Looking for a gift for the Gen Zer in your life? Here's what they're asking for.
Gen Z is the first generation to grow up fully online—they prefer apps over websites, DMs over email, short-form video over text and mobile payments over cash. Convenience and speed shape nearly every choice they make, including what they want for Christmas.
A new survey on holiday spending from Visa and Morning Consult shows that cash-strapped and efficiency-focused Gen Zers have a very particular item on their holiday wish lists. And while it may seem like a tough item to give, we promise there’s an easy way to fulfill the holiday wishes of the Gen Zers in your life.
So what is nearly half of Gen Z hoping to find under the tree this year? Ahead, we talked to two experts well-versed in this particular gift request to help us parse the report. Read on to find out exactly what the Gen Zers you know really want for Christmas.
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What gift are nearly half of all Gen Z asking for this holiday season?
It’s crypto! The Visa survey found that 45% of Gen Z respondents in the United States would be excited to receive cryptocurrency as their holiday gift. (That’s way more than Americans overall, which was only 28%.)
Cryptocurrency, or crypto for short, is a type of digital money that uses secure computer code and blockchain technology to let people send, receive and store value without relying on banks. It’s like digital cash—you can use crypto to buy goods and services, gift it or simply hold it as an investment.
The survey, conducted online over three days in October 2025, polled 1,000 adults from 12 countries, including the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and others. After collecting responses, the researchers weighted the data so it accurately reflects each country’s population in terms of age, gender, education and race.
Why are so many Gen Zers asking for crypto for Christmas?
There are a number of reasons why cryptocurrency is an attractive holiday gift to Gen Z, especially as inflation continues to challenge the purchasing power of the dollar, says Jonathan Rose, CEO of BlockTrust IRA, a cryptocurrency-based individual retirement account (IRA) platform. In short, this generation sees assets like cryptocurrency as a means to a secure financial future—especially in light of what they have collectively been through.
“Gen Z had a global pandemic and watched inflation eat away at the power of the dollar by around 20%,” Rose says. Younger people instinctively know that $100 today “will buy them significantly less next Christmas,” he adds. “Asking for an asset that has a fixed supply, such as bitcoin, is not considered gambling to them—it is a logical decision.”
While older generations fear market drops, Gen Z has become accustomed to regular volatility, Rose adds. “We say that bull markets make you money, but bear markets get you rich,” he says. “Gen Z wants to accumulate an asset that they believe will define the future of finance, at an affordable price. A crypto gift is a clear bet that the current slump is temporary while the digital economy is permanent.”
What else makes crypto so attractive for Gen Z?
According to 21-year-old financial technology (aka fintech) founder Colin Sahagun, CEO of Stelrix, an investment-backed credit card company, crypto is not just an investment to those of his generation. It’s also of-the-moment and makes younger people feel like part of a community. “Cash and gift cards feel like something your parents got at the mall,” Sahagun says. “Owning crypto feels like you have a tiny stake in the future. You can watch it, trade it, move it instantly, discuss it with friends and actually participate in a global market from your phone.”
Unlike older generations, the fact that crypto has recently plummeted doesn’t scare Gen Z—in fact, it makes crypto seem like an even greater opportunity, Sahagun says. “Gen Z has seen entire coins crash and then rip back,” he explains. “They know crypto is volatile and risky, but they would rather take that risk early and learn from it than sit on the sidelines and watch yet another wave of innovation pass them by.”
How do you gift someone crypto?
One easy way to gift crypto is by using a major exchange or crypto-friendly trading app like Robinhood, Kraken or Crypto.com. Kraken’s app, for example, works almost like Venmo for digital assets. You buy a cryptocurrency—such as bitcoin—and send it to someone using a simple pay link. The recipient gets a text message, taps the link, verifies their account, and the crypto appears in their wallet. It’s a straightforward option for beginners.
What else did the survey find out about holiday shopping in the digital age?
The Visa survey also looked at the use of artificial intelligence (AI) when it comes to holiday shopping, discovering that nearly half of U.S. shoppers (47%) have used an AI tool for at least one shopping task—especially for finding gift ideas. They also use AI to compare prices and find deals.
“The data tells a fascinating story about the spending shift we’re witnessing: Shoppers are embracing AI and digital tools at remarkable speed, with nearly half of Americans now using AI to enhance their shopping experience,” Bruce Cundiff, vice president of consumer insights at Visa, said in a press release. “From AI-powered gift discovery to cryptocurrency as a legitimate gift option, we’re seeing Gen Z and younger Millennials lead a fundamental reimagining of commerce.”
In what ways is Gen Z redefining the holidays?
Gen Z is redefining holidays to make them more digital, borderless and experience-driven. This generation leads the adoption of mobile/digital wallets and mobile in-store transactions, using their phones instead of cards or cash. Gen Z also hunts deals aggressively using price tools and coupons, and deploys AI and social platforms to seek out gift ideas. In fact, 60% of Gen Z shoppers are buying gifts from overseas retailers this season and will purchase these directly through social platforms (after being influenced on Instagram, for instance).
While many say they’ll cut back overall spending, Gen Z will also shift where and how they spend this year—particularly when it comes to holiday travel. The Visa survey found that, worldwide, 41% of Gen Z consumers plan to travel more this holiday season than last, prioritizing experiences like “gig-tripping,” which means traveling to see a favorite musical artist perform live.
Sounds like a pretty great way to close out the year, actually—maybe older generations should give it a try.
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Sources:
- Colin Sahagun, CEO of Stelrix; interviewed, December 2025
- Jonathan Rose, CEO of BlockTrust IRA; interviewed, December 2025
- Visa: “Visa Survey Finds AI and Crypto Poised to Transform U.S. Holiday Spending”
- PYMNTS: “Gen Z Wallet Use Rises 23% as Older Shoppers Catch Up”
- Deloitte: “2025 Deloitte Holiday Retail Survey”
- Expedia: “Unpack Travel Trends 2025”
- Visa: “How Travel Trends are Reshaping Global Payments”
