Gift cards are nothing new. They’re easy to buy, share, and spend, and they leave recipients feeling well cared for at minimal cost to the remodeling company.

Now a company called CardLab is offering an added level of branding and marketing to gift-card incentives. At a cost of $5.95 per card (plus the pre-loaded incentive amount), small businesses can purchase branded Visa Incentive Cards they design themselves using CardLab’s online program at incentivecardlab.com. Users can choose from numerous available image templates, add their logo, or create unique card designs for each recipient. Custom design assistance is also available.

The cards come in any denomination from $5 to $2,500 and can be used anywhere Visa debit cards are accepted. Quantity discounts may also be available.

CardLab CEO David Jones calls Visa incentive cards “a win-win for both the giver and receiver”: recipients may prefer them to store- or restaurant-specific gift cards because of the freedom to choose where to spend the rewards, and businesses that use the cards as incentives benefit from having their brand displayed whenever the card is used.

—Lauren Hunter, associate editor, REMODELING.