Shell Oil Products US has revealed that its gasoline station network doubled sales of Shell Gift Cards in 2004 over the previous year and that, due to a strong holiday promotion, over a third of 2004 sales came in December alone.

Clearly, our Shell Gift Card program took off last year. We plan to build on that success this year with some innovative gift card products that are designed to attract customers, such as reloadable gift cards that have proven to be highly successful in other retail formats, said Carolyn Yapp, Shell’s manager of cards and payment US.

Currently, there is no transaction fee on the Shell Gift Cards, saving retailers and wholesalers the credit card transaction fees that are applied when motorists purchase gasoline with a major credit card. Furthermore, Shell believes the program helps give station operators more value through incremental business and is an effective way to introduce consumers to the brand.

In 2004, Shell Gift Card sales were up 62% overall, which includes sales to other businesses, Shell’s retail network, and retail sales through Safeway and Walgreens stores.