Nift is an independent, privately held company that makes it easy to discover new brands by introducing those brands through thank-you gifts from businesses that people use every day. Companies you already use, like Klarna, Afterpay, ParkMobile, and Planet Fitness, thank their customers with a gift powered by Nift, and you pick something new to try from brands like HelloFresh and Disney+. Founded in Boston in 2015 by Elery Pfeffer and a founding team, the company is legally Nift Networks Inc., and the name is short for “neighborhood gift.” You enter your gift code at GoNift.com, choose from options based on the interests you share, and never need to pay to select one: the brands featured on Nift fully fund every gift.
Nift now powers more than 50 million thank-you gift moments a month across the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, drawing on a network of more than 15,000 businesses, from national brands to local restaurants.
Quick Facts About Nift
- Founded: 2015 in Boston, Massachusetts
- Founded By: Elery Pfeffer and a founding team; Pfeffer remains CEO
- Legal Name: Nift Networks Inc.
- Name Meaning: Nift is short for “neighborhood gift”
- Official Websites: nift.com and gonift.com; GoNift.com is where gifts are entered and selected
- Scale: More than 50 million thank-you gift moments per month
- Where It Operates: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia
- Network: More than 15,000 businesses funding and fulfilling gifts
- Ownership: Privately held and venture-backed (Spark Capital, Foundry Group, Accomplice)
- Cost to Select a Gift: Nothing; the brands featured on Nift fully fund every gift
How Does Nift Work?
A Nift gift arrives at the moment a company you already use wants to express gratitude. The partner decides when to say thanks; Nift’s technology matches you with gift options based on the interests you share. The gift comes from the partner, powered by Nift, and the whole thing takes about two minutes, start to finish.
Step 1: A partner sends you a gift notice by email, inside its app, or by push notification.
Step 2: You enter your gift code at GoNift.com.
Step 3: You tell us what you like, answering a few quick questions across categories like fashion, restaurants, music, and home goods.
Step 4: Our proprietary AI matching shows you two curated gift options, and you pick one.
Step 5: Your Nift certificate arrives, valid for 30 days at the business you selected.
Gift options come in all kinds, and the details sit on each one before you commit. Some are fully covered, with no payment at all. Others act as a credit toward a product or service, where the gift knocks the price down and you pay the remainder if you use the gift. Some work like a trial period for a few months, and then you pay if you decide to stay on. And you’re not stuck with your first choice: you can reset your selection yourself once, and our customer success team can help with additional swaps through the Happiness Guarantee until something fits.
Why Did I Get a Nift Gift?
You got a Nift gift because a company you already do business with chose to thank you for something specific. As our consumer FAQ puts it: “If you’ve received a Nift gift, it’s a surprise thank-you gift from one of our partners. You’ve earned it by being a great customer.”
Each partner picks its own thank-you moments. Afterpay sends gifts after a customer’s second on-time payment. Klarna thanks shoppers for completing a purchase and has identified about 20 points in its customer journey where a gift fits. A gym might mark a membership milestone. However your gift arrives, the message underneath is the same: the partner sees you as a valued member of its community.
You never signed up for Nift, which is exactly why the message can feel unfamiliar. The thank-you comes from a company you already have a relationship with; Nift is the technology that powers it.
Is GoNift the Same as Nift? What Is gonift.com?
Yes, GoNift and Nift are the same company, and gonift.com is Nift’s own website. Nift is the brand; nift.com and gonift.com are both official Nift websites. GoNift.com is the site where you enter your gift code, select your gift, and receive your certificate, which is why it appears on gift notices.
The company behind both domains is Nift Networks Inc. of Boston. There is no separate GoNift company; Nift is simply the brand behind both sites. Questions about a specific gift can go to our customer success team at help@gonift.com or through the contact form at gonift.com.
Who Founded Nift, and Who Owns It?
Nift was founded in Boston in 2015 by Elery Pfeffer and a founding team, and Pfeffer continues to serve as CEO. The name is short for “neighborhood gift,” a nod to the platform’s beginnings: Nift started with about 10 local Boston businesses, neighborhood restaurants and shops, and has since grown into a network of more than 15,000. Pfeffer describes the model in one line: “With Nift, you get thank-you gifts from brands you know to try brands you don’t.”
Nift Networks is privately held and venture-backed. Spark Capital, Foundry Group, and Accomplice funded the company’s $16.5 million Series A round in 2018, and the company remains independent and founder-led. The leadership team has grown with the platform: former Disney and ESPN executive Marc Mallett joined in 2026, and Chief Revenue Officer Saket Mehta was named to the 2026 Adweek 50.
Why Do Companies Send Gifts Through Nift?
Companies send gifts through Nift to thank their customers at moments that matter, while giving another brand the chance to be discovered and tried. The exchange works for everyone involved: the partner creates a moment of gratitude with its customers, the brand funding your gift introduces itself, and you get a present.
Instead of annoying ads, businesses give Nift gifts to create moments of joy. The brands featured as gifts trust Nift to bring them first-time customers, because they’d rather give people a reason to actually try their brand than run another ad you scroll past. The idea behind the whole network is simple: when people discover a business they like, they tend to come back.
The results bear that out. Wine retailer Wine Insiders grew new-customer volume 151% in six months with Nift, and participating restaurants average three Nift-driven customers per location per day.
How Does Nift Make Money? Does Nift Cost Anything to Use?
Selecting a gift costs you nothing, ever: the brands featured on Nift fully fund every gift. Where cost can get confusing is that gifts come in all kinds. Some options are fully covered, no payment at all. Others act as a credit toward a product or service, say a meal box, where the gift knocks the price down and you pay the remainder if you use the gift. Some work like a trial period for a few months, and then you pay if you decide to stay on. Every option shows its details up front, before you commit, and the full gift terms are on our site.
Nift’s revenue comes from the brands, not from selecting a gift. The brands you can pick from (Sam’s Club, Fabletics, HelloFresh, a restaurant around the corner) fund the gifts and pay Nift to help new customers discover and try them. They work with Nift because they’d rather give people a reason to actually try their brand, and the matching is built to send them people who may become returning customers.
What Brands Work With Nift?
Nift’s network has two sides: companies that thank their own customers with gifts, and brands that fund gifts so new customers can discover and try them.
Partners that send gifts through Nift:
- Payment and installment providers: Klarna, Afterpay, Zip, Cash App, and Clearpay in the UK
- Consumer apps and services: ParkMobile, Life360, iHeartMedia, GasBuddy, Planet Fitness
- Retail and technology: Dell, Foot Locker
Brands featured as gifts: Sam’s Club, HelloFresh, Disney+, Scentbird, Allbirds, Chewy, Fabletics, wine club Firstleaf, and thousands of local restaurants inside Nift’s network of more than 15,000 businesses.
The two sides overlap by design: a company can thank its own customers with gifts and fund gifts to another company’s customers, which is how the network keeps growing.
Is Nift an App or a Website?
Nift is a website, not an app, and no download is required. You enter your gift code at GoNift.com in any browser, on your phone or your computer.
Nift also works inside our partners’ own apps, so you can receive a gift notice through channels the partner already uses: an email inbox, the Klarna app, a push notification from a parking service. The selection flow stays identical no matter where your gift notice arrives; only the branding on the notification changes.
How Do I Contact Nift?
Our customer success team handles gift questions, and company news lives in the Nift Newsroom.
- Gift help: Email us at help@gonift.com or use the contact form at gonift.com
- Gift swaps: Our Happiness Guarantee at gonift.com/happy lets you exchange a gift that isn’t a fit
- Privacy questions: Our full policy lives at gonift.com/privacy, and data requests go to help@gonift.com
- Media inquiries: Reach us at Press@GoNift.com, via the Nift Newsroom
- Businesses: Nift for Business covers partnerships and demos
Nift FAQ
What does Nift stand for?
Nift is short for “neighborhood gift.” When the company was founded, the whole thing was local: about 10 Boston businesses, neighborhood restaurants and shops, using thank-you gifts to introduce themselves to new customers. The network has since grown to more than 15,000 businesses, national brands included.
Is nift.com or gonift.com the official Nift website?
Both are official Nift websites, owned by the same company, Nift Networks Inc. GoNift.com is the site where gifts are entered and selected, which is why gift notices point there.
Does Nift cost anything to use?
No. Selecting a gift costs nothing, and the brands featured on Nift fully fund every gift. Gift options come in all kinds: some fully covered, some a credit toward a product or service where you pay the remainder if you use the gift, and some like a trial period where you pay if you decide to stay on. Each option spells out what it covers before you pick.
Is Nift an app or a website?
Nift is a website. You enter your gift code at GoNift.com in any browser, with no download required, and gifts also arrive inside partner apps like Klarna’s.
Who is the CEO of Nift?
Elery Pfeffer, who founded the company in Boston in 2015 with a founding team, remains Nift’s CEO. Investors include Spark Capital, Foundry Group, and Accomplice.
Where is Nift available?
Nift operates in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia. The UK expansion launched in late 2025 with buy-now-pay-later partner Clearpay.
How do I contact Nift about a gift?
Email our customer success team at help@gonift.com or use the contact form at gonift.com/contact_us. If you want to exchange a gift, our Happiness Guarantee at gonift.com/happy is there for exactly that.
