RibiRewards vs Suregifts
Suregifts pioneered the corporate gift card category in Nigeria and has built one of the largest merchant catalogues on the continent. This is an honest look at where each platform wins — because the right answer depends entirely on what you are trying to do.
RibiRewards
14 / 23
categories won
Suregifts
6 / 23
categories won
The honest picture
Where RibiRewards wins
Multi-country coverage across 14 African markets, HR admin controls purpose-built for structured programmes, bulk dispatch, automated sends, real-time analytics, a public API for platform integrations, and categories Suregifts does not offer — airtime, mobile data, bill payments, and physical goods delivery. If you are running a rewards programme at scale across more than one country, or you need an API — RibiRewards is built for this.
Where Suregifts wins
In-store redemption at Nigerian merchants. A consumer-grade personal gifting experience. Gift registry. Ten years of corporate trust in Nigeria specifically. If you need a gift registry, strong in-store coverage, or a consumer product for personal gifting — Suregifts is the right tool.
Credit where it is due
What Suregifts has built is genuinely impressive.
We looked at their product properly before writing this page. Here is what stands out.
500+ merchants in Nigeria
Alphabetically browsable, filterable by category, in-store or online. That is 21+ pages of Nigerian merchants. Built over 10 years. Very few platforms come close.
In-store and online redemption
Employees can walk into a physical merchant and redeem. That matters — not every employee wants to order online. Suregifts has built the in-store merchant relationships to support this.
Category breadth
Fashion, Food, Gaming, Groceries, Home & Living, Luxury, Religious Stores, Services, Travel & Hotels, Utility Bills, For Kids, Adventure, Beauty — genuinely broad.
Consumer experience
The Suregifts consumer product is polished. Search, category filters, in-store vs online, country selection. If someone wants to browse and buy a specific gift card, the UX is excellent.
Gift Registry
A unique feature — recipients can create a wishlist of gift cards they want. Useful for personal gifting occasions. RibiRewards does not offer this.
10 years of corporate trust
Banks, FMCG companies, and telecoms across Nigeria have been running Suregifts programmes since 2014. That institutional familiarity is worth something real.
Full comparison
Feature by feature
| Feature | RibiRewards | Suregifts | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coverage | |||
Countries supported RibiRewards covers every market Suregifts serves, plus 12 more. | 14 live markets — Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Senegal and more | Nigeria + Kenya | RibiRewards |
Merchant catalogue depth RibiRewards covers more markets with a localised catalogue per country. Suregifts depth is strong in Nigeria specifically. | 400+ curated brands across 13 countries — airtime, dining, rides, spa, fashion, grocery, streaming, electronics, bills and more. Every market has its own localised catalogue. | ~500 merchants, primarily Nigeria and Kenya | RibiRewards |
Spend categories RibiRewards delivers 12 spend categories across 13 countries. Suregifts category coverage is Nigeria and Kenya only. | 13 categories across every supported market: airtime & data, dining, rides, spa & wellness, streaming & cinema, fashion, grocery, home & living, kids & family, beauty, electronics, bills & utilities, and physical goods delivery | Available in Nigeria and Kenya only — not multi-country | RibiRewards |
Airtime & mobile data Airtime is the most-redeemed reward category in Nigeria and Kenya. Suregifts does not offer it. | All major networks across every supported country | Not available | RibiRewards |
In-store redemption Suregifts has in-store redemption across a wide merchant network. Physical presence matters when employees want to walk in and spend. | Select merchants | Strong — most merchants support both in-store and online redemption | Suregifts |
Multi-country single send | One dashboard sends to any of 14 markets in local currency | Nigeria and Kenya only | RibiRewards |
| Product | |||
Personal gifting (consumer) Suregifts is built for personal gifting as much as corporate. If someone wants to send a gift to a friend or family member, Suregifts is the right tool. | Not the primary product — corporate and HR focus | Core product — clean consumer experience for buying and gifting to anyone | Suregifts |
Flex Card Both offer a multi-spend card concept. Different network, different positioning. | RewardsCard — branded, occasion-specific, multi-category | Flex Card — load value, spend anywhere in the Suregifts network | Both |
Gift Registry A meaningful product Suregifts offers that RibiRewards does not have. | Not available | Available — unique feature for personal and event gifting | Suregifts |
Occasion-specific card designs | 10 dedicated physical card designs — Birthday, Achievement, Wellness, Welcome, Farewell and more | Generic gift card format | RibiRewards |
Digital delivery | Instant branded email send | Available | Both |
Physical card | 10 occasion-specific printed card designs, shipped in-country | Physical cards available | Both |
| Business Platform | |||
HR admin dashboard RibiRewards is purpose-built for HR programme management at scale. | Full dashboard — wallet funding, CSV upload, bulk sends, programme tracking, analytics | Business portal — available, solid for core corporate sends | RibiRewards |
Bulk send (CSV) | 1,000 employees in under 2 minutes | Available — better suited to smaller sends | RibiRewards |
Automated birthday and anniversary | Schedule once, runs automatically across your entire team | Manual only | RibiRewards |
Redemption analytics | Real-time per-recipient tracking and programme reporting | Basic — no programme analytics dashboard | RibiRewards |
Multi-currency wallet | NGN, KES, ZAR, EGP, GHS, MAD, TZS, UGX, XOF, ETB | NGN and KES only | RibiRewards |
| Integration | |||
Public API Critical for platforms embedding Africa reward fulfilment programmatically. Suregifts has no equivalent. | Full REST API — sends, balances, webhooks, programmatic triggers | No public API | RibiRewards |
HRIS integration | Connect via API to any HR platform | None | RibiRewards |
White-label | Available for platform partners | Not available | RibiRewards |
| Trust | |||
Years in market Suregifts is one of Nigeria's original gift card platforms. That track record and institutional trust is real. | Launched 2023 | Operating since 2014 — 10+ years | Suregifts |
Corporate client base in Nigeria Suregifts has more proven enterprise relationships in Nigeria specifically. That matters. | Global recognition platforms and multinationals operating in Africa | Deep Nigerian corporate roster across banking, FMCG, and telecoms | Suregifts |
Consumer brand recognition Receiving a Suregifts card means something to Nigerian employees already familiar with the brand. | B2B focused — not a consumer household name yet | Well-known consumer brand in Nigeria and Kenya — employees have often heard of it | Suregifts |
Decision guide
Which one is right for you?
- You manage rewards across more than one African country
- You need bulk sends to 50+ employees at once
- You want automated birthday and anniversary programmes that run themselves
- You are integrating rewards via API into a platform or HRIS
- You need airtime, mobile data, or bill payments as reward categories
- You want detailed redemption tracking and programme analytics
- You are building a white-label rewards product for Africa
- You want personal gifting — sending a gift card to a friend or family member
- You need the deepest merchant catalogue in Nigeria, including in-store options
- Your employees already know and trust the Suregifts brand
- You want categories like Luxury, For Kids, Religious Stores, or Adventure
- You need a gift registry feature
- You are not running a structured programme — just occasional individual sends
If you outgrow Suregifts and need programme features, API access, or multi-country coverage — that is what we are built for. Come back when you are ready to scale.
Common questions
Switching and comparison questions
Can I migrate from Suregifts to RibiRewards?
Yes. Upload your existing recipient list as a CSV and start sending the same day. No complex migration. If there are specific Suregifts merchants your team relies on, ask us — we may already have them or can prioritise adding them.
Does RibiRewards have the same merchants as Suregifts?
Suregifts has a larger merchant catalogue in Nigeria — 500+ merchants built over 10 years, with strong in-store coverage. RibiRewards has a broader category range including airtime, bills, physical goods delivery, and wellness services that Suregifts does not offer. For specific merchants, ask us before switching.
Is Suregifts better for personal gifting?
Yes, honestly. Suregifts is built for personal gifting as much as corporate. The consumer discovery experience — search, filters, categories, in-store options — is designed for someone who wants to buy a specific gift card for a friend. RibiRewards is focused on HR teams running structured employee programmes.
Can global HR platforms integrate RibiRewards via API?
Yes. The public REST API supports programmatic sends, balance checks, and webhooks — everything a platform needs to embed Africa reward fulfilment. Suregifts has no public API equivalent, which is the primary reason platform partners choose us.
Is RibiRewards more expensive than Suregifts?
Suregifts earns on merchant commission. RibiRewards charges a platform fee plus a small transaction percentage. For structured programmes at volume across multiple countries, RibiRewards is typically more cost-effective overall. For single one-off sends, the pricing difference is minimal.
Ready to run rewards as a programme?
30-minute call. We will show you the platform, answer every question, and set up a pilot if you want to test before committing.