If you've ever tried to roll out an employee recognition program across multiple countries or global regions, you already know the moment everything gets complicated. The strategy is solid, leadership is bought in, the platform is ready to go—and then someone asks: "What rewards do employees in Germany actually redeem?"
It's a fair question, and one that HR and Total Rewards leaders are wrestling with more than ever. As the growth of digital work knocks down geographical barriers, organizations often have employees in different regions. And this means building global rewards into your total rewards strategy.
The catalog problem nobody talks about
Most recognition platforms are built with a North American employee in mind. Which means, for employees in EMEA, APAC, or Latin America, the experience can feel like browsing a store that stocks mostly things they can't use.
A Starbucks card doesn't land the same way in a country where there are three locations. A retailer gift card means nothing if that retailer doesn't operate locally.
The result is recognition that technically works but doesn't really land. When employees sit on points they can't do much with, the program's ROI suffers, and HR ends up fielding questions about why the reward options feel so limited.
Cash-out rewards are gaining ground
One solution that's picked up steam in recent years is cash-out rewards: converting points directly into funds that go into an employee's personal financial account. No catalog dependency, no guessing what's available in a given market, and no worrying about gift card relevance.
For employees, it's the most flexible reward possible. They can spend it how they want, where they want, in their own currency.
For HR teams, it removes a layer of administrative complexity. Instead of trying to curate a catalog for every market, you offer a redemption path that works regardless of where someone is located.
Historically, the catch has been execution. International cash-out options often required manual processing, coordination with finance teams, and a fair amount of back-and-forth to get funds where they needed to go. It wasn't impossible, but it wasn't scalable either.
Where Revolut fits in
Revolut is one of the most widely-used financial apps in EMEA and beyond, with more than 70 million customers across 160+ countries. For many employees in supported markets, it's already how they manage their money day to day—holding multiple currencies, making transfers, and spending abroad.
That reach makes it a natural fit for international reward delivery. When employees can receive recognition value directly in an app they already use, in their local currency, the friction disappears on both sides of the transaction.
Awardco’s Revolut integration
Awardco now integrates with Revolut. What does this mean?
- When points are given to employees in supported markets, they have the option to redeem it to Revolut
- Their chosen point value is deposited directly into their existing Revolut account
- They spend their reward points just like cash one whatever rewards they want
No HR administration needed because the whole process is automated—which means no frustrating wait for employees, either.
Global rewards are easy with Awardco.
Level up your global total rewards strategy
For employees in markets where catalog coverage is thin, localized, self-service cash-out rewards are a more meaningful redemption path.
For HR teams managing recognition across dozens of countries, it reduces the operational overhead of trying to make every market feel well-served. And for total rewards leaders making the case for recognition investment, it strengthens the story: the program works for everyone, not just employees in the right zip code.
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