation. 16.8 percent of respondents said paying for groceries and food is their biggest financial stressor. 

And it’s not just food. Across the board, the primary sources of financial stress for today’s employees are necessities that must be paid every month, like rent or mortgage payments, bills, healthcare and medication, and debt. As we said in our report, this indicates a pervasive anxiety about basic needs. 

“With more than 80% of ZayZoon customers accessing their earned wages for necessities, we knew it was important to focus on merchants that provide essentials such as gas and groceries, ZayZoon has established itself as a leading earned wage access and financial education provider, but those are only pieces to a larger puzzle. Our partnership with Prizeout helps keep even more money in our customers' pockets and is a significant step forward in our mission to set employees up for long-term financial success.”

- Darcy Tuer, CEO of ZayZoon

How instant gift cards help employees  

ZayZoon customers accessing their earned wages early can now take a payout to a gift card worth up to 25 percent more than their payout amount. Instant gift cards were designed for essentials and services today’s employees need most, like groceries, gas, and retail with zero fees attached!

Typically, a customer looking for an early payout would be subject to a $5 transaction fee.

Now, with instant gift cards, that same customer can waive the $5 fee and receive up to 25 percent in additional value that can be applied to leading retailers they already use regularly, like Walmart, Amazon, and Doordash.

"Today I will be using [the gift card] for gas. The bonus percentage incentive is awesome. Who doesn't like free money?! I like the variety of options to get gift cards when I'm shopping. Being able to save more means I can get more out of my paycheck and my life. It feels good to get rewards that actually benefit me and my family."

- Jessica, ZayZoon customer 

How instant gift cards benefit employers 

ZayZoon is already free for employers–yes, completely free–and instant gift cards are like the cherry on top. With boosts of up to 25 percent, instant gift cards are like mini bonuses for employees that cost employers nothing. 

But instant gift cards also come with lots of bonuses for employers in the forms of employee engagement, financial wellness, and improved retention. 

When looking for an earned wage access (EWA) provider, ZayZoon’s instant gift cards were a key differentiator for Steve Seymour, Director of Personnel Training & Development at Country Fair. Country Fair is a convenience store chain with 1200 employees at over 70 locations in the United States. 

“Our employees love the idea of the gift card purchases,” Seymour told us. “Especially with the add-ons on the gift cards. I mean if you think about this a minute, a $100 Walmart card, maybe 110 because of a 10 percent advantage on that card, that's ten dollars that might be a dinner at somebody's house one night.”

ZayZoon's focus on promoting employee well-being, including options like fee-free earned wage access via gift cards and bonuses, resonated with Country Fair's dedication to supporting its staff. This was a significant reason Country Fair opted for ZayZoon over other EWA providers.

Country Fair’s partnership with ZayZoon resulted in a 22 percent decrease in employee turnover. By offering employees a simple and intuitive financial wellness solution, Country Fair also saved serious dough on costs associated with gaps in customer service and hiring and training new employees. 

Get started with ZayZoon

Book a demo with us if you’re an employer looking for a cost-effective financial wellness solution that improves employee retention, engagement, and satisfaction. ZayZoon is 100% free for employers and is already embedded in leading payroll providers.

If you’re an employee at a workplace that offers ZayZoon, you can sign up and get your first early payout on a fee-free gift card within minutes, either online or in the ZayZoon app. If you need any support with this, check out our updated help center. 

Let’s rewind. You get home late one day, and you’re way too tired to cook dinner. Payday is still eight days away. So, you open up ZayZoon and withdraw $40 from what you’ve already earned onto a free Doordash gift card. With a bonus of 25 percent on the card, you even get an extra $10 that won’t be deducted from your paycheck. 

Hope you left room for dessert.