No.76, operated by Gloucester Charities Trust, now accepts the digital Gloucester Gift Card at its London Road community café. Customers can upload the digital gift card to digital wallets and pay using their phone.

A community café is the latest business to join the Gloucester Gift Card, as a voluntary member of Gloucester BID, enhancing the choice of the card for customers.

Customers are now able to ‘tap' to pay for their food and drink at No.76 with their digital Gloucester Gift Card, after adding the card to their Apple or Google Wallet. The digital Gloucester Gift Card was introduced by Gloucester BID in 2021, following the launch of the physical card in 2019.

In January 2024, the number of businesses who are part of the Gloucester Gift Card nears 100, from butchers to restaurants, sandwich shops to furniture stores. No. 76 joins a number of community focused organisations who are part of the gift card, including Treasure Seekers Hub, Clic Sargent and YMCA.

Dan Amor is Property Care Manager at Gloucester Charities Trust and said the gift card has a similar community support ethos to No. 76:

"Gloucester Charities Trust is a housing charity based in Gloucester that has been around since the 1800s. No.76 is a coffee shop for the community, with income generated reinvested back into the charity to benefit those we work with. We serve locally roasted, ethically sourced coffee, hot food and sweet treats, all supporting local suppliers.

"We're pleased to accept the digital Gloucester Gift Card because it's giving back to the city, similar to what we try to do at No. 76. It's really easy for people to pay using their digital Gloucester Gift Card. Once the card is loaded into their Apple Pay, or similar, they can tap to pay with their phone like they would normally. At the café, we use the Square till system and it's really easy for us to accept the card; we don't have to make any adjustments.

"The Gloucester Gift Card makes a really thoughtful gift, especially when you look at the variety of places where it can be spent. If you give someone cash, it goes into the general pot and while that is useful, it's probably not the point of the gift. We get lots of customers from the hospital, and popping into our café is a chance for people to have time away from stressful jobs or time to catch up with friends, and that has never been more needed than it is now.

"With a gift card in their hand, people might be encouraged to try somewhere new. There are loads of great local businesses who are part of the Gloucester Gift Card. We all hear stories of businesses having to close down because of the costs of running a business. But if we don't support them, using initiatives like the gift card, people will be too scared to start new businesses and we'll all be shopping on Amazon for everything and drinking instant coffee."

Claire Knight, Marketing & Business Engagement Lead at Gloucester BID said enhancing choice and accessibility is key for the program:

"Almost 100 city businesses now accept the Gloucester Gift Card, with 9 businesses including No. 76 accepting the digital version of the card only. Including digital gift card only businesses enhances accessibility, meaning even more businesses can be a part of the program, giving recipients of the card even more choice. When you consider that every Gloucester Gift Card has to be spent in the city, with businesses who are in turn reinvesting money back into the city, it really is a win-win for everyone."

Gloucester's Gift Card is part of the multi-award winning Town & City Gift Card initiative active across the UK and Ireland.

Colin Munro, Managing Director of Miconex said:

"Choice is key when it comes to gifts. In 2023, 89% prefer multi-store gift cards to single retailer gift cards, with choice being the main reason and 94% prefer multi-sector gift cards that can be spent in retail, hospitality and more. Adding organisations like No. 76 to the Gloucester Gift Card adds breadth and depth to the program, making it even more appealing as a gift or corporate reward."

To find out more about the Gloucester Gift Card, click here.