The news: Blackhawk Network launched a platform that aggregates refunds, promotional dollars, loyalty rewards, and gift cards into a single balance for consumers—helping brands boost conversions and create targeted marketing in digital wallets, per a press release.

The stored value platform is delivered through BHN’s digital wallet API, giving customers one holistic balance on brands’  ecommerce websites, mobile apps, and checkout flows.

Why this matters: Blackhawk Network has given retailers a turn-key solution to drive more sales by consolidating multiple forms of retail currency. Consumers get a clear view of available funds, encouraging checkouts: In one case study, 90% of funds added to a participating wallet were spent in 30 days, edging up to 95% over 60 days, per Blackhawk data. 

This platform gives digital wallets another valuable use case, making it easier to deposit funds into a centralized location. This push comes at a time when US digital wallet growth is catching up to global adoption: The payment method leads all ecommerce checkout options at 40%, per Global Payments’ 2026 report. Wallets are becoming a shopping feature layer that guides consumer purchase behavior from discovery to returns and tracking information.

This place BHN’s partner retailers in a good position to pick up Gen Zers and millennials, as these cohorts remain the most enthusiastic in digital wallet usage: 39% of 18- to 25-year-olds and 41% of 35- to 41-year-olds cite digital wallets as their most used online checkout method, compared with 9% of respondents ages 65 and older, per Global Payments.

Implications for prepaid card networks: As digital wallets merge gift cards with loyalty programs and promotions, prepaid card providers have an opportunity to launch financial media networks that capitalize on consumer demand for wallet-linked offers: 75% of consumers would interact more with brands that offer specialized rewards linked in their wallet, per a November 2025 Vibes survey.