Active Junky, the U.S. cashback and shopping rewards platform, has launched a branded digital gift card and rewards hub for its members. Powered by Tillo StoreFront, Tillo's turnkey white label gift card mall, members can now buy discounted digital gift cards, earn cashback on those purchases, and cash out their rewards balance onto gift cards worth more than the balance itself. For U.S. families heading into back-to-school and holiday spending, that means two layers of savings on purchases they were already going to make.
| Key Detail |
Information |
| Companies |
Active Junky, powered by Tillo |
| Solution Used |
Tillo StoreFront, a white label digital gift card mall launched without in-house build or direct merchant contracts |
| Member Benefit |
Cashback on discounted digital gift cards, plus bonus-value cash-out (a $100 balance can become a $110 gift card at select retailers) |
| Redemption Options |
ACH, PayPal, Venmo, check, eligible personal Visa® or Mastercard® credit or debit card, and bonus-value gift cards |
| Brand Reach |
Thousands of global gift card brands via Tillo, complementing Active Junky's existing network of 3,000+ retailers |
| Market |
United States, with categories spanning sporting goods, big-box retail, home improvement, dining and grocery |
What Did Active Junky Launch with Tillo?
Active Junky launched a fully branded digital gift card and rewards hub inside its own platform, built on Tillo StoreFront. Members can browse, buy, earn, redeem and gift digital gift cards from thousands of global brands without leaving the Active Junky experience.
The commercial logic is straightforward. Standing up a gift card mall from scratch means building payments, ordering, fulfillment and inventory logic, then negotiating thousands of individual merchant relationships to fill it. Active Junky did neither. StoreFront delivered a live, branded storefront with brand supply already connected, which took a multi-quarter infrastructure project off the roadmap and turned it into a launch.
The new hub sits alongside Active Junky's existing network of more than 3,000 retailers rather than replacing it, extending member choice into categories where gift cards carry real weight for households: sporting goods, big-box retail, home improvement, dining and grocery.
Why Do Bonus-Value Gift Cards Matter to U.S. Families Right Now?
Because they turn a fixed cashback balance into more spending power than the balance is worth. Under ongoing economic pressure, U.S. consumers are actively looking for ways to make each dollar go further, and a redemption option that pays out above face value is a rare form of upside on spending that has already happened.
At select retailers on Active Junky, a $100 cashback balance can be redeemed for a $110 gift card. Stack that with a discounted gift card bought through the hub before a purchase is made, and members are saving on both sides of the same transaction. For a household covering youth sports fees, replacing gear, or working through a weekly grocery bill, that compounding is the difference between a marginal reward and a meaningful one.
The timing is deliberate. Back-to-school and holiday shopping are the two highest-spend periods of the U.S. calendar, and they are precisely when incremental value on essential purchases changes household behavior.
How Does Tillo StoreFront Power the Active Junky Experience?
Tillo StoreFront handles the infrastructure behind the hub: brand supply, ordering, fulfillment and inventory across thousands of gift card brands, delivered as a white label environment that carries Active Junky's brand rather than Tillo's. Members experience it as a native part of the platform they already use. Key advantages include:
- Speed to Market: A branded gift card and rewards hub launched without building payments, fulfillment or merchant integrations in-house.
- Brand Supply at Scale: Access to thousands of global brands through a single connection, with no direct merchant contracts to negotiate or maintain.
- White Label Control: The storefront looks and feels like Active Junky, keeping the member relationship and the brand equity where they belong.
- Instant Fulfillment: Digital gift cards are delivered immediately, so cashback becomes usable value in seconds rather than days.
- Room to Expand: New brands and categories added to the Tillo network become available to Active Junky members without further development work.
How Do Active Junky Members Use the New Gift Card Hub?
Existing members access it directly inside their Active Junky account. Browse the gift card hub, buy discounted digital gift cards from participating brands, and earn cashback on those purchases as normal. Cards are delivered instantly and ready to use.
When cashing out, members keep every payout method they had before, including ACH, PayPal, Venmo and check. Two options are new: cash out to an eligible personal Visa® or Mastercard® credit or debit card, or redeem the balance for a gift card carrying additional bonus value at select retailers. No separate account, no external checkout, no waiting on a mailed payment.
Executive Perspectives on Embedded Rewards and Everyday Savings
"Active Junky has built a highly engaged community of savvy savers, and we're excited to help them deliver even more value at a time when every dollar counts. Our storefront solution allowed Active Junky to bring a powerful rewards and gift card experience to market quickly. As we continue to add new brands and categories to the Tillo network, their members will see even more opportunities to maximize their rewards, both online and in-store, across the purchases they already make."
— Alex Preece, CEO and Co-Founder at Tillo
"Our goal is to become the first place people check before making any meaningful purchase. Families are feeling the pinch, whether they're buying gear to stay involved in their favorite hobbies, covering the cost of kids' sports and activities, or simply keeping up with the grocery bill. Partnering with Tillo gives our members a smarter way to stack savings through cashback and discounted gift cards, helping them make their money go further without giving up the hobbies and experiences that matter most to them."
— Kevin McInerney, Founder and CEO at Active Junky
What Are the Early Results?
Adoption has been fast. Members are choosing bonus-value redemptions over traditional cash payouts, and buying discounted gift cards ahead of purchases to lock in savings before they spend. Together, cashback, discounted gift cards and bonus redemptions are unlocking more value on everyday spending than any of the three could on their own.
That sits against a strong backdrop for the business. Founded in 2010 with a focus on outdoor sports enthusiasts, Active Junky has expanded alongside its members to serve athletes, parents and families managing the rising cost of sports, household essentials and daily life. The company is currently in its strongest period of growth to date.
What's Next for Active Junky and Tillo?
Both companies are exploring additional ways to help consumers save, including in-store and card-linked offers that would extend the experience beyond online shopping and into physical retail. As Tillo adds brands and categories to its network, those become available to Active Junky members without additional build work, so member value grows without a new integration cycle each time.
For any rewards, loyalty or cashback business, the lesson holds: the fastest route to a gift card proposition is rarely building one. If you want to launch a branded gift card and rewards experience without the infrastructure or the merchant negotiations, explore Tillo StoreFront and see how quickly it can go live.
