Overview

Cadeau gives independent businesses a way to sell digital gift cards through their own websites. It is a strong fit for Canadian restaurants, shops and service businesses that want branded cards and wallet passes without a monthly subscription. The trade-off is a 3% fee on every transaction.

Key features

A single script tag embeds the gift card store on a website, including one built with WordPress, Shopify, Angular or static HTML. That makes Cadeau practical for businesses with an existing site, and the company says launch can take under 10 minutes without a developer. Merchants can customize logos, colors, fonts and card designs, so the storefront can reflect their brand rather than look generic.

Stripe Connect handles payments and sends payouts directly to the merchant’s bank account. Recipients can save passes to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, where balances update in real time. Email and scheduled delivery are included, while the dashboard tracks sales, redemptions and revenue. Multi-location support helps businesses operating across several sites, but the lack of POS integration rules out merchants who need gift card sales and balances connected to their point-of-sale system.

The platform supports French and English. Cadeau says personal data is stored and processed in Canadian data centres; Twilio processes phone numbers in the United States for SMS delivery and OTP verification. Its privacy policy says data in transit uses TLS 1.2 or higher, sensitive data at rest uses AES-256, and Cadeau maintains SAQ-A PCI DSS compliance while Stripe handles card data. The FAQ says customers can contact support and receive a response as soon as possible.

Pricing

Pay As You Go — 0.00 USD per free has no monthly fee and charges 3% per transaction. It includes unlimited gift cards and designs, a branded embed widget, Apple and Google Wallet passes, email and scheduled delivery, an analytics dashboard, multi-location support and priority support. The absence of a fixed bill suits businesses with modest or seasonal gift card sales; the percentage fee, however, grows with each sale and may be less attractive as volume rises. There is no free trial, and no card or design cap is stated for this plan.

Platforms

Cadeau supports Android, iOS and web. Its online sales channel and website embed suit businesses selling digital cards through their own sites; it is not a POS-integrated option.

Who it's for

Independent Canadian restaurants, cafes, retailers, spas, salons, bakeries and local shops are the natural audience. It works best for a business that already has a website, wants its own branded online gift card store, and values wallet passes and sales reporting over POS integration. Businesses seeking a point-of-sale-connected gift card system should look elsewhere.

Pros and cons

Pros: No monthly fee lowers the barrier to launching; unlimited cards and designs avoid stated catalog caps; wallet passes with live balance updates make digital cards more useful to recipients; multi-location support and sales reporting serve operators managing more than one site.
Cons: The 3% transaction fee scales with sales, so high gift-card volume can make the variable charge material; no POS integration limits its use for merchants who need in-store systems connected; SMS phone-number processing takes place in the United States despite Canadian data hosting.

Alternatives

For restaurant operators comparing gift-card services, Restaurant Gift Card Software is a useful category starting point. Clover Online Ordering may suit businesses focused on takeout, curbside pickup or dine-in ordering, with no setup or subscription fees for those orders, though delivery fees may apply. Choose GiftFly when its no-monthly-charge model and 5,000 free promotional emails per month are a better fit; online Stripe processing is 2.90% + $0.30 per card transaction.

Lunchbox is an option for businesses needing restaurant ordering tools, with a free plan for 1–2 locations and an SMB plan that also covers 1–2 locations with no sign-up or commission fee. Hang is another paid option. SavoryTab Gift Cards may suit merchants looking for a mobile POS bundle: its PAX A920 plan is 29.00 USD per month per device. Factor4 offers a custom gift card program whose pricing depends on location count, channel mix and integration, with a low monthly program fee and unlimited transactions. Lightspeed Restaurant is a broader paid POS option, starting at 69.00 USD per month for its Starter plan. Loopz Gift Cards may appeal to Clover users seeking a paid gift card tool; its Lite (US Clover) plan costs 8.00 USD per month and adds a 2% activation fee plus $0.10 per gift card delivered by SMS.

Verdict

Cadeau is the right choice for a Canadian independent business that wants branded online gift cards, wallet passes and reporting without a monthly commitment. Its direct payouts and generous included features make the setup appealing, but the 3% transaction fee and lack of POS integration are good reasons to look elsewhere if gift card sales are substantial or need to connect with an in-store system.

	Cadeau	Incentivio
Free plan	Yes	No
Free trial	No	No
Paid from	Free	—
Open source	No	No
Platforms	Android, iOS, Web	Android, iOS, Web
Free plan	Yes	—
Card formats	digital	—
Sales channels	online	—
POS integration	No	—
Multi-location support	Yes	—
Gift card reporting	Yes	—

Cadeau vs Incentivio

Cadeau

Incentivio